by Jason Olson
Sportsweek

Having a chance to represent his country in an international wrestling competition may appear to be a considerable challenge for any 13-year-old athlete.

And it just may be for Andrew Friederichs, an eighth-grader at Northdale Middle School, who was nominated to wrestle for Team USA as a part of People-to-People’s Sports Ambassador program. This national organization is sponsoring a team of athletes in various spots on a trip to Austria July 4-15 for the Youth Friendship Games.

The program is a combination goodwill trip and athletic competition that brings together more than 2,000 American kids with children from 25 other countries in 10 sports.

It encompasses a five-day Olympic style competition period during a 10-day trip that starts in Vienna.

“Someone anonymously nominated Andrew for this and we found out through a letter in the mail,” Andrew’s father, Paul Friederichs said. “It was really cool to get the letter.”

The preparations after quickly deciding ‘Yes’ meant numerous meetings and an interview process that spanned the school year.

This process included trips to Minneapolis to meet with representatives of People to People, the goodwill ambassador program that was started in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other families for monthly get-to-know-you sessions.

Andrew is the only Minnesota wrestler on the roster, but he’s met a number of soccer and basketball players from Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Having the chance to be coached by Olympic champion Rulon Gardner is another plus.
Gardner won a gold medal in Grecco-Roman Wrestling at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia after defeating Russia’s heavily favored and undefeated Alexander Karelin in the final.

Being only four at the time, Andrew didn’t catch the most shocking moment of the wrestling competiton during those games, but he has watched the final match many times on You Tube.

“Rulon’s story is really the ultimate American Dream (in regards to playing the underdog role and winning),” his father said.

Andrew took up the sport two years ago and said he’s looking forward to hitting the mats at Blaine High School next season after using this experience as a spring board into the spotlight that is prep wrestling in Minnesota.

This winter he wrestled in as many weekend tournaments that he could, taking away a number of first- to fourth-place trophies.

“He can stay with the best kids out there in terms of skill, but its really come down to a matter of cardio and strength and having enough in the end,” the elder Friederichs said about wrestling in the Blaine Youth Wrestling Program.

A couple months back he was leading the eventual meet champ 6-0 in the second period, but Andrew eventually lost after he was flipped onto his back. But, the younger Friederichs was the only opponent to score against this particular wrestler during the entire tournament.

This will be Friederichs’ third trip to Europe, but first outside of Germany where the family has friends near the town of Bahn.

As a token of goodwill before each match, the wrestlers exchange gifts to show their backgrounds.

Typically, they exchange flags or other small items. Andrew and his father are taking it to another level to capture a flavor of Minnesota life.

“We’re thinking of putting together a Daredevle (fishing lure) with a hook and the Minnesota flag,” Paul Friederichs said, trying to showcase Minnesota residents’ passion for fishing.

“Or maybe a packet of wild rice to show a little bit of Minnesota.”

Before the tournament begins, Friederichs and the other Ambassadors will tour Venetian Palace to explore the culture and visit the Mauthausen Concentration Camp to get a feeling of one of the darker moments in Austrian history during World War II. The group will also meet a survivor from that camp.

Learning about the horrors of World War II also means learning about his past, literally.
Friederichs’ great-grandfather, Kenny Reed, earned the Silver Star before losing his life in the Battle of the Bulge.

The only things left by Reed were his medals, a photo and a war-time letter he wrote.
Friederichs’ granfather earned the Silver Star for a harrowing rescue of an officer where he made a daylight craw through an open field while being shot at by German machine guns daylight...