Community members can support a local Patriot wrestler who is working hard to earn money so he can compete in an upcoming tournament in Florida. 

Union County High School Junior and Patriot wrestler Jesus Aquino, better known as "Chuy" by friends and family, was the community's pride when he punched his ticket to the 2022-23 Indiana High School Athletic Association Wrestling State Finals after coming so close in the previous two years. 

"This year, it felt really good getting there because the past two years, I was a ticket rounder which means I was one away," said Chuy. "I lost to the state champ my freshman year and to the state runner-up my sophomore year."

Chuy began wrestling when he was four but took a few years off when his brother left for college and the military. However, he took it back up in the 7th grade and has been setting goals and keeping a rigorous workout ever since. 

"It borders on obsession," Chuy's mom said. "He places practice above almost everything. Even during the pandemic, he had a routine and worked out in the wrestling cave, aka the garage. I am glad to see he now does things with friends. Most are fellow wrestlers, but they are doing other things besides wrestling."

 Chuy's hard work has paid off through his accomplishments, but he has big goals for his senior year.

"I want to win a state title," Chuy said. "Obviously, that has been my goal since I started. I have dreams about that. So that would be amazing. I also want to break some records; just have a really successful year."

To win state, Chuy knows the time and dedication he has to invest in his development is substantial. So every free moment he has, he practices and competes in wrestling tournaments during the school's off-season. Chuy is working hard to raise money to compete in his next tournament, the AAU Scholastic Duals, also known as Disney Duals, at Disney World in Florida. 

"He knows we don't financially have the money to attend certain places to help," she said. "But he does manage to practice and train with a lot of great skilled individuals. Up to this year, I drove him an hour plus just to go to an open mat or training session. Now he has a car and can drive. It's funny; I can tell him to clean the yard, and it will be procrastinated forever, it seems. But tell him you will give gas money to go practice, and it’s done."

The opportunity to attend Disney Duals will provide Chuy with a one-of-a-kind learning experience that will further his preparation for state, and he is willing to do any odd job a community member has to get there.

Even with his extremely busy schedule, Chuy does make time to help young wrestlers who share his passion. 

"He gives back to the youth," Stephanie said. "He'll coach at tournaments, help at practices, and even helps fellow teammates improve their skills. He can be found in the middle school wrestling room or the youth wrestling program their entire season. He offers help to other youth clubs off season practices. Basically, he is practicing, or he is helping a practice, be it in Liberty, neighboring towns or even in Ohio."

To hire Chuy and help him get to the tournament, give him a call at 765-338-9284. If you don't have any work to be done, you can purchase a t-shirt at https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1lR_J8ZLkXwClTCxKRDJzFdrO6W7NCxuVbwcBpA21paQ/mobilebasic. Be sure to add Jesus Aquino as the wrestler you are supporting. 75% of the money will go to Chuy, and 25% will go to the cost of the shirt.