Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • 98

2 PTW Wednesday, January 26, 2011 Jocalhem i i i i i i i 1 I I i MS III Excellence on mat, in class pins down honor for Danis I I I Mi 1 1 1 icy. Av i 1 By MATT HARPER SPECIAL TO PARSII'I'ANY THIS WKEK Over the last three years, Dillon Danis of Parsippany has honed his skills as a wrestler and begun to master the art of jujitsu while also excelling in the classroom. His efforts of late were enough to earn him the Student of the Month Award at Parsippany Hills High School. Danis, 17, joined the wrestling team his freshman year at the urging of history teacher and head wrestling coach Jason Lo-dato. Though Danis had never wrestled before, he quickly took to the sport.

"I'm a natural learner and I kept making progress, and it made me feel good once I started win ning," the junior says. "I liked that feeling and that kept me going." Danis, who competes in the 152-pound weight class, admits it hasn't always been easy. "My sophomore year, there were a lot of expectations for me and it was kind of difficult," he says. "I had to work really hard on my own and, with help from my coaches pushing me so hard and make some adjustments, it all came together and I started winning." Danis sported a 14-5 record through mid-January in his wrestling matches, including two victories in the holiday tournament at Parsippany High School. When it comes to seeing his hard work pay off, "There's nothing like it," Danis says.

"After all that work, training and watching video every day and all that stuff that can be so hard to do and so mentally draining, it feels so good when (something comes of it)." Danis says he has enjoyed the bond formed between teammates. "We're like a family," he says. "We all hang outside of wrestling and we all help each other get better. It's a real learning experience, because the better guys will help the guys with less experience. You can always learn something." That spirit of camaraderie is most noticeable at the wrestling meets themselves.

"Whether you win or lose, you always know that you're going to get the team's support, because we always help each other out and help the others feel better when you have a bad loss or something like that," Danis explains. Danis says his student of the month award "is like a trophy for all the hard work I've put in and for winning these two tournaments. Every single day and every night, all I do is train and, finally, it's paying off, and it's really nice to have people recognizing what I've done." Danis has also been learning jujitsu at the AMA Fight Club in Whip-pany for the past three years. "I had seen a few Ulti mate Fighting Championship fights and I wanted to start," he says. "I've been going every day since I started." Though jujitsu involves a great deal of discipline, Danis also enjoys the freedom involved in the sport.

"I always say it's like your own art, because I can make into whatever I want it to be by choosing my own moves. I love it so much," he explains. Danis also says that learning jujitsu has helped his wrestling. "After having competed in jujitsu for a while, now I'm more calm at my wrestling matches," he says. "My nerves don't get to me, so I can take more matches.

This year especially, it's starting to help me win a lot." Ultimately, Danis hopes to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. "Nothing feels better than the feeling you get when you're fighting," he says. It's the same feeling Danis gets during a wrestling match. "I can't even describe it," he says: "The crowd going crazy gets me going. I like having the pressure on me.

It makes me more aggressive and makes me want to win more." Do you know a local hero that you would like us to feature? Tell us about it at contacts parsippanythiswe ek.com. Put "local hero" in the subject line. Photo courtesy of Dillon Dams Parsippany Hills High School junior Dillon Danis, left, competes in a varsity wrestling match. JBctrssppqiw CSSlThisW8eICeom Published weekly by Gannett Satellite Information Network 6 Century Drive, Parsippany, NJ 07054 William Westhoven, Editor 973-428-6650 contacts parsippanythisweek.com Chris Konsulis Senior Account Executive 973-428 -6503 Noenii Teleky Real Estate Account Executive 973-42J 6505 classifieds parsippanythisweek.com Circulation Customer Service 973-428-6644 inor-custservw gannett.com GET THE DAILY DEAL-. Save 50 to 90 percent from local Morris County businesses! Sign up for the Daily Record's Daily Deal e-mail.

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