Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1492675
M A R C H 2 0 2 3 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Young's life was portrayed in a 55-min- ute documentary produced by FloW- restling titled "Straight Outta Tucson." It was not only compelling but grip- pingly revealing. The super senior 133-pounder, who has a degree in rec- reation, park and tourism management from Penn State, agreed to Flo's story- telling endeavor because his journey, he said, is unique. "It's just my life story, so people will see where I come from," Bravo-Young said in late January. "People don't re- ally know my true story. It's cool just to share it with people and where I came from to get here. It's been a long jour- ney, and I think it inspires younger kids who maybe are in the same shoes. "I think I came a long way. It's good to share my story, and I really don't know if it would hit the same in a few years. I think it's cool to get it out now." Passion, Heart and Spirit That story is multifaceted. Bravo- Young lived in a modest bungalow that on occasion housed 18 extended fam- ily members. His mother, Sarah Bravo- Cruz, with whom Bravo-Young now has a much stronger relationship, had an addiction problem and admits she was wasn't able to care for her family. He never knew his father while growing up. His mother's brother died in 2000 because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time in South Tucson, Sarah explained. Roman was raised in large part by his grandfather Michael Bravo, and for a period of time he resided in the home of Sunnyside High football coach Richard Sanchez. His wrestling coach, Anthony Leon, also played a major role in Ro- man's life. Bravo-Young didn't grow up in the traditional family but clearly was part of a community. The documentary examines all phases of his life, but its point is to highlight Bravo-Young's talent, passion, heart and spirit, all of which he needed to sur- vive and grow. He started wrestling at age 5. His g ra n d fa t h e r to o k Ro m a n a n d h i s younger brother, Romego, to a freestyle tournament, and they both won, despite having never wrestled before. Bravo-Young's interest in the sport progressed from there, and so did the training piloted by his grandfather. He jokes in the documentary that his grandpa's training tactics were "damn near child abuse." There were two uni- versal gym weight machines in the backyard — they are still there, in fact — and Michael Bravo would yell through the kitchen window for Roman to do more and more repetitions. Michael would drop him at the bot- tom of a Tucson mountain at the day's hottest hour and have him run to the top, all the while behind him in a vehicle imploring him to pick up the pace. Sunnyside's Leon saw the talent; he not only coached Bravo-Young in high school but for four years prior to that. "RBY was unchallenged as an Arizona wrestler," Leon was quoted as saying. Bravo-Young's trophy collection, which still sits on the floor in his mother's home because "they mean something to her," began to grow. Making It Happen Michael Bravo didn't think Roman was big enough for high school wres- tling and held him out of school his en- tire eighth-grade year. He became very good at gaming and would stay up "till 3, 4, 5 in the morning" playing video games. "I knew Grandpa was coming at 8 a.m. for my workouts, and I would lift, practice, sleep and game," Bravo- Young said. After Bravo-Young 's first Arizona state title, Leon's expectations of him included college. Bravo-Young wanted to be a professional gamer, but he kept winning, and people eventually started noticing. Leon claimed that Penn State coach Cael Sanderson came to Ari- zona to watch current Arizona State 125-pound starter Brandon Courtney, "but RBY put a beatdown on Courtney," Leon said. Leon told Michael Bravo about Penn State, and Bravo-Young ended up in a culture and climate far different than "He's physically very talented, but I think his greatest talent is his work ethic. As a person, same thing. I think he's come a long way, and it's been pretty cool to see it." C A E L S A N D E R S O N O N B R A V O - Y O U N G Seeking his second consecutive NCAA title last March, the top-seeded Bravo-Young defeated Oklahoma State's second-seeded Daton Fix 3-2 in the 133-pound final. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS