The Big Dance
Artem Makayed has moves on and off the mat. Now, he hopes to follow in his brothers’ footsteps.
Posted: February 7, 2013
HARRISONBURG – Artem Makayed reminds Harrisonburg High School wrestling coach Mike Dickerson of Ivan Drago, the monstrous Soviet boxer from “Rocky IV” who showed little emotion while pummeling opponents in the ring.
Makayed, the youngest of three Belarusian brothers who all wrestled at HHS, isn’t quite as intimidating as Drago at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. But Makayed is a carefree junior of few words.
“I just wrestle. That’s it,” he said.
Coming off his first Valley District title, at 160 pounds, Makayed (32-6) is trying to follow in his brothers’ footsteps in qualifying for the Group AA state tournament in Salem – a feat accomplished by both Pavel Makayed and Daniil Makayed. Pavel also was a state champion pole vaulter, and Daniil participated in gymnastics.
Artem Makayed? He just wrestles.
“He really turns it up in the second and third period, when most guys taper off,” Dickerson said, later calling him an equally fast starter. “Sometimes, they lose some gas in their tank or get winded, but Artem tends to pick it up and pick up the pace.”
Now, Makayed is trying to pick up podium appearances. This will be his third straight trip to the Region III tournament, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Rockbridge County High School, and the junior has yet to place. His goal is a top-four finish to qualify for states.
“There’s a lot of tournaments you can do good in, but the regionals are a lot more serious than that,” Makayed said. “… I mean, you do have some pressure. You’re always nervous. You want to win. But what happens, happens.”
Makayed said he was more nervous in his first two seasons, when he wrestled at 130 pounds as a freshman and 145 as a junior. He certainly didn’t seem nervous during a December practice when he showed off his other side – his Fred Astaire side.
“We were doing conditioning in the main gym,” Dickerson recalled. “And I look around and he’s just breaking out this dance. It was like, ‘What is that?’ All by himself.”
In front of his brothers and teammates, Makayed unveils a lighter side of himself that includes freestyle beatboxing and dancing to just about any music that has a beat, including techno.
“I don’t know. It’s like OK moves,” Makayed said, sheepishly. “Just random. It’s not like I go to lessons or anything. Just flow with the beat.
“… It’s weird dancing when there’s a lot of people. I don’t try to do it [then] – like, I just do it for fun to make my brothers laugh or something. I don’t do it when there’s a lot of people. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
What’s his go-to dance move?
“I don’t think they have names for the moves he does,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson even struggled to describe Makayed’s style of wrestling, while pointing out that he seemed naturally suited for the 160-pound weight class – not needing to cut much weight.
“All three brothers have a very unorthodox wrestling style,” Dickerson said. “It’s not typical. It’s just different. … It just feels different when you grab on to them and that’s what makes it hard to beat them.”
Junior teammate Ahmed Mustafa, who placed third in the district at 145, credited Makayed’s wrestling success to his work ethic and muscle. Mustafa might know Makayed best, having wrestled with him since attending Thomas Harrison Middle School, where Makayed first took up the sport in the sixth grade.
“If he gets something wrong, he goes back and corrects it – always,” Mustafa said.
Makayed’s father, Siarhei, competed in pick-up wrestling matches in Belarus against “random people,” Makayed said. Think “Fight Club,” only without the secrecy — and instead of punches, they just threw each other.
This weekend’s wrestling meet will be a bit more organized.
Makayed, who earned one of four byes in the first round by winning a district title, will face the winner of the match between William Byrd’s Jacob Bailey and Brookville’s R.J. Scott. Brookville, a strong program for years, was the Group AA state runner-up last year. Also in Makayed’s side of the bracket is Rockbridge County’s Judah Bruce (27-5), the No. 1 seed from the Blue Ridge District.
After appearing to be the most dominant wrestler not named Luke Kiser at the district meet in Bridgewater on Saturday, Makayed – who went 2-0 with pins of 33 seconds and 1:06 – is ready to join his brothers as a state-qualifying wrestler.
“He’s been tested,” Dickerson said of Makayed, whose six losses have come in Northern Virginia or in out-of-state tournaments. “He has a couple of losses under his belt, but those are matches we’re looking forward to at regionals and states. We have to make it to states first. But those types of matches will prove what kind of wrestler he is.”
Makayed, the youngest of three Belarusian brothers who all wrestled at HHS, isn’t quite as intimidating as Drago at 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. But Makayed is a carefree junior of few words.
“I just wrestle. That’s it,” he said.
Coming off his first Valley District title, at 160 pounds, Makayed (32-6) is trying to follow in his brothers’ footsteps in qualifying for the Group AA state tournament in Salem – a feat accomplished by both Pavel Makayed and Daniil Makayed. Pavel also was a state champion pole vaulter, and Daniil participated in gymnastics.
Artem Makayed? He just wrestles.
“He really turns it up in the second and third period, when most guys taper off,” Dickerson said, later calling him an equally fast starter. “Sometimes, they lose some gas in their tank or get winded, but Artem tends to pick it up and pick up the pace.”
Now, Makayed is trying to pick up podium appearances. This will be his third straight trip to the Region III tournament, which will be held Friday and Saturday at Rockbridge County High School, and the junior has yet to place. His goal is a top-four finish to qualify for states.
“There’s a lot of tournaments you can do good in, but the regionals are a lot more serious than that,” Makayed said. “… I mean, you do have some pressure. You’re always nervous. You want to win. But what happens, happens.”
Makayed said he was more nervous in his first two seasons, when he wrestled at 130 pounds as a freshman and 145 as a junior. He certainly didn’t seem nervous during a December practice when he showed off his other side – his Fred Astaire side.
“We were doing conditioning in the main gym,” Dickerson recalled. “And I look around and he’s just breaking out this dance. It was like, ‘What is that?’ All by himself.”
In front of his brothers and teammates, Makayed unveils a lighter side of himself that includes freestyle beatboxing and dancing to just about any music that has a beat, including techno.
“I don’t know. It’s like OK moves,” Makayed said, sheepishly. “Just random. It’s not like I go to lessons or anything. Just flow with the beat.
“… It’s weird dancing when there’s a lot of people. I don’t try to do it [then] – like, I just do it for fun to make my brothers laugh or something. I don’t do it when there’s a lot of people. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
What’s his go-to dance move?
“I don’t think they have names for the moves he does,” Dickerson said.
Dickerson even struggled to describe Makayed’s style of wrestling, while pointing out that he seemed naturally suited for the 160-pound weight class – not needing to cut much weight.
“All three brothers have a very unorthodox wrestling style,” Dickerson said. “It’s not typical. It’s just different. … It just feels different when you grab on to them and that’s what makes it hard to beat them.”
Junior teammate Ahmed Mustafa, who placed third in the district at 145, credited Makayed’s wrestling success to his work ethic and muscle. Mustafa might know Makayed best, having wrestled with him since attending Thomas Harrison Middle School, where Makayed first took up the sport in the sixth grade.
“If he gets something wrong, he goes back and corrects it – always,” Mustafa said.
Makayed’s father, Siarhei, competed in pick-up wrestling matches in Belarus against “random people,” Makayed said. Think “Fight Club,” only without the secrecy — and instead of punches, they just threw each other.
This weekend’s wrestling meet will be a bit more organized.
Makayed, who earned one of four byes in the first round by winning a district title, will face the winner of the match between William Byrd’s Jacob Bailey and Brookville’s R.J. Scott. Brookville, a strong program for years, was the Group AA state runner-up last year. Also in Makayed’s side of the bracket is Rockbridge County’s Judah Bruce (27-5), the No. 1 seed from the Blue Ridge District.
After appearing to be the most dominant wrestler not named Luke Kiser at the district meet in Bridgewater on Saturday, Makayed – who went 2-0 with pins of 33 seconds and 1:06 – is ready to join his brothers as a state-qualifying wrestler.
“He’s been tested,” Dickerson said of Makayed, whose six losses have come in Northern Virginia or in out-of-state tournaments. “He has a couple of losses under his belt, but those are matches we’re looking forward to at regionals and states. We have to make it to states first. But those types of matches will prove what kind of wrestler he is.”