<table> </table> Ben Askren was on his way to see &#8220;Step Brothers&#8221; the other night, the Will Ferrell comedy. &#8220;Mat Brothers&#8221; would be more the movie of Askren&#8217;s life.</p><p>Although it would no doubt have its comic elements, the movie would also make you smile about how real brothers can work together. Even if that&#8217;s partly by beating the crud out of each other.</p><p>Ben, a two-time NCAA champion in wrestling while at Missouri, won the 163-pound class at the U.S. Olympic trials in June in Las Vegas. His younger brother Max, a rising junior at MU, competed in the 211.5-pound class but didn&#8217;t earn an Olympic berth. Both, however, are headed to Beijing.</p><p>Wrestlers must have top-notch training partners to prepare for competitions. For Ben, there&#8217;s nobody better than his brother.</p><p>&#8220;I wouldn&#8217;t be where I&#8217;m at without Max,&#8221; Ben said. &#8220;You know, in (college wrestling), the only person who could scramble anywhere as good as me was Max.&#8221;</p><p>The college method is called &#8220;folkstyle&#8221; wrestling and has definite differences from international freestyle wrestling. Ben could take more risks and expose his back to the mat in college as he racked up victories.</p><p>Plenty of wrestling observers didn&#8217;t think he could make a successful transition to freestyle quickly enough to get to the 2008 Olympics. Ben&#8217;s high school coach and close adviser, John Mesenbrink, wasn&#8217;t one of them.</p><p>Mesenbrink is also kind of like a sibling to Askren, an older-brother figure who always supports him. He will be going to Beijing, too. He arrived as wrestling coach at Arrowhead High in Hartland, Wis., in Ben&#8217;s first year there.</p><p>&#8220;I remember when he was a little 119-pound freshman, and he said that (making the Olympics) was his goal,&#8221; Mesenbrink said. &#8220;And here it is; it&#8217;s going to happen in Beijing. I&#8217;ve learned what he says <em>is</em> going to happen.&#8221;</p><p>So when the conventional thought in the wrestling community was that Ben&#8217;s best bet for the Olympics was 2012, he dismissed it. He was going in 2008.</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t doubt it because once he sets his mind on a goal, he&#8217;s just relentless,&#8221; Mesenbrink said. &#8220;So many times, I&#8217;ve seen obstacles that stand in his way, and he finds a way to overcome them. I knew he would technically figure it out, and he likes to put the pressure on himself. It helps him rise to the occasion.</p><p>&#8220;So he is outspoken. He says, &#8216;This is what I&#8217;m going to do,&#8217; and then it backs him into a corner. Like, &#8216;I said I was going to do it, and now I <em>have</em> to do it.&#8217; It&#8217;s just his way.&#8221;</p><p>Mesenbrink chuckles when talking about this, as he has gotten used to it. But Ben&#8217;s parents, Chuck and Michele Askren, admit they sometimes worry a lot.</p><p>&#8220;He seems to have supreme confidence,&#8221; Michele said. &#8220;And most of the time, it just makes us nervous. You know, every parent fears their child having to deal with the disappointment. You cringe a little when they are almost over-confident, but &#8230; I guess that&#8217;s what it takes.&#8221;</p><p>At the Olympic trials, Chuck and Michele Askren sat together away from the rest of the crowd in the stands of the Thomas and Mack Center. During Ben&#8217;s final, they held onto each other almost as if they needed life preservers. When Ben won and earned his spot on the U.S. team, Max &#8212; who was sitting with other friends and family members &#8212; climbed a few rows up to give his relieved parents a hug.