World Champion Greco-Roman Wrestler and UVU Wrestling Hall of Famer Ben Kjar stepped into the SVI Radio for First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday. Ben has been in Star Valley speaking to students around LCSD#2.

(0:00) First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday on the SBI Radio Network. (0:04) Of course, local branch locations in Alpine, Afton, Kemmer and Mountain View. (0:08) You’re home for totally free checking.

(0:10) Find First Bank online at gofirstbank.com. (0:13) Duke Dance, Dal Erickson with you in studio this morning (0:16) and a fantastic guest joining us on the sports show here this morning. (0:19) Dallas, not every day we get a world champion at anything in the studio, (0:25) but that is happening right now. (0:26) Ben Carr is joining us this morning.

(:27) He is a world champion Greco-Roman wrestling, (0:30) just inducted into the Utah Valley University Hall of Fame as well. (0:34) And he’s been touring around LCSD number two, (0:37) speaking to a lot of the students in the school districts around, (0:39) in the schools around Star Valley and Cokeville. (0:42) Ben, thank you so much for taking time while you’re in Star Valley to join us today.

(0:46) We really appreciate it. (0:47) Yeah, I’m stoked. (0:48) Wyoming is, I mean, it’s an incredibly beautiful place to be right now.

(0:53) Well, we’re pleased to have you here. (0:55) Western Wyoming and our community in particular is a very wrestling, (1:00) it’s a wrestling hotbed. (1:01) We love our wrestling.

(1:02) We appreciate it. (1:03) And we know what it takes. (1:04) And kind of tell us about some of your wrestling background and where you come from (1:08) and how you ended up at Utah Valley University.

(1:12) Yeah, totally. (1:13) First and foremost, huge shout out to Rulon Gardner. (1:16) I saw him growing up.

(1:18) This is his backyard, right? (1:21) And ran his wrestling camps growing up. (1:24) And I watched people like that all growing up. (1:29) And because I was born with something called Crouzon syndrome, (1:32) which is a facial difference, (1:34) I didn’t have control over many things in my life.

(1:38) And my doctors told me literally, (1:41) hey, you’re not going to wrestle, let alone do any contact sports. (1:45) And we all know wrestling is a very contact sport, right? (1:48) And so when my parents came to me and said, (1:52) you know what? (1:53) We’re not going to wrap you in bubble wrap. (1:56) You’re going to go out there and you’re going to make things happen.

(2:00) My parents are incredible cuddlers. (2:02) They are not good cuddlers. (2:04) Today is not the day to wrap your kids in bubble wrap.

(2:08) They will not survive in today’s day and age. (2:13) Wrestling gives you resilience and it gives you something that you can control, (2:17) which is the outcome. (2:19) Your input, when my coaches said do 10 push-ups, (2:23) I had a choice to do 10 or to do 12.

(2:26) And as I chose to do more than what I was asked, (2:30) that was something I could control. (2:31) And that gave me so much confidence. (2:36) So it’s just incredible that your wrestling period, (2:39) let alone reach the level of wrestling that you did, (2:43) where did you draw that motivation from? (2:45) To not only overcome the syndrome that you had, (2:47) but to do it in such a high world elite standard? (2:51) Oh man, it goes back to again, (2:55) being able to control something that I could actually have in my life.

(3:00) But the motivation outside of that came from my coaches. (3:06) Literally, the illusion was actually wrestling. (3:10) For all you coaches and parents listening to this, (3:12) listen to this, like, listen to this point.

(3:15) And this is what changed my life as a coach that I learned. (3:19) That your sport that you teach, (3:21) whether it’s football or basketball or baseball or ballet, (3:24) whatever it is, the kids are coming for that illusion. (3:31) But in turn, my coaches, they taught me principles (3:35) and values that would change my life.

(3:39) Wrestling, I say changed my life, (3:42) but it was everything behind it that made it the change that it was. (3:48) And so you coaches and parents out there, (3:51) allow your kids to understand those principles and values (3:55) and how they can go in any other aspect of life. (3:59) So Ben, tell us a little bit about your career at Utah Valley University.

(4:04) And obviously just getting to the collegiate level, (4:08) at any collegiate level is such a big jump (4:11) when you compete there, but you obviously did so well (4:14) that you were just recently inducted into their Hall of Fame, (4:16) their Athletics Hall of Fame, (4:18) and obviously went on to the World Championships. (4:21) Talk to us about those steps and overcoming some of those obstacles. (4:25) Man, that’s so good.

(4:26) You know what? (4:27) I think everybody feels like you’re going to go down the path (4:34) that makes the most sense on paper. (4:36) It’s not that way. (4:38) I went to Oklahoma right out of high school.

(4:40) I was a five-time national champion, three-time state champion, (4:44) really highly recruited. (4:45) I decided to take a gray shirt year. (4:48) And then I decided to serve a mission for the LDS faith.

(4:51) Coming back, I verbally committed to Boise State (4:55) because I wanted to come closer to home. (4:56) And then God told me, no, you ain’t going there. (4:59) Well, Boise State was ranked number 10 in the country.

(5:01) They were like top 10. (5:04) And when I had it on paper, it’s like, oh, Boise State, easy. (5:08) That’s where I’m going.

(5:09) And then when I prayed, God told me, no, you’re going to Utah Valley. (5:13) What was difficult about that decision was that they just jumped from junior college (5:18) to division one, and I lost two years of eligibility. (5:24) I had to give it away because they couldn’t compete in postseason.

(5:28) Long story short, this is what that story exemplifies. (5:33) In life, you’re going to have the opportunity to make decisions (5:36) that look really good on paper, really good on paper. (5:40) I’m going to do this job.

(5:41) I’m going to do this career. (5:42) I’m going to marry this person. (5:43) I’m going to do whatever.

(5:44) And then your heart’s going to tell you totally something different. (5:47) God’s going to direct you in something totally different. (5:49) And you’re going to be like, what the freak is that? (5:52) Why in the world would I do that? (5:54) But as you go down that path, where your heart tells you, where your soul tells you, (5:59) where you know is better but harder, doesn’t make sense, it does.

(6:04) I became Utah Valley University’s first ever All-American. (6:07) I met my wife there who ran track. (6:11) And now, guess what? (6:13) Boise State doesn’t have a program.

(6:16) Nobody ever knew that. (6:17) They were top eight in the country. (6:19) God knew it.

(6:21) And so sometimes you don’t see the path in front of you, but you know where you should go. (6:26) And sometimes it’s the road less traveled. (6:29) But that’s why you follow your heart.

(6:31) Ben Carr in studio this morning with First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday. (6:35) Ben, eventually then you go on to become a world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. (6:39) Take us on the mat in that moment when it happens and the match is over.

(6:48) And you’re a world champ, everything you’ve gone through. (6:50) And now all of a sudden in that moment, you’re a world champ. (6:52) What was it like? (6:55) So can I give you just like a one-minute background? (6:58) Absolutely.

(6:58) All the parents out there, listen to this. (7:01) I was just here last night watching flag football. (7:05) I saw the parents cheering their kids on.

(7:07) But guess what? (7:09) The kids probably don’t listen to you. (7:11) If you’re like my kids, they probably don’t listen to you, right? (7:14) I have three kids. (7:16) But guess what they do do? (7:17) They watch you.

(7:19) And they do what you do. (7:21) They don’t always do what you say. (7:23) I was in Florida at an event.

(7:26) I had been done competing for 10 years and stepped on a mat. (7:31) Russell Brunson, one of my friends who runs a huge company, (7:35) gets up and a speaker that he hired said, (7:39) one of the most insidious forms of child neglect is parents not achieving their dreams. (7:43) And I said, what did I just hear? (7:46) One of the most insidious forms of child neglect is parents not achieving their dreams.

(7:51) My kids had just gone through their first season of wrestling. (7:54) I had been yapping in the corner like every other dad, (7:57) half Nelson, double A, half Nelson. (7:59) And my kids are like, what do you know, dad? (8:01) I’m like, oh my gosh.

(8:04) So I stepped in the sport, got back into the game in the master’s division. (8:09) I went to the world championships. (8:12) And my goal was to be a world champion.

(8:15) I get to the finals and freestyle. (8:17) I was ahead one minute left. (8:18) I was ahead.

(8:20) And because of the fear of failure and fear of not being enough, I shut down and I lost. (8:27) And there’s a picture of my boy crying in this audience. (8:31) I went back that night, not thinking that my kids wouldn’t love me as much because I lost.

(8:36) And that’s why we don’t step up. (8:37) That’s why we don’t call her a shot. (8:39) That’s why we don’t dream out loud.

(8:40) That’s why as parents, we stop dreaming. (8:42) Fear of failure, fear of not being enough. (8:44) So we stop it.

(8:45) We die inside. (8:47) And then our kids don’t know any better. (8:49) Their default way of living is what they see in us.

(8:52) And if we’re dying inside, guess how dangerous that is. (8:55) Luckily, I was able to have one more shot in Greco-Roman. (8:59) I took silver and freestyle.

(9:00) And I said, win or lose a draw, I don’t care. (9:03) I’m just not going to give up. (9:05) With eight seconds left to go, I’m ahead.

(9:08) And my opponent from Italy quits. (9:12) I out-wrestled him. (9:14) I didn’t give up.

(9:16) And after my kids saw their dad stand on the podium with the American flag around his shoulders (9:22) as a national anthem played, and I was a world champion, (9:25) that’s why I thought I was going to… (9:27) That’s what I thought my dream was. (9:29) That’s what I thought I was there for. (9:31) It wasn’t.

(9:32) You know what I was there for? (9:33) My kids grabbed the American flag, grabbed both the silver medal and the gold medal. (9:43) And they ran around the mat. (9:44) Here’s the message in that.

(9:46) The gold medals don’t come without the silver medals. (9:51) They don’t come without the losses. (9:53) Parents out there, if you’re not living and you’ve stopped dreaming, (10:00) your kids won’t know how to dream.

(10:03) And that’s one of the most dangerous things we could teach our kids. (10:09) Man, Dal, I don’t even know how you… (10:11) That’s so powerful, Ben. (10:13) So, so powerful.

(10:14) Love it. (10:15) This is obviously what your message that you’re sharing is a passion for you (10:19) and trying to get out the things that you’ve learned. (10:23) We talked about what motivated you as a wrestler.

(10:25) I guess our last question here would be, (10:27) what motivates you today to keep doing what you’re doing (10:31) and going around to schools like you have been in Lincoln County all week (10:34) and doing these types of things now? (10:38) Oh, man, that’s such a good question. (10:41) Here’s the thing, guys. (10:44) I, in elementary and junior high and high school, (10:50) I wanted to be everybody else’s version 2.0. (10:54) I wanted to be Bobby and Billy and Tommy.

(10:56) And that is the suckiest way to live. (11:00) You cannot be anybody else’s shadow and be fully fulfilled inside. (11:05) I teach people to call their shot.

(11:08) I teach people to live 100% genuinely in you, in your own skin (11:17) and gather incredible humans around you to be in your corner. (11:23) Now, I teach people to achieve dreams that they never thought they could (11:29) through confidence, through self-kindness, (11:34) and through living a genuine, genuine, genuine top version of yourself. (11:40) And as we’ve done that, we’ve seen some massive, massive changes in people (11:44) and how they show up for themselves and their community.

(11:47) We should give you a chance to tell us about your movie. (11:50) I mean, amidst everything you’ve already done, (11:52) you have a movie coming out in January. (11:54) Tell us about that real quick.

(11:55) Oh, man, I have such rad people that came to me years ago. (11:59) Tanner Christensen, TC Christensen, Jared Hess. (12:03) You may know these guys as putting on Cokeville Miracle, (12:08) a movie that was done right around here.

(12:11) Jared Hess did Minecraft, Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite. (12:17) They came to me. (12:17) They said, Ben, we want to make your experiences a movie.

(12:21) And it was the coolest thing in the world. (12:23) This whole year, we’ve been to film festivals, garnering all these awards. (12:29) And January 23, 2026, 1, 2, 3 of 2026, the movie’s going to hit theaters.

(12:37) We’d love to come to this area. (12:39) And the movie is called Standout. (12:41) With no way of living an ordinary life, I had an opportunity to live an extraordinary one.

(12:49) That’s Ben Carr in studio this morning during First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday. (12:53) Ben, I can’t thank you enough. (12:55) Really, really do appreciate your time.

(12:56) And I hope we get to talk again soon. (12:59) God bless you guys. (13:00) It’s First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday this morning on the SVI Radio Network.