Family force

Flathead's Alejandro and Joaquin Calderon are a dynamic duo, as wrestlers and brothers

The stage was set perfectly for a display of brotherly jealousy.

It was at December's Sierra Nevada Classic, a prestigious 90-plus team wrestling tournament in Reno.

Flathead senior Alejandro Calderon had just lost the seventh- and eighth-place match at 119 pounds.

Now eighth place at that tournament is a terrific accomplishment.

But Alejandro's younger brother Joaquin was about to wrestle in the championship match at 125 pounds

Alejandro was upset about his loss and it would have been easy to understand if he had harbored the tiniest bit of jealousy.

But the last thing Alejandro said to Flathead assistant coach Wes Knutson before Knutson hurried off to Joaquin's mat was, "I want Joaco to win so bad."

"That's the cool thing about them. They are always supportive of each other," Flathead head coach Matt Owen said. "It's not just that match, it's every match - and Joaquin does the same thing."

"You can tell they are very proud of each other," Knutson agreed.

Joaquin did win - and there was no smile broader than the one on Alejandro's face.

"I was so happy. I jumped so high. I was excited to see him win. You want your brother to be better than you," Alejandro said.

"He was so excited for him - and it was sincere," Knutson said.

The smiles have been plentiful for the Calderons and for the Flathead team this wrestling season.

The Braves won that tournament in Reno and both brothers have been important parts of a team expected to be right in the mix at this week's Class AA state wrestling tournament at MetraPark in Billings.

Adding to the family pride? Only a few weeks after Joaquin's win in Reno, Alejandro - and the Braves as a team - took first place at the Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula.

Alejandro was greeted by a proud brother afterward.

The Calderons know all about family, hard work and sacrificing in hope for a better future for those who follow.

Six years ago, the boys' mother, Marlen, gave up a job in the Colombian justice department to bring her three sons - Alejandro, Joaquin and Fabian - to the United States.

At the time, she had her own apartment in Bogota and was only a few years from retirement.

But fear was a part of their daily lives - Joaquin tells the story of once being surrounded on a neighborhood street by people with knives.

"There were a lot of things like that. It wasn't safe at all," Alejandro said.

The United States "is more safe, more money for college, more future for my children," Marlen said.

"Wonderful job, but [this was' more important for my children," she said.

Her family - mother Maria Gladys Cetina and three sisters - were in Montana. One sister has since moved to Seattle, but the other two live in Missoula and Kalispell.

Marlen and her sons live with her mother in Kalispell.

Maria Gladys works in housekeeping at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and also cleans in the evening. Her work day is sometimes up to 10 hours.

Marlen's sister Zulma Fernandez is a teacher at Columbia Falls High School. She was the first family member to come to the United States. She brought her mother over first, then helped with the paperwork and the cost to bring the rest of the family.

She remains a supportive fixture in the boys' lives.

"One of the things I like about them they're still humble. They still help," Fernandez said.

But supporting her family is Marlen's responsibility.

Her first job was a short-lived stint at Taco Time. Today, she works in the cafeteria at North Valley Hospital and takes jobs cleaning local businesses at night.

She sometimes works as many as 12 hours a day. In her free time, she takes English classes at Flathead Valley Community College.

"I need more English," she said.

Also on Marlen's list was getting U.S. citizenship. She passed the test and she and her sons became U.S. citizens last summer.

Will they ever return to Colombia?

Only to visit, she said.

"It's beautiful. I'm missing it for dance and food," Marlen said.

"And to visit old friends," Joaquin put in.

"I miss the big city, but I love it here. It's a nice place to live and grow up" Alejandro said.

"We've met a lot of really nice people," Joaquin agreed.

But the boys do miss their father.

Alejandro has had the chance to go back - he tore his ACL about 18 months ago. He visited Colombia for a month during his recovery time and stayed with his dad.

He's hoping to go again.

"For a little while to help my dad. It's hard to not have a dad. I miss him," he said.

"It's hard," Marlen said. "With no husband, it is more difficult."

How many hours per week does she work?

"Too many," she laughs. "But it is good for my sons."

Her sacrifice isn't lost on them.

"It's pretty amazing because she works all the time. She works and studies. That's all I see her doing," Alejandro said.

"She barely gets any rest. She gives up so much for us. She could have retired. She works really hard … just because she wanted a future for us," he added.

They're repaying her - and their grandmother - by putting in the extra time to get themselves ahead.

The boys help with one of the cleaning jobs and they put in the time on the wrestling, too.

They got a bit of a late start in the sport - Colombia has no such organized sports, so they didn't start wrestling until they moved here.

It wasn't until they were in seventh and eighth grades they took up wrestling - and then it was somewhat by accident.

"I didn't even know they had wrestling until I got here," Joaquin said. "I just heard about it in the 'school] announcements. I wanted to try something new."

Both loved it right away.

"It's fun. It's a tough sport, but it's like a family. It's a nice experience," Joaquin said. "I put in a lot of work. Sometimes I wake up at 5 a.m. and go run. But that depends on how much weight I have to lose."

The Summit is a big part of their lives - they've earned scholarships by volunteering several times a month - and they go there daily, both before school and after practice.

"You've got to put in more time than the other teams. Plus, it's fun to live at The Summit," Alejandro said.

"Their work ethic is what really stands out for me. Every day, they are the hardest workers in the room. That's why they win. They wear their opponents out," coach Owen said.

"I'm very glad they're on our team. I'd hate to have to coach against them. There's not many kids you can get up to that physical level. They are terrific scramblers."

Their conditioning is what often pulls them through, he said.

"Alejandro - he's behind a lot going into the third period. Really, with Alejandro, that's his biggest thing, he's a goer," the coach added. "They are very helpful kids. Their work ethic rubs off on the other kids in the room.

"I'm just hoping they can finish off the year on a positive note. It would be nice to see them on top of that podium again."

Reporter Dixie Knutson may be reached at 758-4501 or by e-mail at dknutson@dailyinterlake.com