I am a Wrestler

I believe that there is no other sport that demands so much from both the mind and the body as does wrestling.

I am a wrestler. In order for me to have been able to make this statement, I was forced to endure such mental and physical anguish that at times the memories become too much to bear. Those who never wrestled are probably be puzzled as to why I would subject myself to this sport if punishment is all it offered. I answer these people by explaining wrestling offers a “love and hate” type of relationship. By love I mean that wrestlers become infatuated with the sport. All over the country there are thousands of people running, dieting, and practicing their techniques with the goal of becoming a better and stronger wrestler. They pay no attention to those who criticize them because they, as do I, know that in order to fully understand the culture of wrestling one must actually take part in the sport. The hate part of the wrestling relationship comes in the form of self struggle. This struggle is the fight that wrestler’s find themselves in between what they want to do and what they should do. Most wrestlers want to eat the food of their choice, sleep as many hours as they want, drink alcohol, smoke marijuana, and live a care-free life. When you are a teenager, the only things that one thinks about is avoiding all that requires work and welcoming anything that brings pleasure. But a wrestler must have the strength and discipline to resist these temptations if he/she plans on becoming a successful wrestler. Sacrifice is to wrestling what catcher’s mitts are to baseball: absolutely necessary.

I believe that there is no other sport that demands so much from both the mind and the body as does wrestling because no matter how long or hard a wrestler trains, the hunger for improvement never ends. This causes wrestlers to continue on with this brutal practice without a thought of ever stopping. Although I do not aspire to become a better wrestler today, the determination of furthering my education, giving back to my community, and living an honest life is credited to wrestling forcing me to always aspire to be a better man.