© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
2006
It's just two days before Thanksgiving and Aaron Stark has done the bolt; fleeing the Portland, Oregon deluge that is currently only good for ducks – not Wolfpackers.
"We've just been sitting down, having something to eat. I'm in Santa Barbara, California with my wife, Tiffany, on a vacation. We're now debating on whether to walk all the way along the jetty – maybe later," says Stark.
Aaron originally started wrestling when he was five years old, and says he can't remember why he took it up, but recalls that someone brought a wrestling flyer to his school, which may have resulted in his getting caught up in the sport. "I was good at it, and kept doing it. Then I got a scholarship to wrestle in college… I didn't do much after that… I was kinda bored after I got through wrestling.
"Then I went to a local fight; Randy Couture was there and one of the fighters didn't show up. Randy knew who I was because he was involved in local wrestling, and he said, ‘Why don't you come on down here?' It was a joke at the time, but it got my gears turning and I thought it would be something to try. I had an amateur fight and I only intended fighting one time; then one thing led to another, and here I am."
Aaron recalls he didn't really intend pursuing a career in MMA – it just fell into place. And because the Team Quest gym is not far from where he lives, Stark knew a lot of the guys who wrestled there and got involved with them. "Like I said: One thing just led to another – and I liked it when I did it."
As well as now competing in the International Fight League, Aaron is also manager for the Colene Clemens Vineyard in Newberg, Oregon. However, he somehow manages to juggle both careers successfully.
On November 2, 2006, the Wolfpack team (coached by Matt Lindland) defeated the Anacondas (coached by Bas Rutten), earning the Oregon-based Wolfpack their place in the IFL World Team Championship Final.
On December 29 they will be locking horns with the Silverbacks (coached by Pat Miletich) for what is expected to be a HUGE showdown at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. And for this momentous clash Aaron says his side is taking their preparation in their stride, just like any other team outing.
"I think it's the same as it always is: We practiced as a team before the IFL formation, so that didn't really change anything, and we always have guys getting ready to fight… One thing that's nice is, because five of us are fighting on the same day, we can build towards that together as opposed to one guy having a fight one weekend, and two weeks from then another guy having a fight. It's all together now – we can build and peak at the same time."
Read the full article on Knucklepit.com.
