Nico Valencia & Chris Eylicio NM: We Are a Team
Nico Valencia & Chris Eylicio NM
Win or Lose, We Are a Team
by Bill X. Barron
To succeed in this journey through life, and to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, partnership is essential. If one has the prime fortune to discover a soulmate, together they are one. They are a team.
Raised by his grandparents, Chris Eylicio values their acceptance of and care for him, despite his making unwise peer choices.
“They steered me to the right path, kept me going through faith and love. From them, I learned the importance of hard work and, ultimately, how to be successful.”
For Nico and Chris their motto in wrestling – and in life – is “We are Team – win or lose, we own it together.” Likewise, when reflecting on his own wrestling experience, the first thing Chris cites is that Belen High was New Mexico team state champion.
Chris’ first coaching experience was in Albuquerque, where in 2008 he helped head coach Monte Wallace build the eventual club state champion Wolfpack Wrestling Club. From Monte, he learned how to meld coaching a challenging sport into a life-changing mentorship.
Chris’ home turnaround real estate business is not just a metaphor for how he has found the integrity to live his life, it is also a vehicle that provides the funds and the freedom to roam the country in search of the best opponents for Nico, regardless of weight, age, or experience.
Nico got his start in the national spotlight as a 6-year-old at RMN’s NM National Showdown in nearby Albuquerque. There, he lost in the finals to Desmond Valdez, who competed for Duran Elite out of Pueblo, CO.
Like many RMN opponents from all over the country, the two have become lifetime buddies who have grown to vastly different weights (Nico 120 and Desmond 180) but who share the same spirit.
Characteristically modest, you will not hear from RMN’s No. 1-ranked 13U wrestler that he is a 3-time RMN National Championship and Freak Show finalist as well as a Terminator Outstanding Wrestler in the 12U division.
In his home state of New Mexico, he is nearly unbeatable. Wrestling in both his own as well as an older age group, not only has Nico earned several RMN titles at the Showdown and the Aztec Warrior, he has also made the Youth State finals six years in a row, five as Champ.
Currently, Nico trains with the Juggernaut Wstling Club in Rio Ranch, which is led by two 4-time NM state champions, Vicente Varela and Louis Trujillo.
Varela was an NCAA Division I qualifier and Academic All-American at Arizona State University (which is where Nico plans to matriculate in five years).
Trujillo was a Cadet freestyle national champion, a 3-time national champion, and a 4-time All-American at the NHSCA Nationals in Virginia Beach. In the 2010 Jr. Pan Am Games in Nicaragua, he earned a bronze medal.
In the Club’s mission statement, the coaches assert: “We strive to instill a passion for wrestling in our youth that transcends the mat.
“Our mission is to empower our athletes to embody the qualities of a Juggernaut – unstoppable, unwavering, and relentless in pursuit of their goals.”
Nowadays, the almost 6-foot, 13-year-old 116-pounder may look slightly awkward standing at matside. But when he steps into the circle, Nico’s form goes through a metamorphosis as he seamlessly transitions from a single leg or a slide-by to tilts, bars, and crossbody leg turns.
“In a match, we respond in ways that only he and I understand. With just a look, we know what the other is thinking. Whether I make a good or bad call for a move, together we accept the outcome,” states Chris.
“Mostly, I just tell him to wrestle. Whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day, we review what we did well, then focus on what we can do better.”
After a match concludes, Nico’s warrior mask is replaced by a broad smile, a genuine handshake, and a sincere embrace of his opponent, the official, the opposing coach and, of course, Coach Uncle Chris. Nico’s good heart and kind soul are the foundation of his character.
As a club coach now for Juggernaut, Chris helps young men and women reset their life goals and grow as human beings. He believes the most important lesson he can impart is the art of making good decisions.
“Sports are a bonus. Do well in school. Learn life lessons from the hardest sport known to man. Wrestling changed my life!” Chris exclaims. “I love giving back to these kids.”
Alongside the man he chose to be his mentor and father, Nico found an eternal love for the man and the sport. “I appreciate everything you have done for me in making me part of your family.”