Local Athlete Spotlight: Q&A With Seth Mendoza

MOKENA, IL — Seth Mendoza took home the top spot in the 100-pound division at the 2021 US Marine Corps 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. The 15-year-old Mokena resident is entering his freshman year at Mount Carmel High School. He sat down with Patch to answer some questions about wrestling and life.

Patch: When did you start wrestling, and how did you become interested in the sport?
Mendoza: I was 7 years old, and this is when my dad [U.S. Marine Michael Mendoza] was overseas. I didn’t really have anything to do. He told my mom [Kelly Mendoza] about it and we went to our local club [Lincoln-Way Wrestling] and tried it out. At first I really wasn’t a fan of it, and then the next year I came back and I really started loving it. My dad wrestled in high school, and that was something he wanted to pass along to me.

Whom do you look up to and why?
I look up to my dad because he’s helped me since I was 5 years old with everything from baseball, track, cross country, wrestling and my woodworking business. Everything I do he’s helped me with. I really look up to him.

What’s been your favorite memory of wrestling so far?
It was probably the first time, when I was 8 years old, and I either won Tulsa Nationals or when I dislocated my elbow the following year in the finals. It was a different kind of memory, but that helped me get through a bunch of tough times.

What’s something most people don’t know about the sport?
How physically demanding it is because it’s not just wrestling but also the training behind it, some of the weight cutting, everything that goes on behind it. And the community. There’s a giant community of wrestling that not many people know about.

You recently took first place in the 100-pound weight class at the 2021 US Marine Corps 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. What were you feeling when you won?
I knew that I worked so hard, and it was one of the best feelings. I was kind of in shock a little bit. But, at the same time, I was very happy.

What has been the biggest challenge for you in wrestling so far?
Time management because I have so many things going on throughout my life, especially my woodworking business recently. It’s all been tough, but I’ve been getting it all done. Flying from state to state, and even driving. It’s all been tough.

Who is your favorite athlete?
Jim Thorpe because he was a multi-sport athlete. He just didn’t do one sport; he won multiple events in the Olympics. He was very discriminated against, and he overcame all that.

Do you have any prematch rituals?
I don’t really listen to any music. I kind of just do my own thing, kind of focus, think about what I’m going to do in the next match. I visualize a lot. That’s a big part of it. I play “What if” games; what if this happens or that happens. I try to think of many different scenarios.

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?
My uncle [Neil Martenz]. He passed away a little while ago. That would be great to have dinner with him.

Tell us about your woodworking business.
I started it when the pandemic hit because I was sitting around the house not doing much. My dog had puppies, so my dad and I wanted to build a thing called a whelping box for them.

… After that I fell in love with woodworking. So my dad started helping me with small projects. He saw a video on YouTube of a wooden American flag, and he asked me if I could try to make it. The neighbors around my house saw it and asked for one, so I made one for them, then another asked for one, and I made one for them. That’s how it ended up becoming a small business.

I have a website called unleashedbyseth.com. I donate portions of my sales to underprivileged athletes and to the Semper Fi Fund for wounded military veterans.