At age 36, Cruse Aarhus knows he’s a long way from talking about his legacy. But the former University of Northern Iowa wrestler wants young wrestlers to think about their future, which is why Aarhus named his youth practice facility Immortal Athletics Wrestling Club.

“I want people to buy into the fact that you leave something behind; the idea that you create something that spreads and the impact lasts forever,” said Aarhus, who started the club in 2016. 

“There is a reason that our logo is a Phoenix, which goes through the rebirth cycle all the time and continually inventing itself.”

Aarhus, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, certainly has recreated himself in the sport since he compiled a 55-33 collegiate record, basically as a reserve at Northern Iowa between 2007-12, before staying in Cedar Falls four additional years training with the Panther RTC.

While the former Iowa state high school champ may not have reached his college goals as an athlete at UNI, those years showed him what he really wanted to do.

“I think ultimately being a coach is what I wanted to do; perhaps being more of an athlete. I mean, who doesn’t want to be like his dad,” said Cruse, referring to his father Jason, who first coached high school wrestling in Illinois before moving the family to eastern Iowa, where he headed up the prep program at Central City before assisting with a club program at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School. That’s where Cruse wrestled, won a state title in 2007 and was ranked #1 nationally at 103 pounds.

And because of Cruse’s work with kids while he competed at UNI, parents in the area asked him to start a wrestling club, which was first housed at the old Panther wrestling room at the West Gym at UNI. Eventually, Covid and the destruction of the West Gym forced Aarhus to find a new facility three years ago on University Avenue in nearby Waterloo, Iowa, and five miles east of the UNI campus.

Aarhus jokingly also credits his “stubbornness or refusal to get a real job,” for creating the Immortal Athletics WC.

“I was going to be involved in the sport, no matter what,” said Aarhus, who graduated with a degree in exercise science at UNI.  “I was in grad school, working on my master’s in strength and conditioning. I got this opportunity and said, ‘I can do this.’”

Aarhus, who is assisted by Jake Hodges, Darren Eades and Jacob Holschlag, believes in an open-door policy for their young athletes, who range from age 5 to 19.

“We are in here all the time,” said Aarhus, adding that the number of young wrestlers continues to rise. “We have the space and it should be used. This is not a museum.”

Aarhus likes the idea of clubs that are associated in some way with the local college.

“Being around (UNI coach) Doug (Schwab), it really drove home your culture and relationships that dictate success,” Aarhus said. “In all the clubs, guys teach things differently, but culture and the relationship piece are what sets the programs apart.

“Hearing coaches talk about their coaches like Bobby Douglas or Dan Gable and Chuck Patten, they were like second fathers to these guys and their relationships have kept them together through years and years. That is the impact that quality coaches are going for.

“Are you going to answer the phone when they call? I want to be one of those guys, who says, ‘If you are ever in trouble or just want to talk, just call.’ You are going to need support for the rest of your life and it’s not always going to be your parents.”

The club has sent 40 wrestlers to compete in college, including 12 to Northern Iowa. That number should rise considering Schwab’s sons — Hayden and Hendrix, respectively a junior and sophomore and state champs at Don Bosco High School in nearby Gilbertville, Iowa — are members of Immortal Athletics.

Aarhus said he tries to treat all his wrestlers and parents on an individual basis and jokes that his dealings with Doug Schwab have been unique.

“In the beginning, it was not tough at all, and not that it is now,” said Aarhus, whose last two years at UNI were under Schwab. “But as the expectations go up, the conversations are different. Doug is very trusting, so it’s been awesome.”

Together with his wife, Haley, they are raising two girls — Sienna, aged 5 and Phoebe, 2 — which helps him understand the needs of a parent but remains candid with club member parents.

“Being honest is the thing that I’m best at,” he said. “I’m not worried about the feelings. I’m more interested in solutions. We are trying to do something challenging. If we are coy or shy about it and not having honest conversations, then we are leading people in the wrong direction.”

Aarhus believes he is still a man of science and also an anti-authoritarian and uses those philosophies in developing young wrestlers to succeed on the mat and in life.

“What’s helped me most is that I feel like it’s helped me understand how to interpret science,” he said. “The professors at UNI helped me understand the answer to anything was ‘maybe, sometimes yes, sometimes no. It really got me asking the question and looking for better answers. Everything goes through that now. I’m not so hard and rigid like ‘this is the way it has to be done.’

“They have a lot of freedom here, but we do preach if you want to get to a certain level, this is what it’s going to take. We want these wrestlers to compete a certain way and live a certain way and be committed. But we are dealing with people. What I always try to ask is, ‘Who’s the most important person here? It’s you. It’s not your mom or your dad. It’s your wrestling career.’” 

Aarhus said he does not measure a young athlete’s success by simply getting their hand raised after a match.

“We want kids to be in a space where progress is the thing,” he said, “Are they asking, ‘Am I getting better?’ or ‘I need to be in program where I know what I’m doing and can accomplish it without complete oversight and I want to be able to go into my high school wrestling room and I don’t have to be commanded.”

Aarhus said working in the early years with former club member and former UNI/Minnesota wrestler Michael Blockhus helped Aarhus solidify his feelings in dealing with young wrestlers.

“He was super independent and very coachable,” Aarhus recalled. “He was going to work on his own, show up to practice and ask questions.”

Aarhus said the Immortal Athletics coaches challenge their athletes to think on their own.

One of those wrestlers is Lilly Luft, a native of Charles City and current Iowa wrestler and 2025 All-American, who learned from Aarhus and his coaches at Immortal Athletics.

“She came in and was very eager to work,” he recalled. “She listened really well; so well that we used to not give her answers and make her have to figure out some of these things on her own. It would be really easy to give her all the answers and make her dependent. We tell her, ‘You are going to be in a situation as an adult, sometimes you have to go in that situation by yourself.’

“We try to help kids identify problems and will do the same thing to them over and over, like 25 or 30 times, until they start trying something different or stop me and ask why. That’s good and shows that they are involved. We say ‘Pay attention, be here and focus on what’s going on.’”

Aarhus and his coaches are indeed making an impact on young wrestlers at Immortal Athletics. He also hopes they can impact themselves.

“If wrestling doesn’t teach you to be resilient, then you’ve been missing something,” he said. “You are always going to deal with something.”