Weighin’ in with Worm — Nick Moore
On this episode of Weighin’ in with Worm, Worm sits down with one of Iowa wrestling’s all-time greats — Nick Moore, Iowa’s 19th four-time state wrestling champion.
Nick won four state titles at Iowa City West and was part of some of the most dominant high school wrestling teams in the country. But before Iowa City, before the state championships, and before the University of Iowa, Nick grew up right here in Dubuque, Iowa.
We start with the Moore family’s wrestling roots and Nick’s dad, Denny Moore, whose name has been tied to the foundation of Dubuque wrestling dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Nick talks about growing up around wrestling, the family’s move to Iowa City, and what eventually led him to Iowa City West.
From there, we dive into Nick’s incredible high school career — when wrestling started to click, winning his first state championship, his only loss during his freshman season, and the unique story of losing to Mark Ballweg at the state duals just one week after beating him in the state tournament semifinals.
We also talk about those legendary Iowa City West teams that featured multiple state champions and were nationally ranked, and what it was like competing every day in a room filled with elite wrestlers.
And no conversation about Nick’s high school career would be complete without talking about Mark Rieland. Nick shares the impact Mark had on him as a coach, mentor and person, what made him such a special coach, and the lessons that have stayed with Nick long after his wrestling career ended.
After high school, Nick took his talents to the University of Iowa, going from one of the best wrestlers in the country to being a freshman all over again. We talk about that transition, the grind of college wrestling, and being back in the room with familiar faces like his brother Nate Moore, Dylan Carew, Derek St. John and Grant Gambrall.
And finally, Nick talks about life roughly 10 years removed from competitive wrestling — family, work, whether he misses competing, and what wrestling means to him today.
Then we put Nick “On the Scale” with a special rapid-fire edition built for a guy who has been retired from wrestling for a decade.
A conversation about wrestling, family, Dubuque, Iowa City West, the Hawkeyes, Mark Rieland, and the life that comes after the whistle.
