I Believe in Powhatan Wrestling

I believe in Powhatan wrestling. Where I live life used to be just like the movie “Friday Night Lights.” Since 2004 my life has changed. I was introduced to wrestling. This sport breathed new life to my own and others athletic careers. Wrestling is not a sport where you can excel just because you are a good athlete. Wrestling makes you work for everything.

Powhatan Virginia’s high school athletic program revolves around its football team. This may only be true for a short while. In Powhatan, wrestling has become contagious. In 2004 we started with around twenty guys. It is five years later and we have thirty high school wrestlers and forty youth league wrestlers and a waiting list that’s just as high.

I was one of the wrestlers who were on the team in the very beginning. I felt at home from the very first time I wrestled. It is another world from most sports. In Powhatan we have had the privilege of having one of the best coach’s out there, at least in my opinion. Lee Richardson is the man who made this sport so enjoyable for me and others who have gone through the program after me. It was the first time I had ever had a coach that did the practices with us. He is also the first coach that didn’t use yelling to try to motivate. He has given a lot to Powhatan.

Unlike other sports like football you actually have to work every day to get better and better other than just being able to take a hit and run fast. At the high school level you don’t have to be the guy who can run the fastest or lift the most weights to be good. If you put in the time and hard work you get better. If you compared my first year to my last you wouldn’t think I was the same wrestler. My freshman season I won nine matches and my Senior I won forty-seven matches. To do this my coaches would get up get up and work with me at five in the morning all year.

I believe wrestling also will bring out the best in a person. It will also show if you are tough or not. Wrestling at practice is one thing, six minutes on the mat head to head with someone who doesn’t care if you get hurt of not is hell. I have see matches that go even further. One of my close friends little brother went for twelve minutes in one match. He had seven over times. Since wrestling doesn’t have ties it just kept going. It was inspiring to me to see an eight year old fight for what he wanted. He won a state title that day.

Championships are what we strive for. Everyone wants to be the best at something. I believe one day soon Powhatan wrestling will be the best team there is.