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Eagle Wrestling |
Wrestlers
are expected to instantly spring into action; no time to think, just
react. During the intense three minute match, two wrestlers, both equally
matched in weight, must wrestle each other to the ground using a
combination of complicated holds, moves, and take downs.
These
tactics soon become second nature as the wrestler is molded into a
wrestling machine through daily drills and hours of mental and physical
training. This training is assimilated into the wrestlers’ whole being
as the wrestler lives and breathes wrestling. Their practices seem like
military drill. At the piercing shrill of a whistle, the entire team
sprawls on the ground, ducking, diving, and practicing other forms of
graceful dexterity. The constant din of the whistle is accompanied by the
coach’s booming voice, screaming, “Snap it! Snap it! Snap it!” as he
properly demonstrates how to do an arm grab, a move used to pull the
opponent off-guard, and adding another move to create an efficient
takedown combo.
Another
phrase that will stick in the wrestlers’ minds forever is Coach
Verch’s classic “On your toes!” He is referring not to jogging
down courtside to make your shoes extra-squeaky, but to lift all
your weight off the ground, putting all of your pressure and weight on the
opponent’s spine, crushing him under you for an easy pin. In fact, most
of the wrestling team can flip, roll, dive, cartwheel, and walk on their
hands better than any cheerleader. Wrestling consumes the person wholly.
You can find wrestler training on the track, losing excess fat to step
down a weight class. They are in the weight room working out or gaining
muscle. You can also find wrestlers in the wrestling room (AKA the
cafeteria) training. Lastly you can find the wrestler at home, refraining
from any food that would move him out of the weight class he has fought so
hard to attain. What most
people don’t realize is that wrestling is both an individual and team
sport.
Wrestling
is a sport like no other. It’s hard to explain, but the feeling as you
step out on the blue mat is just amazing: the excitement, the fear, the
nausea as bile builds up at the back of your throat. You have to stare
down your opponent for just a second to judge the most obvious question
nagging your anxiety-gripped mind- is this guy better than I am? Before
you can reflect on that nagging little question, you slap his hand, and at
the blow of the whistle, spring into action.
It
may not be big at this school, but wrestling is enormously popular on the
east coast. A common saying there is: “During BOYS basketball season,
Men wrestle”. The point of the oldest sport ever conceived by humans has
changed little in the past 3,000 years: PIN THE OPPONENT.
At El Segundo High School the wrestling team is led by Coach
White and Coach Verch, both of which are veteran wrestlers.
The wrestlers at our school
often go without the praise and recognition that other teams such as
basketball and soccer receive. Senior Bryan Joelson says,
"I've never been to a wrestling match before, but I know that it
takes a lot to wrestle." The team works just as hard as any other
sport in our school, if not harder. During their three-hour practices, the
team gets one five-minute water break and they are not allowed to sit
down. Everyday they must run, go through countless drills, and condition.
focusing on technique, the main goal of a wrestler is to be the best you
can possibly be. Wrestling is a dangerous and demanding sport and practice
is taken very seriously.
The
individual athlete feels the pressure to win. If the wrestler loses the
match, the wrestler can’t blame it on someone else, or a mistake that
someone else made. In wrestling, the real competition is yourself.
Wrestlers take their opponents down one-on-one. Senior David Sands mentioned
that, “The pressure builds up at the end of the match. Since I
wrestle last, the team expects me to win.” As far as the team is
concerned, the extra take down or pin could be a matter of winning. The
Eagles are looking forward to a good season and also to taking the mat at
tournaments. As Coach Verch points out, “Wrestling is the oldest
sport around, and it takes dedication.”