By Gretchen Day
gretchen@newsroom.byu.edu
It's a field of dreams for those with ambitions to be professional wrestlers.
Gator's Pro Wrestling, located at 1651 S. State St. in Orem, opened just two weeks ago, but already students can bump, body slam and flip like the pros.
Owner Steve Gatorwolf is a professional wrestler, as well as a former BYU football player. At 6 feet 3 inches and more than 300 pounds, Gatorwolf looks the part of a pro.
The walls of his business tell his story as well. A colored photo of Gatorwolf and another wrestler hangs next to the ring with an inscription to Gatorwolf.
'Great warriors always have that special pride. You are one of them.' It's signed 'Ultimate Warrior.'
Professional wrestling has become a booming business in recent years, according to an article in Newsweek magazine.
'(The World Wrestling Federation) is projecting sales of $340 million for this year, up from $250 million in 1999,' the article reported.
The seasoned pro said his students are learning quickly, and he is training them in the basics first.
'You've got to know how to fall, how to jump and how to be tough,' Gatorwolf said.
The students bang loudly against the floor of the red, white and blue ring as they practice their falls. They practice their WWF personalities as well.
'Everyone develops into a character,' Gatorwolf said.
Part of the popularity of pro wrestling might come from the fact that the story lines can change, he said.
'Unlike football and basketball, if the story isn't working for the audience, it can change,' he said.
Gatorwolf also explained that professional wrestling is an art that takes more athleticism than most people give it credit for.
'The art is not to hurt someone,' he said. 'It's to not hurt someone.'
One student that came to Gatorwolf to learn the art of pro wrestling is 21-year-old Orem resident Stephanie Skinner.
Gatorwolf said he goes easy on Skinner, who is 5 feet 10 inches and the only female.
Skinner, on the other hand, said she wrestles until it hurts, and can be seen slamming the male students in her class. She said it takes toughness to be a professional wrestler.
'You've got to be tough to go flying against the ropes,' Skinner said.
The wrestlers-in-training practice three nights a week and every other Saturday, a time commitment that Gatorwolf said is demanding, but that it is getting them ready for competitions quickly.
Gatorwolf said his satisfaction in being a teacher comes when he sees them succeed in a competition.
'When they do good, I do good,' Gatorwolf said.
Gatorwolf compared competitions to a dance, in which the competitors need to anticipate the moves of their opponent.
Nancy Winters,18, from American Fork, was at Gator's to watch her fianc? practice.
'It's what he's always wanted to do,' Winters said.
'He used to wrestle in his backyard with his friends.'
Winters said that watching her fianc? train has given her a different perspective on professional wrestling.
'It takes a lot of skill,' Winters said.