*** Official Youth, High School, College and International Wrestling Thread ***

[New World Order]

Serious question here:

Did you guys actually enjoy the sport of wrestling in high school? I can't imagine the weight cutting or grabbing another man in spandex would be fun.

How many of you were forced into it?

[rico]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Serious question here:

Did you guys actually enjoy the sport of wrestling in high school? I can't imagine the weight cutting or grabbing another man in spandex would be fun.

How many of you were forced into it?

Weight cutting in excess is awful and I think many wrestlers (myself included) have put too much emphasis on it in terms of it being necessary to be successful.

Yeah, the spandex stuff... Have heard it a billion times from a billion different non-wrestlers. I've never met a wrestler who has had an issue wrestling in their singlet. It's not a big deal.

Story of how I started wrestling: My wrestling-crazy dad took me to a local tournament when I was 6 years old. I was just there with him to watch and had no idea why he took me there to begin with. I was bored out of my mind the entire day. At the conclusion of the tournament, my dad asked, "did you have fun watching the tournament?" I replied, "no." He asked, "that's because you want to wrestle yourself, right? Do you want to do this?" I replied, "no." My dad responded with, "well tough shit. I registered you in the Central Lee wrestling tournament. That is next week. Your first practice will be in our living room when we get home." I had 5-6 two hour practices in my living room...just my dad and I. I wrestled in the Central Lee tournament and walked through it... 2 pins and a tech. From that point on, my dad was a full-fledged crazy wrestling parent. He started the youth wrestling program at my school (which still exists today) and I was in wrestling practice for 8-10 hours per week.

Did I like it? No, not really... the pressure from my dad along with the pressure I put on myself to succeed was unbearable. The weight cutting was horrific. It prompted a LOT of performance anxiety. Hell, the worst trouble I would get into in my life was when I would lose a wrestling match. However, when you do something for a long time and become pretty good at it in rather quick fashion, you naturally develop a passion for it. I loved winning. Hated losing to the point where I was straight up scared of it. I can't imagine my life had I not wrestled...it's just been that prominent of a part of my life. And I think I am a better person now because I did wrestle...sometimes I wonder what I would be like today had I not wrestled. It is embedded in my mind as being pretty bittersweet. I can't honestly tell you that I liked it. I love watching it now... I love following my brothers and some of the other kids I have coached. My high school really has something good going right now.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Serious question here:

Did you guys actually enjoy the sport of wrestling in high school? I can't imagine the weight cutting or grabbing another man in spandex would be fun.

How many of you were forced into it?

I loved it.... Every part of it....

[rico]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

I loved it.... Every part of it....

I love to read this.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Serious question here:

Did you guys actually enjoy the sport of wrestling in high school? I can't imagine the weight cutting or grabbing another man in spandex would be fun.

How many of you were forced into it?

Enjoyed absolutely every bit of it from the time I was 7 years old until I was 20. Dislocating my elbow in the state championship match and having to forfeit the match when I was up by 5 points in the third period during my senior season is something that still bothers me to this day.

[rico]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Enjoyed absolutely every bit of it from the time I was 7 years old until I was 20. Dislocating my elbow in the state championship match and having to forfeit the match when I was up by 5 points in the third period during my senior season is something that still bothers me to this day.

Oh my God, that is absolutely heartbreaking. I just can't imagine. I don't know if I'd ever get over that. Hell, as you may have seen on the video I posted on the page prior to this, I had a very difficult time getting over a semi-consols loss from state.... and that was 100% my fault for that head lock I got caught in was atrocious. Man.... I feel for ya...that's awful.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by rico

Oh my God, that is absolutely heartbreaking. I just can't imagine. I don't know if I'd ever get over that. Hell, as you may have seen on the video I posted on the page prior to this, I had a very difficult time getting over a semi-consols loss from state.... and that was 100% my fault for that head lock I got caught in was atrocious. Man.... I feel for ya...that's awful.

Yeah, I was attempting a Granby roll and for some reason my left arm didn't tuck under correctly. Came out of the roll with my arm sticking out 90 degrees from my elbow. Match stopped and the doctors rushed the mat. I was in intense pain, but was keeping my composure pretty well. I asked the doctors if they could put it back in place, tape it up, and let me finish. They told me I had to go straight to the hospital to make sure I kept sufficient blood flow to the arm. When I realized my dream was over, that is when I cried like a little bitch. I didn't even get to stand on the podium to receive my second place medal. Still bothers me and that was 24 years ago.

[rico]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Yeah, I was attempting a Granby roll and for some reason my left arm didn't tuck under correctly. Came out of the roll with my arm sticking out 90 degrees from my elbow. Match stopped and the doctors rushed the mat. I was in intense pain, but was keeping my composure pretty well. I asked the doctors if they could put it back in place, tape it up, and let me finish. They told me I had to go straight to the hospital to make sure I kept sufficient blood flow to the arm. When I realized my dream was over, that is when I cried like a little bitch. I didn't even get to stand on the podium to receive my second place medal. Still bothers me and that was 24 years ago.

I would have cried as well. I probably would have been crying on the medal stand (if not rushed to the hospital immediately). In fact, there were probably random spectators in the stands who were crying because they felt bad for you. Wrestling hits deep. Was there a lot of time left in the 3rd period when it happened?

Man...sometimes timing just makes things straight up unfair.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by rico

I would have cried as well. I probably would have been crying on the medal stand (if not rushed to the hospital immediately). In fact, there were probably random spectators in the stands who were crying because they felt bad for you. Wrestling hits deep. Was there a lot of time left in the 3rd period when it happened?

Man...sometimes timing just makes things straight up unfair.

42 seconds left in the third period. My opponent had scored a reversal about 10 seconds prior to make the score 7-2.

[raybec 4]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Serious question here:

Did you guys actually enjoy the sport of wrestling in high school? I can't imagine the weight cutting or grabbing another man in spandex would be fun.

How many of you were forced into it?

The sport of wrestling builds more character and mental toughness than any other sport in my opinion. It's not even about the matches. It's the discipline to maintain your weight, to not eat, to push yourself farther physically than you thought possible and then keep going.

I loved it, I walked around at 165 and wrestled at 138. It wasn't even the biggest cut on our team.