With the peak of the wrestling season upon us, many questions arise. One of the most pressing topics to be reviewed regarding the nature of this school sport is the words and perspectives given by a captain of the team.
One of the seven captains, Junior Madison Forester is the holder of this title and was kind enough to elaborate on her responsibilities and other aspects surrounding wrestling.
Forester gives credit to a couple of her teammates who influenced her to join and helped her along the way. Forester said, “I was influenced by my teammate, Jay, as well as a peer [Kayla, as] she [helped] me during the tryouts.”
This social aspect seems to be a very prominent factor in wrestling for this captain as she reports, “I trust the girls a lot, we support and push each other on and off the mat. If I didn’t have the team that I do now, I would not be wrestling.”
This feature of a team may be prominent, but this must be balanced with tireless effort. There is no “off-season”, so that means these hard workers barely catch any breaks. Forester said “during the season we spend two to three hours, five times a week practicing, with tournaments that can last around 12 hours.”
With that kind of time consumption, these wrestlers must be fully dedicated and genuinely determined to tackle each challenge that comes with the sport.
This seems to be especially true because of how brutal the psychological aspect can be as well. Since wrestling is an individual sport, “if you lose it’s much more personal because there is nobody else to blame but yourself,” as Forester words this tricky principle.
To further push these students, the ultimate motivators through this relentless sport are the coaches. Forester specifically shouts out Coach Brehmeyer, who is the head coach. She says he “pushed me a lot during my freshman year. I was terrible but he kept faith and continued to motivate me.”
As well as Coach Acosta who “has helped me [Forester] a lot this year. He taught me that I can wrestle better than what’s in my head. I am very grateful to have both of them as my coaches.”
Forester extends her gratitude for this “support system” as it has helped her “stick to the grind”.
Although this sport requires intense dedication and practice, Forester shares that she believes that “wrestling requires just as much mental strength as physical strength.”
But really, she thinks “a very important responsibility is staying positive.” and “most importantly, [is] to have fun.”
Throughout it all, Forester has learned “the importance of hard work, discipline, and a team” as it “has helped [her] in everyday life, and [she hopes] that others can learn the same.”
From the social community to the mat, the immense effort it takes to be a wrestler is greatly exhibited by Forester’s hard work as a team captain, leading her teammates to dedication and success.