SPORTS
FUN FACTS ABOUT
WRESTLING BY LYDIA PRIANO
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Junior Logan McFarland takes on opponent at Watkins Wrestling Meet. Photo courtesy of Scott Olmstead.
hough wrestling is a very popular sport, there are a lot of different aspects of wrestling that most people do not know about. Gaining or losing weight are both big parts of wrestling because wrestlers have to be in a certain weight class. This can cause them to rapidly gain or lose weight. Another aspect of wrestling are the mental challenges. Matches really test an athlete's mental toughness. During a match, if a wrestler is not completely focused, their opponent can use that to their advantage.
1
LOSING WEIGHT
Any wrestler would know that losing weight is a very common thing in wrestling. Usually, wrestlers also have a very short amount of time to lose weight in between matches. There are a variety of different ways to do it. “To lose weight quickly I usually sit in a really hot bath with epsom salt in it or a sauna,” junior Carson Miller said. “Doing anything that will put the water out of you will help you lose weight quickly.” When people do things that create a lot of heat in their body, for example going in a sauna, they are creating a lot of sweat, which helps take the water out of their body.
2
GAINING WEIGHT
People typically think of wrestlers having to lose weight, but there are situations where they also
have to put on weight, too. A lot of the time, people assume that to put on weight wrestlers just eat a lot of unhealthy foods. This is actually not true. Wrestlers have to eat a lot of foods that will help them gain muscle, not fat. “To gain weight quickly I usually eat a high protein diet or eat foods that are dense with high calories,” junior Carson Miller said. By eating a lot of protein, the wrestler is making their muscles stronger, which makes them have a greater mass.
3
CHALLENGES
In every sport athletes come across a lot of challenges that they must face. Wrestling is not only a physically challenging sport, but it is also a very tough mental sport. “The hardest part about wrestling is probably keeping a level head and
staying calm during matches,” junior Logan McFarland said. If a wrestler is not calm and focused during a match, their opponent can beat them more easily. If someone's opponent is distracted then they will be much easier to beat. Wrestlers need to keep a clear head so that they can wrestle at their best during a match.
4
SUCCESS
The best feeling when playing any sport is when you win. Winning makes an athlete feel achieved and it gives them more confidence. In wrestling, one of the ways that you can win is by pinning someone. It takes a lot of hard work to get someone pinned. There is not a specific time that it will take for someone to get pinned. “It usually takes me about two minutes to get someone pinned, but the time is different for everyone,” freshman Connor Jude said. To pin someone, a wrestler has to put their opponent on their back and then hold their shoulder blades on the mat for two seconds. Once a wrestler gets their opponent in that position and they hold them down for two seconds, they have won.
VOL. 12 NO. 2 blueprints 21
