Oklahoma State University Athletics
Up Close: Obe Blanc Wrestles With Heavy Heart
June 07, 2010 | Cowboy Wrestling
June 7, 2010
By Jordie Lindley
Not many people in the world can remember exactly what they were doing on January 12, 2010, but former OSU wrestler Obenson Blanc was just waiting, watching, and hoping for the phone to ring.
On January 12, 2010 a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the small country of Haiti at 4:53 p.m., just 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince, where Blanc is from.
"I just could not believe an earthquake had hit Haiti, a tropical island which is generally pestered by hurricanes, floods, and other tropical disasters; an earthquake was a whole new thing for me as well as for most Haitian citizens," Blanc said. "As soon as I heard, I tried to contact my family members both in the States and in Haiti, as well as my friends in the States to see how their families were doing. This included Lucien Antoine and four other Haitian students here at OSU."
The earthquake was devastating. There were 33 recorded aftershocks ranging from 4.2 to 5.9 in magnitude. Over three million people had their lives turned upside down by the earthquake.
Blanc was in the States at the time training with hopes of earning a berth on the U.S. senior freestyle team, but could only watch and wait to see if his family had made it out safely.
"The earthquake hit me almost as hard as anyone in Haiti that day, maybe not physically, but emotionally because I too lost family members and I was also lost in a period of uncertainty," Blanc said.
Like many Haitians, Blanc was trying to get a hold of his family but had no luck, which raised more panic and worry.
"I did not hear from my mother and four sisters until a week and a half after the first quake took place. My family and I tried everything feasible to reach our loved ones as we could only watch from the T.V. set, which might have been the most difficult part of the ordeal--just not knowing," Blanc said.
Although the earthquake was in the middle of training for Blanc, he said that it only helped motivate him to get his spirits higher.
"Wrestling served as a refuge throughout the ordeal. Even if it was for a short time throughout the day, the time spent concentrating on something else helped my spirit out a lot," Blanc said.
Wrestling has been Blanc's outlet while dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake, but it has also made him want to represent his country more.
"The efforts which I have been involved with have not taken away from my wrestling at all, if anything it has all motivated me to do more in wrestling and represent both Haiti and the United States through my intensity and perseverance in competition," he said.
Blanc is set to compete this weekend at the World Team trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Because he won the U.S. Nationals, Blanc has a bye to the finals at the event, where he will compete against the winner of the challenge tournament.
"I compete on June 12 for a spot on the 2010 U.S. World Team," Blanc said. "After the trials, I look forward to visiting my family in Haiti for a little bit and do whatever I can for them while I am there. Regardless of what happens at the trials I plan on continuing my training, which I hope will eventually lead to me competing and winning an Olympic title at the 2012 Games in London."
Blanc has been on the freestyle circuit since he graduated from OSU, and has gained experience from the differences between college wrestling and freestyle.
"The freestyle scene is very different from college; shorter matches and different scoring systems than I am used to from years of folkstyle wrestling," he said. "The most difficult part is getting used to the latest strategies within the freestyle system."
Blanc noted some of the differences between freestyle wrestling and folkstyle system used at the NCAA level.
"For some reason it feels like you get a little better after college because you tend to let things flow rather than try to control every little detail of your matches, thus making you better because you adapt to every position as it unfolds." Blanc said.
Even though training for the World Team trials has been one of the things on the top of Blanc's list, he is vigorously helping in the relief efforts for Haiti during his preparation.
"Mostly, I have taken efforts to help my family in relocating to a different city where we have some family members for support," he said. "I have also taken part in helping with some fundraising events here on campus, such as the Red Cross relief efforts for Haiti, which has been very successful in raising funds for helping those affected in Haiti."
It has been almost five months since the day the earthquake hit Haiti. While relief efforts have been helping tremendously, families are still piecing their lives back together.
"For my family, things are not business as usual, but they are doing a lot better since they have moved to a different city because Port-au-Prince is a chaotic place now," Blanc said. "It not good that they have to pick up and go to a whole new city and try to live a normal life knowing about the problems which exist where they used to live, but they are just grateful to have made out alive and safe."
After Blanc finishes his wrestling career he plans on returning to Haiti to help rebuild the country's social and economic structure for a better future. Until then, Blanc is just taking one day at a time.
"The earthquake has reminded me that anything can happen anywhere and anytime and that you must use every day as an opportunity to do something meaningful because change can happen when you least expect it," he said. "This disaster has also shown me that when people across the globe genuinely care, we can do amazing things if we work together.
