Former national champion wrestler inspires youth through Florida wrestling program
By Bradley Shimel
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CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — Having an impact on a young child’s life goes a long way, and one wrestling instructor in Cape Coral is proving that every day at Irons Elite Wrestling Club.
Jabari Irons said, “I started out wrestling in high school because I got hurt from football. I didn’t know how much I loved the sport, but it was a great outlet emotionally, physically and mentally.”
It turns out, he was pretty good at wrestling.
Irons earned a scholarship to FGCU, where he took home a collegiate national title and ended up with a third place finish in the World Wrestling Championship, but something significant happened in between.
Irons said, “There was an altercation. I went to pull my teammate back and try to de-escalate the situation and a shooting occurred. I ended up getting hit a couple of times as well as him. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. We don’t know the number of our days, so we have to be thankful to be here, grateful for the opportunity. I feel like my soul mission on this Earth is to help the others around me, help everybody be the best that they can be daily.”
With that goal in mind, the Irons Elite Wrestling Club was established.
For the past six years, Irons has helped athletes earn college scholarships, but his impact goes deeper than that.
Irons said, “I coach up the little kids, I coach up the middle and high schoolers. I help them figure out who they want to be, what they’re capable of. My youth pastors and my coaches were there for me, so I took what they did for me, and I try to give it right back to the kids of Southwest Florida.”
The next generation of wrestlers is in good hands thanks to Irons.
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