Rumble on the Mat

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By Cristobal Segura

Wrestling isn’t just a sport; it’s a lifestyle. Wrestling is persistent hard work. Wrestlers will keep going until their body can’t take anymore. Six minutes… Three periods… One winner… What will be the outcome?

Waking up at five a.m. to wrestle strangers isn’t an activity everyone enjoys doing on a Saturday, but for a wrestler, it’s a routine. From seven in the morning to five in the evening wrestlers spend their time waiting to be called up to the mat, wrestle for six minutes and then go home.

There will be matches that end in a loss, and for some, accepting defeat can be hard. Wrestlers might cry about the loss and blame themselves, or they can take that defeat and use it to work harder next practice. Practice is something every athlete needs; and wrestlers need an extraordinary amount of it. Wrestlers need to have passion, discipline and commitment to the sport. If they don’t exhibit these characteristics, then being a wrestler is not for them.

My first year in wrestling was an extraordinary one. I was a freshman and knew nothing about wrestling at that time. I started wrestling in the 195 weight class at the beginning of the year. It was hard for me because, not only did I have little knowledge about wrestling, my opponents were bigger and stronger than I was. I lost every tournament, but that only made me work harder to finally get that win.

Practices were difficult, and I wasn’t mentally ready for these types of activities, but as time went on I got used to it. I learned a lot from the frosh/soph coach, Ryan Miller. He is an excellent coach, and because of his extensive knowledge he made me into a much better wrestler.

“Work is everything. Wrestling can take someone with no athletic ability and make them into league champions.” These words from Coach Ryan Miller explain that anyone can become a wrestler. I’m currently a sophomore at the peak of my wrestling career, and wrestling has changed me forever.

 

2 Comments Add yours

  1. Jake Smit says:

    I really enjoyed reading this article. As a swimmer I have the same outlook. You win some and you lose some, it happens with all sports. Great topic.

  2. Michael Rios says:

    Me being an athlete comes with having to practice on a everyday basis, also having that connection with your words and passion towards your feeling makes me understand what you really mean from this article.

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