As music plays in the background, the sound of clippers humming and chatter between a barber and a client fills the room. 

Switching the scene, the cold wind blows as the final whistle sounds. A goal is scored, and the crowd is electric, and they chant “WEGO.” 

Finally, the buzzer beeps, and bodies collide against the mat while the crowd cheers and teammates yell out advice. 

All of these sounds are familiar to Hugo Martinez, a soccer player, wrestler, and barber. 

Hugo is a senior at West Chicago Community High School who keeps busy with a variety of hobbies. Soccer is one of the main passions in his life, a sport he has participated in since he was in third grade. Hugo is enthusiastic about the games as he associates them with a lot of positive memories. 

“My favorite high school memory, I’d say, [was] winning regionals with the soccer team,” Hugo said. 

Hugo mentioned that his connection with soccer is very strong when playing with his teammates, as not only does he build a stronger bond with them, but he also cherishes the games he gets to share with them on the field. 

“I felt connected to the sport when me and my team won tournaments in soccer because the competitiveness of being in a tournament helped me feel more involved,” Hugo said.

Alongside playing soccer for his high school team, he also played for a club team and had good experiences doing so. 

“Besides winning regionals, I’d say, travel[ing] to places, in general, like going to different states for tournaments, [was a highlight],” Hugo said. “I’ve gone to Las Vegas and Texas.”  

In addition to club soccer, Hugo has made his mark on the varsity team, which he has been a part of junior and senior years at West Chicago Community High School. He took a big step this year as he was passionate about making the starting 11. 

“Hugo came into his senior year determined to get a spot in the starting 11,” assistant soccer coach Dorian Carrasco said. “Once he got into the starting 11, he did not let go of his spot.” 

Carrasco admired Hugo’s abilities on the field, particularly this past fall season. 

“Hugo was always a great player, with qualities that not many have – this year, he played with confidence, a confidence that made his qualities stand out. His decision-making under pressure was fundamental, and his instinct to move forward was key,” Carrasco said.”

Hugo also wrestles, a sport he took up after watching his older brother, Ramiro Martinez,  compete when Hugo was younger. He felt inspired by his brother’s work ethic and character. 

“My older brother is a hard worker, and his character is respectful,” Hugo said.

As a long-time wrestler, Hugo strives to maintain his humble personality, which his brother Alvaro shared about him, and does not let big wins or losses take too much of a toll on his view of the sport. One of his proudest moments was shared by his brother. 

“Hugo’s proudest moment is wrestling varsity his freshman year and dominating at that level,” junior Alvaro Martinez, Hugo’s younger brother, said. 

Wrestling at the club level and school level is very different because of the skill gap that comes into play, as club competition is usually considered “tougher.” Hugo has participated in both, and he believes that club was definitely the larger challenge, but despite all that, he sees it more as a learning experience because it allowed him to be better. 

“I say I mostly improved more when I joined a club, like back in eighth grade, because then they taught me more stuff. And the competition I was going against was way better, and I was losing a lot. I was losing every tournament until regionals, and then that helped me compete more, especially entering high school,” Hugo said. 

Hugo likes wrestling because of how it makes him push himself individually and continues to feed his motivation to win. He believes wrestling allows him not only to perfect his craft, but also to push him in other ways to improve as a person overall. Whether that may be by building up his discipline, his work ethic, or his ability to deal with hardship.  Hugo believes wrestling will allow him to become the best version of himself, but also a role model for his younger brothers. 

“I don’t want to give up on myself, so I just keep trying my best for myself and also try to set a good example for my brothers, too,” Hugo said. 

Other than sports, Hugo’s time is taken up by trying to keep building his brand, hugo_blenzz (formerly known as mtz._fadez). He books his clients on an app called Booksy (Hugo_blendzz), where he maintains a 4.8 rating. Hugo started cutting hair four years ago when he finally grew tired of buzzcuts. 

“The main reason was that my dad used to cut hair, and he would always give us buzz cuts. And I was like, ‘Nah, lowkey, I gotta take matters into my own hands,’” Hugo said. 

Hugo’s barbering journey has been a unique one, as he never had a mentor to teach him the craft. Instead, he turned to alternative resources to learn and improve. YouTube became one of his main tools for developing new techniques. He embraced barbering as a challenge and applied the same passion he brings to sports to improve.

“What I admire most about Hugo is how far he has come on his own,” Hugo’s cousin, Jose Bermudez, said. “He’s taught himself everything he knows, and I think that deserves some recognition by itself. Our family has never had a barber, so there wouldn’t be anyone who could act like a mentor for him. I admire Hugo for pursuing a career that he truly enjoys and found on his own.” 

Improving as a barber can be difficult, and for Hugo, that was no different. Besides the challenges of consistently booking clients and worrying about retaining them, Hugo’s biggest area for improvement was the time it takes him to cut hair. While he isn’t particularly slow, he does think being able to get quicker with his haircuts can not only be more efficient but also build a better reputation for his brand. 

“Hugo has grown as a barber at an incredible pace. He used to take around 2-2:30 hours to cut my hair when he was first starting off. Now he’s down to about 1-1:30 hours,” Bermudez said. 

Hugo views haircuts like art. His clients are his canvas, and he is a painter, which allows him to not feel like barbering is a job but more of a hobby he gets paid for. Stepping into his shop is getting a haircut by someone who truly cares about their clients. The banter is comforting, the lightning feels warm but not bright, it’s the workspace of someone who sees barbering passionately and not like a paycheck.

“When I cut hair, I feel super relaxed and focused, because I enjoy doing it. I’m always in the zone, and I like to do the best I can on every cut,“ Hugo said.

While he is currently a home-based barber, Hugo has also worked as a professional barber in a shop. There are a variety of differences between the two environments that both come with their own benefits, whether flexibility, comfort, availability, or even client growth. For Hugo, working in a shop was a good experience, but one that came with added pressure. 

“The pressure of turning in the rent every week [was stressful] because I would get a couple more clients, but I wouldn’t get too, too many. If you have a slow week, you’re worrying about, ‘Oh, am I gonna make it or not?” Hugo said. 

It does not matter if it is putting his opponents on a mat with a crowd roaring in excitement, with the referee raising his hand after a victory, or if it is taking the ball from the opposing team and controlling the tempo of the game from the back of the field. Hugo’s passion allows him to excel at both of these, but barbering is what he sees in his future and what he is enthusiastic about pursuing as a career. 

“Our grandfather mentioned a quote that stuck to me: ‘We need to always support each other as family, because if we don’t support each other, then who will?” From that moment on, I’ve been going to Hugo regularly, as he is going to be my barber for life,” Bermudez said.