Wrestling Dreams Come True

28 • Thursday, October 21, 2021 • On the Edge of the Weekend Wrestling dreams come true

Chiropractor competes for US in Veterans World Championships

By Scott Marion

Hearst Newspapers

EDWARDSVILLE – More than three decades after he first envisioned it, Mike Harbison will finally get to wrestle for his country.

Harbison, a local chiropractor and owner of iCAN Clinic in Edwardsville, will compete for Team USA in the A Division at the Veterans World Championships, set for Oct. 18-22 in Loutraki, Greece.

“It’s pretty cool for me to be able to do this, mainly because I was medically retired from the military and it’s been a long road to haul,” said the 39-year-old Harbison, who will leave Saturday and return home on Oct. 24. “Since then, I never really thought about doing anything like this.

“It’s interesting the road God has taken me down. A lot of things had to happen for me to get to this point, especially over the last 18 years with me trying to get my health back.”

For Harbison, getting to compete in an international wrestling meet only strengthens his love for the sport.

“I dreamed of wrestling for Team USA since I was a little kid,” said Harbison, who grew up in Quincy. “I used to watch the Olympics and dream of the day I would get to wear that singlet. It’s always been my favorite sport, my passion and my love.

“Wrestling has given my life more than I could ever give it back. It teaches you so much about life and that anything is possible and here is a perfect example of that.”

Harbison’s wrestling comeback trail started on April 1-3, when he competed in the Folkstyle Nationals Championships at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

“I did pretty well for not having wrestled in nearly 20 years. I got the bug again and I found out about the Veterans World Championships,” said Harbison, who will wrestle at 100 kilograms (220 pounds) at the Veterans World Championships.

“I reached out to them and they said I was good to go, but because of COVID, we had to wait for the host country to agree to have it. Everything became official and we went through some meetings with USA Wrestling, and here we are.”

For the past few months, most of Harbison’s time away from work has been spent trying to prepare for the Veterans World Championships.

He’s anxious to see what the competition will be like in Greece.

I’ve done a lot of cardio and plyometrics in my basement and I’ve had some different training partners, including some younger kids, and my friend Sergio practiced with me on the wrestling mat,” Harbison said. “I worked out at SIRTC (Southern Illinois Regional Training Center) in Edwardsville over the summer.

“I have no clue what to expect when I get there, but they usually have 16 to 30-something guys in each bracket. It’s the first time for me, but I’ve been told they usually have a lot of fun and a lot of camaraderie.”

For many years, though, Harbison couldn’t imagine a return to wrestling, certainly not on an international level.

He was an infantry soldier attached to Alpha Company 2-69 for the invasion of Iraq. His unit was the spearhead for the invasion. During the war, Harbison sustained a spinal cord injury, which eventually led to him being medically retired from the military with a number of physical dysfunctions that he was told to live with.

Finally, after dealing with pain for another three years, Harbison decided to seek chiropractic help. After two months, he was feeling like his old self again.

“It’s not something I like to talk about much because it was a bad time in my life, but chiropractic treatment changed my trajectory,” Harbison said. “I went to chiropractic school and met my wife there and we started our practice. It’s been a good run.”

Harbison’s appearance at Folkstyle Nationals was his first time doing competitive wrestling since his Army days, and it turned out better than he expected.

“I did it to show my oldest son, Hewitt, that it was OK to get beaten and that you can still have fun,” Harbison said. “I went up there and held my own and wrestled pretty well. That’s when the Veterans World Championships came up and I felt I could do it.”

Harbison and his wife, Tina, have four children – Hewitt, 9; Crosby, 6; Thea, 3; and Jasper, 1.

“We’re taking the two older boys with us and we’re taking my mom,” Harbison said. “I’m not sure the boys know what it’s about, but I think it will hit them more once they are there. I think the experience will be fun for them.”

Harbison, meanwhile, hopes that his experience in Greece will include plenty of victories on the wrestling mat.

“I’m pretty competitive, so I want to place and do well. I’d like to come back there next year and do even better,” Harbison said.

“It would be awesome to keep wrestling because it’s a passion of mine, but I have to make sure my wife is OK with it.”

Dr. Mike Harbison Dr. Mike Harbison, owner of iCAN Clinic in Edwardsville, with his son, Hewitt, at the Folkstyle Nationals Championships, held April 1-3 at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Harbison will wrestle for Team USA at the Veterans World Championships, set for Oct. 18-22 in Loutraki, Greece.