ANIMAL LEARNING CENTER. WELL, ONE MAN’S JOURNEY TO THE FAIRGROUNDS WAS A LONG WAY. HE CAME ALL THE WAY FROM THE PARIS OLYMPICS. KCCI BEAU BOWMAN IS LIVE IN THE SWINE BARN WITH THE STORY OF A MAN KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON TWO COMPETITIONS. BO. YEAH, LAURA RYAN MORNINGSTAR IS AN ASSISTANT COACH WITH THE IOWA WRESTLING TEAM, AND HE TRAVELED TO THE PARIS OLYMPICS TO WATCH SPENCER LEE COMPETE. BUT HIS SIDE GIG HAD HIM KEEPING ONE EYE ON THE IOWA STATE FAIR. MAKE SURE WHEN HE STEPS IN BEHIND YOU, GOES STRAIGHT LINE STANDING NEXT TO THE RING, HARD OUT ISN’T TOO DIFFERENT FROM SITTING MAT SIDE FOR RYAN MORNINGSTAR RIGHT? IN HIS FREE TIME, THE ASSISTANT WRESTLING COACH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SELLS SHOW PIGS TO FOREIGNERS AND FFA STUDENTS AND COACHES THEM AT THE STATE FAIR. BUT THIS YEAR, WITH SPENCER LEE WRESTLING AT THE OLYMPICS, MORNINGSTAR WAS IN PARIS FOR THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF SHOWS. WE WERE ON CALL IF IF SPENCER NEEDED SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT’S LAUNDRY, GROCERIES, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, WE’RE ON CALL TO TAKE CARE OF IT. MAKE SURE THAT HE’S TAKEN CARE OF AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. BUT EVEN ACROSS THE SEVEN HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE, COACH WAS KEEPING UP WITH HIS PIGS. I’M NOT A BIG SIGHTSEER. YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY SINCE I’VE BEEN THERE A COUPLE TIMES. SO, YOU KNOW, GET THROUGH THE SESSIONS AND GO GET LUNCH OR WHATEVER. AND THEN I’D BE BACK WATCHING THE WATCHING THE HOG SHOW AT THE FFA SHOW. NOT EVEN A BAD CASE OF JET LAG COULD KEEP MORNINGSTAR FROM GETTING TO THE FAIR. ARRIVING BACK IN IOWA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT, I GET MOST OF MY PIGS FROM HIM. I TAKE, UM, I TAKE A LOT OF HIS ADVICE TO HEART AND HELPING HIS KIDS PUT THE FINAL TOUCHES ON THE AWARD WINNING HOGS. COACHING IS DEFINITELY IN HIS BLOOD. YEAH, HE DEFINITELY COACHES ME VERY WELL. AND TO HIGH EXPECTATIONS. WATCHING SPENCER WIN SILVER IN PARIS AND ONE OF HIS PIGS WINNING RESERVE CHAMPION BERKSHIRE AND FOURTH OVERALL AT THE IOWA STATE FAIR, ALL IN THE SPAN OF A FEW DAYS. WHO’S TO SAY WHICH ONE MEANS MORE AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU’RE YOU’RE A COMPETITIVE PERSON, SO IT GETS YOUR IT GETS YOUR COMPETITIVE JUICES GOING. SO THERE’S A LOT OF SIMILARITIES THAT WAY. MORNINGSTAR SAYS IT’S BEEN A REALLY BUSY MONTH IN AUGUST HERE BETWEEN RECRUITING AND THEN HEADING OVER TO PARIS. AND THE STATE FAIR IS ACTUALLY HIS TIME TO RELAX, SIT BACK A LITTLE BIT. SO HE’S DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME WELL-DESERVED R&R HERE AT THE STATE FAIR. WE’RE LIVE AT THE IOWA STATE
Wrestling coach pulls double duty at the Olympics and the Iowa State Fair
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Updated: 11:56 PM CDT Aug 14, 2024
Ryan Morningstar, the assistant wrestling coach at the University of Iowa, leads a bit of a double life. While his primary role involves mentoring athletes, including Spencer Lee, who recently wrestled in the Olympics, Morningstar also sells show pigs to 4H and FFA students, coaching them on preparing their pigs for the Iowa State Fair.Despite the seven-hour time difference while in Paris for the Olympics, Morningstar kept tabs on his livestock. "I'm not a big sightseer, especially since I've been there a couple of times, so I get through the sessions and go get lunch and then I'd get back and watch the hog shows and FFA shows," he said. Jet lag didn't deter Morningstar as he returned to Iowa late Saturday night, just in time to guide his students in perfecting their award-winning pigs. "Coaching is definitely in his blood. He definitely coaches me very well and to high expectations," said Piper Zamastill, one of his 4H kids.Morningstar's competitive spirit shone through in Paris, celebrating both Spencer Lee's silver medal win and one of his pigs securing the title of Reserve Champion Berkshire and Fourth Overall at the Iowa State Fair. "At the end of the day, you're a competitive person, it gets your competitive juices going, so there's a lot of similarities that way," Morningstar said, balancing both roles, making it hard to determine which victory means more.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Ryan Morningstar, the assistant wrestling coach at the University of Iowa, leads a bit of a double life. While his primary role involves mentoring athletes, including Spencer Lee, who recently wrestled in the Olympics, Morningstar also sells show pigs to 4H and FFA students, coaching them on preparing their pigs for the Iowa State Fair.
Despite the seven-hour time difference while in Paris for the Olympics, Morningstar kept tabs on his livestock.
"I'm not a big sightseer, especially since I've been there a couple of times, so I get through the sessions and go get lunch and then I'd get back and watch the hog shows and FFA shows," he said.
Jet lag didn't deter Morningstar as he returned to Iowa late Saturday night, just in time to guide his students in perfecting their award-winning pigs.
"Coaching is definitely in his blood. He definitely coaches me very well and to high expectations," said Piper Zamastill, one of his 4H kids.
Morningstar's competitive spirit shone through in Paris, celebrating both Spencer Lee's silver medal win and one of his pigs securing the title of Reserve Champion Berkshire and Fourth Overall at the Iowa State Fair.
"At the end of the day, you're a competitive person, it gets your competitive juices going, so there's a lot of similarities that way," Morningstar said, balancing both roles, making it hard to determine which victory means more.
