Wrestlers wrap up their season
Athletes wear the school name on their backs with pride.
March 9, 2023
The end of a sports season often leads to a lot of reflection, from both players as well as coaches. Now, as the CT boys wrestling team wraps up their season, many wrestlers are left with their thoughts and hopes for next season.
Although it is true that athletes can have a very similar approach to their season, each sport calls for a completely different set of skills. While other athletes need intensive physical conditioning for their sport, wrestlers tend to lean more into the mental aspect of their sport, “This season, mentally, made me stronger and taught me how to not break under pressure,” said junior Cole Tennant.
Not only do wrestlers need a strong mental state for their sport, they also have a completely unique scoring system, scoring wrestlers in individual matches rather than as a group. Because of this, many people have begun to see wrestling as an individual sport. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, “we help each other no matter what,” said freshman Owen McDermott, “The team all helps each other learn new things, and grade doesn’t matter nor does skill we help each other”
In addition to learning from their peers, many wrestlers take away so much from their coaches. Coach Buck, a coach and teacher at Cherokee Trail, has been working with his players all season to help them grow both on and off the mat, “They learned some wrestling, but they knew that when they left Cherokee Trail Wrestling that they had a group of guys and coaches especially that cared about them and helped them along the way,” said coach Buck.
CT, for many athletes, has begun to feel like a second home. Through late night practices to early morning matches, these wrestlers have built each other up and have grown together over the course of the season. While many players and coaches, both old and new, say goodbye to this season, they will still hold their time with CT wrestling close to their hearts, “I hope they look back and realize that wrestling is more than just a sport, that it’s a big family,” said coach Buck.
