Hawaii - home to beautiful landscapes, incredible history, and many cultural traditions - is also home to Josh Terao, a humble yet passionate individual. Born and raised in the capital city of Honolulu, where he was a standout high school wrestler. Eventually, he moved to the mainland to wrestle at the Division 1 level for American University, where his success continued as he made it to several NCAA Tournaments. He attributes his success in his wrestling career to growing up in a traditional judo family and having that background in a combat style sport. “We have a lot of influence in judo and other martial arts; I think just because of our proximity to Asia - there's a lot of crossover when you do wrestling.”

Wrestling with Representation

Opportunities for exposure are typically limited for those who live on the Island but Josh’s brother, also a wrestler, had moved to the East Coast to wrestle at the Division 1 level. Josh had the chance to spend a summer training on the mainland where his brother was wrestling and be exposed to other wrestlers and their East Coast lifestyle - something he didn’t have growing up. “It was a great transition. Personally for me, I grew up in Hawaii and I love Hawaii for what it is, but I wanted to learn more and grow more and move somewhere far away where I could get a whole new lifestyle and a whole new life change and a real college experience.”

Coming from a predominately AAPI community, the role models Josh had growing up were Travis Lee - the first Asian individual NCAA wrestling champion from Hawaii, and his brother - who was also recruited to play Division 1. “It opened my eyes - this is possible for someone like us.” That representation in sport meant something to Josh; seeing the success of Travis Lee and his brother gave Josh the spark of hope that he would be able to do the same. Once at the collegiate level, the tunnel vision that Josh maintained during his career left him unbothered that he was one of the only Asian people wrestling at the Division 1 level - “It’s whoever wins the match. If I win, people are going to respect that.”

From Athlete to Coach to Cancer Researcher and Beyond

The shift from athlete to coach has been a transformative one for Josh and gives him a new perspective on the sport and is incredibly rewarding. The mentorship that Josh received throughout his wrestling career has filled him with appreciation and has allowed him to grow both as an athlete and a coach. “Mentorship and coaching, especially in a hands-on sport like wrestling, is huge.” The camaraderie between coach and athlete is an important aspect to wrestling, and helped pave the way for Josh as he transitioned into being a coach. Play, fun, and technique are core components to Josh’s coaching style - “I think that’s what draws people in.”

Josh serves as an Up2Us Coach at Virginia Ramblers Wrestling Club in Fairfax, VA. Prior to starting in this role, Josh knew some skills were missing from his coaching style. Being able to participate in Up2Us Sports’ Virtual Coach Institute Training last fall has helped provide Josh with the skills necessary to engage with youth who might be stressed or struggling during a session. “I think these skills are important to know. Beforehand, I’d have no idea what to do with a kid who was overcome with stress and crying. Now, I can calm them down, slow their breathing, make them think about something else before resuming practice.”

Stepping outside of the coach role, Josh is also a researcher at Children’s National Hospital where he primarily does lymphoma research and gets to work alongside some of the world’s best scientific professionals. A common theme between children’s cancer researcher and coach become quite apparent when listening to Josh’s story - helping kids. Moving forward, Josh continues to be open about opportunities in the medical field and is incredibly optimistic about his future coaching endeavors as well as the representation in sports. “Diversity in coaching is great. We should have more groups that aren’t represented in wrestling, to wrestle, and sports in general.”

Josh has served as an Up2Us Sports coach since August 2020 at Virginia Ramblers Wrestling Club thanks to support from AmeriCorps.