Most high-school-level wrestlers join a school team. At SelfDesign, Tristen Beaudry is the team. As the only wrestler representing the SelfDesign® Learning Community team created specifically for him, Tristen proves that not even politics or injury can hold him back from realizing his dreams.

Tristen is a top-level youth wrestler who made the switch from public school to SelfDesign a year ago because his dad wanted a healthier environment for him. SelfDesign didn’t yet have a wrestling team, so they created one just for him, but not without some hurdles.

“In BC school sports, there’s a thing called team stacking where teams try to take athletes from other teams,” Tristen explains. “To prevent that, there’s a 12-month sit-out period for zone and tournament matches if a student switches schools. So I had to sit out for a year, but I ended up wrestling a lot anyway.”

During the wrestling season, Tristen wrestles five days per week, with tournaments on most weekends. He trains hard year-round and, including training intensively in Las Vegas for a few weeks every year. His dedication to wrestling has led him to win third place in the Canadian finals and first in B.C.

Growing up with an athletic dad who earned a scholarship to Simon Fraser University through wrestling, Tristen spent his childhood exploring different sports, and eventually chose to pursue the one his dad excelled at, too.

“Wrestling just sort of clicked with me, Tristen shares. “I was pretty good at it, so I stuck with it.”

Tristen plans to continue his wrestling career after graduation. “In the future, If I could join a club team through a University, I could work my way up from club team to Junior Cadets, then to Worlds, then to Olympic trials, and finally, maybe, to Team Canada,” he says.

“Tristen has been an incredible advocate for himself,” says SelfDesign vice principal Clarissa Tufts. “He found extremely supportive coaches in his community and was able to facilitate good communication with SelfDesign’s head coach, vice principal, Vanessa Kuran. It was a team effort to connect all the dots and take care of the administrative procedures that would allow Tristen to represent SelfDesign. Now we have our very own SelfDesign Wrestling team! We’re proud of Tristen for being curious, pushing the boundaries to make this happen for himself and seeing the result of his hard work – he’s achieved some amazing accomplishments so far.”

Tristen appreciates the flexibility and approach of self-directed home learning through SelfDesign because it allows him to maintain his demanding wrestling schedule.

“My days feel perfectly manageable,” Tristen shares. “It works really well because I do all my work before 3 p.m., which is when I usually leave the house for wrestling practice. I like the work format, and I’d rather do the work on the computer. I also like how each week you just have one big assignment, and I don’t have to worry about three or more different subjects at once. I can just focus on one subject, and then switch my mindset to something different the next week.”

SelfDesign’s whole philosophy is based around supporting learners to follow their passions and natural gifts, and this is reflected in Tristen’s own experiences with the school.

“SelfDesign has done very well in supporting me, and I really appreciate it,” Tristen says.

“They help by doing things like writing letters and advocating when I’m fighting. My learning consultant, Patricia, is awesome. She’s always helping, checking in, and pointing us in the right direction. My grades have gone up 100 per cent. I’m excited because it’s my last year in school. Even though I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in the past, I feel like everything’s falling into place.”

Winning first place in western Canada and third in the country is no small feat for this young athlete, who is coached by the former coach of the Cleveland State University wrestling team.

“I was really pumped [when I won],” Tristen shares. ”I even beat a guy that nobody else could beat that year. I was so happy because I had put a lot of time and effort into everything. That was also the first year my coach really pushed me, and he helped a lot. He’s always been there to support me.”

Despite suffering an injury this year, Tristen has stayed involved with wrestling in every way possible.

“This year I won the zones tournament and went to provincials, but in my first provincial match, I dislocated my shoulder and tore other ligaments,“ Tristen explains. “I missed nationals, and I’m waiting for surgery. I still go to practice, just keep in contact and stay connected with everyone. I also watch videos and old matches. Really, I just want to get out on the mat again.”

For learners following their dreams, coming up against demanding schedules and needing to cultivate more discipline, Tristen offers advice and encouragement.

“Just don’t quit,” he says. “You just can’t let one difficult time ruin your future. If you have a hard week, remember that it’s just one week. Sure, it’s really hard, but you gotta think, next week might be easier. If you just do a little bit more hard work in the moment, it’ll be easier in the long term.”

Learn more about how SelfDesign Learning Community encourages children to pursue their dreams at https://www.selfdesign.org/programs/selfdesign-learning-community/.