By Colin McEwen

Record-Courier staff writer

Next week, Tadaaki Hatta will be traveling to Beijing, the city where he was born 65 years ago.

He is going there with USA Wrestling's national women's team competing in the World Cup Championships Jan. 19 and 20.

Hatta is no stranger to wrestling.

The longtime art teacher at Ravenna High School came to the U.S. from Japan, where he was raised, more than 45 years ago on wrestling scholarship from Oklahoma State University.

Hatta's father introduced him to the sport after he came to this country in 1929 to promote the ancient sport of judo to Americans.

"The wrestlers beat him up," he said, adding it was then his father became a lifelong student of grappling.

A few years later, Hatta eventually took up wrestling himself and extracurricular activity became a recreation, a job and a passion.

He won the Japanese national championship in high school. In college in 1965, he was a NCAA champion, and placed third in 1966.

"I've looked back on wrestling -- it's fun and it's good physical fitness," the Elyria resident said. "Then I started teaching and thought I should stick around."

He has stuck around, and watched as the sport has continued to grow into a major international sport.

The world map on Hatta's classroom wall is dotted with many multi-colored tacks, marking the international cities where he has traveled for the sport.

His wrestling résumé is stocked with credentials that include being a member of coaching staff with the U.S. women's team in Athens in 2004; U.S. Olympic men's freestyle wrestling team in 1988, 1992 and 1996; the Japanese Olympic team in 1968 and 1984; and the 1972 Mexican Olympic team.

Hatta said his coaching specialty is scouting the other teams' methods and finding ways to counter them. He also has coached with many Northeast Ohio high schools, including Ravenna.

"I'm glad that I am here in Ravenna," said Hatta, adding that he is grateful that the district allowed him to take time off to travel with the team to China.

Superintendent Tim Calfee said he is pleased that Hatta was selected to coach the women's team.

"He's an outstanding coach with a great deal of national and international experience," he said. "We're proud of him. I'd like to see him bring back a gold medal."

He said among the fiercest challenges the American team will face is Japan -- a country where the sport of wrestling was revolutionized by his father.

The U.S. women's wrestling team is talented, and Hatta expects the team to perform well.

"The coaching part is not as hard because they are already at their highest level," he said. "If we win a medal, I'll be glad to bring it home."