For years, wrestlers have given consistency and dedication, pushing through uneaten meals and hard work. They manage to uphold a busy schedule on top of practices.

“Whenever it is wrestling season, I practice 2 hours a day, every day, and then lift after practice for 2 hours. During the spring and summertime, I’ve opened mats and my club practice, and that’s also every day for 2 hours. So at least 20 to 30 hours a week,” Junior Hayden Hinkle said.

Tough seasons and practices every day, players spend copious amounts of time just on wrestling itself.

“The best part about wrestling has been the friendships I’ve made throughout the sport, and the things that it teaches you mentally, making you mentally tougher, stronger, and more physical,” Hinkle said.

Building friendships and hard work creates a mentally tougher, stronger mind, fostering friendships and bonds between players through practices and similar experiences. 

“I eat all the way through school. And then after school, I practice, and then after I practice, I go home, eat really quickly, and then I shower before I eat, and then I have a lift right after that, and then after I lift, I do my homework, or anything else I have to do,” Hinkle said.

“My favorite move is probably a slide by, so you trick him into thinking you’re gonna shoot or something, you push into them, and then they push back, and then you slide by and it’s an easy way to get a takedown. That’s what I’ve been using for multiple years. Moves have helped me in so many matches. I’ve won so many matches by just doing a slide by,” Junior Austin Cornett said.

Moves help Cornett to win many matches and allows him to have an enjoyable way to take down opponents.

“We have to weigh in, and I have to give up a lot of food for my sport, like Thanksgiving, Christmas dinners, I can’t eat a lot of it,” Senior Luke Nally said.

Not only can games and practices be stressful, but maintaining weight and diet is a constant challenge for wrestlers.

“Usually, you just wake up in the morning, see how much you weigh, and from there you can see how much you eat throughout the day, and then after school, practice, and sometimes duels,” Nally said.

According to Nally, a day for wrestlers revolves around their weight and the amount of food they can eat before practices and duels.

“The best thing about wrestling overall is the bonds you make with your teammates because wrestling is very hard, so in the end, you have a lot of respect for all of them,” Nally said.