By Armani Lovelace-Bran
The sport of wrestling has always rewarded top athleticism and undying commitment. The lifestyle of a wrestler is not for the faint of heart. It is crucial for athletes to be focused, determined, and have a passionate drive mindset to thrive in the sport. Wrestling is not an easy sport, many people can’t keep up with the rigorous but necessary workouts; which play a factor every year. Coaches point out that many people who are there at the beginning of the year might not be there by the end. This observation encourages athletes to challenge themselves. Wrestling is an individual sport, meaning players work to better themselves individually. Team spirit is always important, but the coaches make sure to train their young athletes always to want to evolve themselves to be the best athletes they can be since on the mat, you don’t have your teammates.
Practices usually start with friendly players conversing before the practices start, then open up with cardio workouts and stretching. The cardio workouts consist of running, jump ropes, hill sprints, and man carries; which is running and carrying someone on your back. This makes sense because, in wrestling, good strength and endurance is the key. Stance in motion is another workout where they practice specific stances and movements. Moving around and being fluid in your movements are very important in both offensive and defensive. The coaches use a variety of moves to teach that can add to their athletes’ strategy. They also do a form of sparring they call “Live Wrestling” with the rules and point system of an actual wrestling match to get players familiar with how an actual match would be. Usually by then it would be close to the time to leave so they roll up the mats, weigh themselves, and leave.
The season is looking good with both the coaches and athletes confident they can make it to state this year. Pulse staff spoke with wrestlers on the team and when asked her thoughts on the state championship Autumn Niles,
sophomore, said “There’s definitely a lot of new faces, a lot of new upcoming wrestlers. We have two or three state contenders right now. One of my teammates Sullivan Ramos, he placed third at state last year, so we have pretty high hopes he could possibly be a state champion this year.” Pulse staff also talked to Payton Torres, another candidate for state. Payton says “It’s not if you win or lose it’s about the drive to get there and the effort you put into it.” Truly cementing the notion that honest hard work and determination are at the heart of the sport of wrestling.