For Westchase resident and SLAM Academy wrestling coach Alfonso Vargas, wrestling was never part of the original plan. In fact, his journey into the sport began after a disappointment that could have easily ended his high school athletic career before it started. A freshman at Jesuit High School in 2016, Vargas had grown up surrounded by soccer. Coming from a long line of soccer players, he expected to continue that path in high school. But after believing he had earned a spot on the team, he was the final player cut and was offered the chance to serve as the team manager. That night, while attending Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens wearing a Jesuit shirt, a member of the wrestling team noticed him and told him they needed someone his size. The next day, Vargas joined the wrestling team. Within weeks, he found himself competing on t he varsity lineup at 106 pounds. What started as an unexpected opportunity became a life changing passion.
Vargas finished his high school career at 138 pounds as a senior leader on Jesuit’s first wrestling state championship team, helping capture the 2020 FHSAA Dual State Championship. He also placed fifth at the FHSAA 2A State Championships at 138 pounds.
After high school, Vargas continued his wrestling career at the University of Florida. Initially, he had no plans to wrestle in college, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, limited campus activities led him back to the mat. The UF wrestling club continued training, and Vargas joined simply looking for something productive to do and a way to meet people. Instead, he rediscovered his love for the sport. Competing across the country against athletes from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and club programs, Vargas built lifelong friendships and continued developing as a wrestler. His college career reached its peak in 2023 when he won the 141 pound title at the NCWA National Championships, becoming the fourth national champion in University of Florida wrestling history. Today, Vargas uses those experiences to help shape the next generation of wrestlers at SLAM Academy Tampa.
After coaching informally during college and working with a local wrestling club, Vargas stepped into his first formal coaching role after graduating from UF in 2024. When he returned to Tampa, he connected with SLAM head coach Grayson and immediately bought into the program’s vision. “What stood out most was the culture he wanted to create,” Vargas said. “The emphasis on building a family, holding kids to a high standard, and developing better athletes, leaders, and people aligned exactly with why I want to coach.” For Vargas, wrestling has always been about more than wins and losses. The sport helped transform him from a shy, uncertain kid into someone who believed in himself. “Wrestling completely changed my life,” he said. “It gave me belief in myself and a roadmap for how I view and deal with adversity.” That philosophy drives the culture at SLAM Academy. The program follows two guiding principles: “try, fail, learn, repeat” and “we are not in the wrestling business, we are in the business of changing lives.”
Those beliefs have already produced meaningful results. During his coaching career, Vargas has helped develop an SEC champion, an NCWA All American, a district dual championship team, a regional duals runner up team, and a state duals qualifying team. His proudest coaching moment came during SLAM’s district duals championship run. As a first year program made up mostly of freshmen and middle school athletes, SLAM entered the season ranked seventh out of eight teams. After narrowly losing to Robinson earlier in the year, the team returned to face them in the district final and delivered a statement victory, winning 54-23. More important than the score was the culture the team had built. “The kids weren’t just wrestling for themselves, they were wrestling for each other,” Vargas said.
That team first mentality is what Vargas hopes every athlete carries beyond wrestling. He believes the sport teaches accountability, discipline, resilience, and the ability to handle both success and failure. His own coaches helped shape that belief, especially Mike Joyce, his first coach and a National Hall of Fame coach, and Trace Thome, his college coach at UF. Both showed Vargas the importance of mentorship, leadership, and serving athletes beyond the mat. Now, Vargas hopes to provide that same experience for his wrestlers. “Great coaches help create better wrestlers and better people,” he said. “They understand there is more to life than just wrestling.”
For Alfonso Vargas, a sport he accidentally found has become the platform through which he is helping change lives, one wrestler, one practice, and one lesson at a time.