Give Wrestling a Chance

To many, fall means football, winter means basketball and spring means baseball. All three of the sports are very exciting and round up a number of fans. Professional, college or high school, we all have our favorite teams that receive our utmost respect for thriving at their sports. Although all take an incredible amount of physical fitness and athletic ability, there is one sport that I feel does not receive enough credit--wrestling.

Perhaps it's because I have been dragged to wrestling tournaments since I was about 3 years old. Having two brothers who wrestled meant one thing-- packing up every Saturday to travel to a gymnasium filled with boys who wore an attire that was uncomfortably too similar to my dance leotards. My fondest memories of those days were playing with my Barbie dolls in the stands, going out to the mats during intermission and doing my gymnastic skills (yes I have some tricks up my sleeve) and swearing to myself that I would never, ever have a relationship with a boy that participated in this stinky, sweaty sport they call wrestling.

Fast forward about 18 years later, and here I find myself sitting in the stands, in a hot gymnasium, laughing at the fact that I now love a sport that I once despised. Don't get me wrong, it is still a very stinky and sweaty sport that I sometimes feel grossed out about, but I will do what it takes to be West Liberty University's heavyweight's number one fan. I have watched my boyfriend, Aaron, wrestle from pee-wee tournaments, where he had "cooties," to NCAA Division II tournaments. All I can say is that it has been one heck of a ride filled with ups, downs and plenty of exciting moments.

To me, and I'm sure many wrestlers will agree, wrestling is one of the most physically tough sports out there. It requires large amounts of strength, hours upon hours of commitment and dedication in and out of the wrestling room and tons of will power for those who cut weight. Although being physically fit is a huge part of wrestling, one must also be mentally strong. Wrestling is one of those sports where there is a team, but winning is an individual goal. Over the years, I have seen upsets and knowing that one cannot blame anyone but himself for his loss, is what makes it an even more difficult sport.

The rules of wrestling are also extremely interesting and learning the scoring system, as well as the names of all the moves, makes it even more exciting. The problem with wrestling is that many do not give it a chance. At this time I would like to encourage you to attend one wrestling tournament, the OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Tournament would be a great place to start giving the sport a chance. These athletes do incredible things and deserve the credit that other sports have received over the years. Best wishes to all wrestlers, coaches and teams for a successful and injury-free season!

To many, fall means football, winter means basketball and spring means baseball. All three of the sports are very exciting and round up a number of fans. Professional, college or high school, we all have our favorite teams that receive our utmost respect for thriving at their sports. Although all take an incredible amount of physical fitness and athletic ability, there is one sport that I feel does not receive enough credit--wrestling.