My final wrestling season

Welp, I’m done. I’ve been a wrestler since I was 3 years old. It is so deeply part of who I am. I have had a lifelong dream of being a state champion, and I came up short. Now there are a lot of ways I can move forward from this experience, but I want to be positive. Throughout the last 4 years of my life, the only time I’ve felt at home was when I was wrestling. I remember going into my first day of practice and seeing Dan Gable, the greatest coach in the history of the sport. I sat their as he spoke to us about not just the type of wrestler we wanted to be, but the people we wanted to be. He talked about how at some point we’ll be done with the sport and I remember thinking that will be in a long time. Here I am now, and it feels like it went by in a blink of an eye. Wrestling has taught me so much about myself. I’ve pushed myself through things I didn’t think possible, and forced myself to become better than I ever thought I could be. Wrestling has taught me about discipline and hard work. It’s taught me to respect my teachers and always be coachable. It’s taught me that I am better than the limits I put on myself. Looking forward, I may never get to compete again. While that does make me sad, it’s a change that I think I’m ready for. I will definitely miss it, it was time for me to hang up the shoes. My body has fallen apart in almost every way possible. I’ve cut more weight than I can count. I’ve broken down under the pressure I put on myself. Through it all, I’ve been the happiest I could ever imagine. The sport has made me who I am, and I will carry that with me forever. While I may no longer be a wrestler, I’ll always be a wrestler.

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