FI Rumormill: Partial Season For Pico?

FI Rumormill: Partial Season For Pico?

Oct 14, 2013 by Willie Saylor
FI Rumormill: Partial Season For Pico?
FI Rumormill: Partial Season For Pico?

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FI Rumormill: Partial Season For Pico?
Willie Saylor, Editor

When you're as good as Aaron Pico, you have options.

While others are attending high school. the Sophomore phenom from Bellflower, California, is taking online classes (all A's on last report) while he attends training camps in Russia. Currently he's in Dagestan, a Caucaus region of Russia steeped in wrestling history.

It will be off to Chechnya next week while he travels with his wrestling mentor, Valentin Kalika and fellow Cadet World Team Member, Stevan Micic, of Indiana.

Pico, the #1 recruit in the Class of 2016, and perhaps in any class, will arrive back home on the October 30th. A month later, he'll compete in a Junior tournament in Nice, France, with Bo Nickal (TX) while being coached by Bill Zadick and Kalika.

The question is, when and where will he wrestle in the U.S. next?

The answer is up in the air. As of now, Aaron will most likely be out of U.S. competition until after the new year, including Ironman.

Pico's father, Anthony, explained the plan. "It's an opportunity that he's fortunate enough to have. He works hard at his school work. He doesn't cut corners there. And as long as that's the case, I give him my blessing to take part in the unique situation that he's in."

A camp in Ukraine early in 2014 is in the works. And then he'll head home to California to defend his state title.

"The plan right now is to wrestle at CIF. He's focused on improving the best he can and we're weighing what schedule will allow him to do that. He likes the enivroment in Europe, in the training rooms there and around the SR level athletes. And as a father, I see the benefits in the life experience as well as wrestling experience."

While we might miss him in tournaments domestically, Pico is definitely chasing perfection.

Expect to get a good dose of Aaron next spring when the freestyle season rolls around and he shoots for the Junior World berth.




Pico and Coach Kalika meet a team full of wrestlers in Dagestan.