DES MOINES, Iowa — Winner’s Apollo Willuweit competes in the second go-round of the bull riding at the Junior High National Finals Rodeo Thursday.

After a first go-round score of 60, an ultra competitive Willuweit says there will be some nerves for Thursday’s ride. But it is something he embraces.

“The second go-round is way easier to prepare for than the first one,” Willuweit said. “When I feel that nervous energy it just makes me more excited and I always do better.”

The youngest of Clint and Amanda Willuweit’s children competed in bareback riding, breakaway roping and goat tying this season and started riding steers when he was eight-years old. While he enjoys the ‘other’ events, the thrill seeking, soon-to-be eighth grader loves the adrenaline of riding a bull.

“There is something about riding bulls and just the thrill that everyone gets out of it,” he said. “I find enjoyment out of riding bulls. I just like competing in sports in general and I like winning.”

Winning is something the youngest Wlluweit knows a little something about.

Willuweit is a terror on the wrestling mat and hasn’t lost a match to a South Dakota boy in the last four years. Wrestling at 95 pounds last season, Willuweit has won four consecutive AAU state titles, won back-to-back middle school state titles, went undefeated at the middle school duals, won the Hawkeye national tournament, won the tournament of champions in Kansas and is a back-to-back helltown throwdown champion.

The 2023-24 wrestling season provided a bit of a curveball for Willuweit. Weighing 95 pounds, he was too small to wrestle (106) and was a tad devastated to not be a Winner Warrior wrestler last year.

“Ever since I was little and moved here I’ve wanted to be on the Winner varsity and follow the success of so many other wrestlers,” he said. “I really wanted to do it but ultimately I told myself if it can’t happen, it won’t happen and I got a full year of wrestling in any way.”

Unable to practice with the Winner varsity, Apollo Willuweit started training with his dad on the mat in the basement of the house. 

“Apollo is really close to his dad and they do everything together,” Amanda Willuweit said. “His dad helps out a lot and his brothers Atlas and Achilles sometimes come down to help.”

Unable to compete for Winner last year, and looking for better competition, the Willuweit family spent a lot of time on the road. His record this year was 76-3 and he wrestled kids from 18 different states.

“I used last season to help me get ready for this year,” he said. “I’ve been trying to wrestle better kids so I keep on improving.” The Willuweit have a spectacular gym in their home where many of the high school kids come to lift. It is a rare day to not find Apollo hitting the weights.

“My dad lifts every night and I lift with a purpose in mind,” he said. “I weigh 108 pounds right now and I’ll wrestle 106 this season  and I’ll need to be stronger to beat some of the older kids that will be coming down in weight.”

Willuweit said he loves the physical and mental toughness it takes to be good at wrestling. For someone so young he took a very adult-like approach in visiting with his parents after a very long wrestling season.

“I just told my dad that I was burned out of wrestling and that I needed a break,” he said.

For the rest of the summer Willuweit said he will be participating in 4-H rodeo with maybe a light sprinkling of wrestling thrown in. This fall he’ll play football and in the spring he’ll step on the track with purpose as he tries to chase down a family record in the 100-meter dash.

“Last year I ran a :12.2 in the 100-meter dash and 60 seconds in the 400-meter dash and long jumped 17-08,” he said. “My dad, who graduated from Gregory in 1999, ran an 11.79 as an eighth-grader and I think I can beat that next year.”