Committed to finish what he started

There's waiting your turn and then there's earning your turn to sit at the head of the table.

For Montana State University-Northern senior wrestler Rob Pair, his career at Northern has been a bit of both.

Pair has been Northern's starting 125-pounder all season long, and he and 133-pounder Landon Bailey will celebrate their senior night Friday against Northwest College.

But, just getting to senior night has been something of a journey for Pair, who came to Northern from Cascade, Idaho, as a freshman five years ago.

And it took Pair five years to earn his way into the spotlight he's in now for the Lights.

"One thing I'll say is, I always like to finish what I started," Pair said. "That's what's gotten me to this point. That's important to me. This last five years has had its ups and downs, but it's also been a lot of fun. I've had so many great teammates over the years, made so many great friends. We've all gone through a lot together. So, at the end of the day, whatever it's taken to get here, it's been worth it to me."

There have been plenty of other factors that have gotten Pair to the lead dog position in Northern's dual lineup, where this season, he's gone 23-19 and he won the Tyler Plummer Classic two weeks ago.

First, there's his head coach.

"Tyson (Thivierge) has been a huge factor in all of this," Pair said. "He's always been there for me. Whether it's coaching me on the mat, or me being able to go over to his house and work on my truck, he's always supported me, and I really appreciate that."

Then, there's the fact that Pair was a bit of a late bloomer in the sport he's grown to love and, he says, that has always pushed him to be great, and pushed him to keep going, even when there were times that he really had to fight just to get on the mat for the Lights.

"I didn't start wrestling until my freshman year of high school," Pair said. "So I've always felt like this whole time I've had a lot I can still learn. I've seen guys that, by the time they're in their fifth year of college, they are burnt out, but I feel lucky because I haven't been doing this my whole life like some other guys, and I always felt like I still had so much to learn in this sport."

There's one more thing that has pushed Pair, and has prevented him from ever thinking about giving up, and that's something that makes anyone who chooses to succeed in wrestling different from the rest.

"You really have to want to be here," Pair said. "You have to want to do this sport, especially at this level. I was lucky because I had so many great older guys to learn from when I first got here, I learned from all those guys, and it's crazy to think that I'm one of the older guys now, and I hope I'm helping these young guys in the same way.

"But you definitely have to be dedicated," he added. "You have to really be committed to this."

Like he said, Pair was always going to finish what he started. He's given college wrestling all of himself, and he's done what it takes to get to this point. And this point is, simply put, his last few weeks on the mat, and he has every intention of making the most of them.

"It starts with senior night," Pair said. "These are important duals for us, and then we're going to go wrestle Providence next week and we always want to win that one. That's going to be huge, and I want to do what I can to help us go out on top against them.

"This is my last chance, too," he said. "Unlike the last four years, there is no next year or next season for me. So my goal is like everyone else's right now, I want to go to nationals and get my name on that board out in the (Armory) gym. I want to go out a winner."

Indeed, Rob Pair will fight like hell to make that happen, but in many ways, he's already going to go out a winner because, in this day and age of instant gratification in sports, Rob Pair is a shining example of what it means to be committed.

In other words, Rob Pair is doing exactly what he believes in, and that's finishing what he started.