David Bonilla

Today, I’m announcing a decision that has not come easy. Wrestling has been a part of my identity for as long as I can remember. This sport built me. It shaped my discipline, resilience, toughness, and mindset. It gave me lifelong friendships, unforgettable highs, hard lessons through adversity, and a standard for how I approach life every single day! But sometimes in life, all you need is an opportunity. First, you have to recognize it. Second, you have to have the courage to ATTACK it. This was simply an opportunity I could not ignore. I’ve accepted the position as Vice President of Sales for the state of Wisconsin with Home Pro Roofing. This opportunity will bless my family in ways I never imagined possible, and after a lot of reflection and many conversations with my wife and kids, I knew it was the right step forward. Stepping away from coaching was not a decision I made lightly. In truth, I never thought I would. I’m stepping away from an incredible team and a group of young men I care deeply for — but I’m also stepping into another incredible team. I now have the opportunity to build and lead a group of highly motivated, hungry individuals across the state of Wisconsin, and that challenge excites me! I want to give a heartfelt THANK YOU to Chris Bono specifically. Fifteen years of loyalty, growth, adversity, championships, rebuilding years, and everything in between. We’ve been side by side through it all. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through those battles with anyone else. I’m forever grateful for the trust, the leadership, and the friendship. The good news is — I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be in the Madison area. My family loves the state of Wisconsin! And while I may be stepping away from the mat, I’m not stepping away from the mindset. What excites me most about Home Pro Roofing is the culture. The team is made up largely of former wrestlers — disciplined, competitive, tough and hungry individuals who know how to work and serve others. My kind of people! Home Pro Roofing has built a very strong presence in both Michigan and Ohio, and now we’re building something special here in Wisconsin. I have the privilege of leading that charge! And here’s where it gets exciting. I will be aggressively recruiting sales professionals who want more — more growth, more opportunity, and more impact. Especially former wrestlers and competitors who still have that fire but are looking for a new arena to compete in! Former wrestlers and athletes — if you still have that competitive fire but are looking for a place to channel it, I’d love to connect! I am quickly building a team of high character, competitive, disciplined, hard-working winners here in Wisconsin. If that sounds like you, send me a message. LET’S TALK! Wrestling taught me that the best rewards come from stepping into the uncomfortable and betting on yourself. This is me doing exactly that. Grateful for the past.
Excited for the future.
Ready to build. WIN THE DAY!

This sport is tough. As a previous college athlete ( don’t judge that on my Appearance now or the hurt I feel getting up and down Matside 9 hours in…), but…. I wish I had known or someone Had told me these things a few more times….. So for all of you athletes…( my bigs/lils and others) if you need to hear it- Read these…… 1- If 40% is all you can give and you give me that 40- you’re giving 100% of what you are capable of giving. 2-Don’t forget how far you’ve come- The time and sacrifices it takes to even get to this level is truly inspiring and never a waste of time or passion. 3-Failure doesn’t hold a candle to What regret feels like. 4-I’m proud of you. Not because of your win/loss record or the accolades you have received, but simply having the courage to walk out on that mat knowing that today your best may not be enough to win- and yet you do it anyways. 5-Don’t be so quick to hurry through it. Through the joy and through the pain. Let them both sink in a little. Don’t linger too long, but enough time to recall what confidence feels like and enough time to grow from the pain you felt. 6- Anything can be used For motivation. I used to think I had to be motivated by something or someone. We can create motivation ourselves. 7- Trust. You will only go so far on your own. No one reaches the highest of levels without help. Trust the ones put in positions to help you. 8- Take knowledge from anywhere you find it. Sometimes someone can explain something by a different phrase or motion that just clicks. You are limiting yourself by working with/asking questions to only one person. 9- I love you. Why do we hold back saying this so much? Love isn’t meant to be conditional or earned. * told Doug one day I’m gonna just say it to all our kids because I do love them and if it’s weird it’s weird, but if I sent my kid off to college I want him to be loved and cared for just as much as he is Pushed and taught. 10- Lastly, mental health isn’t something you have to wait until you’re struggling to work on. I can look back now and identify anxiety and perfectionism all throughout my college sports experience. Heck we are trained to be performance driven and usually rewarded for good performance. What happens if we don’t make an effort to work on this? Well as we get older we start to associate good performance =valued, Lovable, worthy and a bad performance=not good enough, unlovable, unworthy. * *COACHES ( and parents) THE WORDS YOU SPEAK IN THE MOMENTS AFTER A practice, meet, or tournament have an exponential effect on how some will view their Worth and if it will be based On Their Performances. If you read any of these and you wish someone had told you it growing up a little more or maybe even now go ahead and🩷 this and send to someone you know who needs to read it too. I wrote this in 2024 and felt the need to share it again and read it again for myself.

Good luck with that one, I’ll be wearing it again this round.

Olympic Champ Jordan Burroughs' Full Speech At Jason Nolf's Wrestling Academy

It all starts today 🤼🔥 Check the full schedule so you don’t miss a match!

Champions run in the family 🏆 Terence Crawford's son won state in Nebraska as a freshman 🤼‍♂️ (via terence_crawforddd/IG)