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Seizing Opportunities: Omar AlQammaz Gains New Experiences in Wrestling and Dentistry

Spent summer training with Jordanian national team

8/13/2024 12:00:00 PM

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – For Illinois Wesleyan University men's wrestler Omar AlQammaz, the summer before his senior year presented not only an opportunity for a months-long vacation in the Middle East, but also an opportunity to shadow family members in dentistry while keeping up with his training alongside the Jordanian national wrestling team.

Born in the United States but spending the first six years of his life in Jordan, AlQammaz holds dual citizenship thanks to his Jordanian parents and returns to Jordan often to visit his extended family. Not only did his summer in Jordan serve as a vacation, AlQammaz made sure to take full advantage of being so close to the aunt and uncle who influenced his future career goals.

From a young age, AlQammaz knew he wanted to follow the family path and become a doctor but it was his aunt and uncle who are dentists in Kuwait and Jordan, respectively, who inspired AlQammaz to focus his studies on pre-dentistry. AlQammaz spent the summer studying for the Dental Admission Test and jumping from Kuwait and Jordan to shadow both general and cosmetic dental practices.

Although the rising senior was gaining valuable experience within his future profession, AlQammaz wanted to ensure he was still putting in the work on the mats this summer. Prior to touching down in Jordan, AlQammaz began reaching out to individuals through social media in hopes of finding a wrestling facility to continue training during his trip. He stumbled upon an account with wrestling videos in the bio and reached out to the individual. Little did he know, AlQammaz landed on the account of Mohammad Zeyad Al Awamleh, the President of the Jordan Wrestling Federation and the head administrator of the Jordanian Olympic wrestling team.

Omar AlQammaz with Jordanian National Team coach 2024

Awamleh invited AlQammaz to train at the facility this summer and the pair even broached the idea of AlQammaz competing during the summer for Team Jordan, but to AlQammaz the DAT exam came first. "I wasn't sure about competing or cutting weight because I had to focus on the exam, but maybe in the future I could one day come in and compete but who knows," AlQammaz explained.

AlQammaz, one of the first members of the reinstated Titan wrestling team, was shocked stepping into the facility for the very first time. After talking with Awamleh, AlQammaz expected to see a dozen or so guys in a smaller facility, but when he walked into the room he faced 80-90 wrestlers with all sorts of talent and backgrounds.

Omar AlQammaz at Jordanian wrestling facility 2024

"I got to wrestle with a bunch of different people. The Egyptian national team comes out to Jordan a lot so we got to practice with those guys. Many nations from around the Middle East travel to the Jordanian wrestling facility so it was super cool to see these guys wrestling in completely different styles as a lot of them have jiu-jitsu backgrounds. They are enjoying what we also enjoy in the US but in a different way," AlQammaz said.

Jordanian wrestling practice facility for Omar AlQammaz feature 2024

AlQammaz is preparing for his senior year at Illinois Wesleyan with his primary goals being to do well in the classroom and to have fun in his final year of collegiate wrestling.

"The wrestling team at Illinois Wesleyan, it feels like family. It feels wrong to go a day without seeing them. So after the season ended and then the school year it felt weird, like I was missing something the rest of the year," explained AlQammaz. "They all know how I need to progress in wrestling and in my life. All around it's been incredible. If I could do it all again and be a freshman right now I would."

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