As the fall sports end, winter sports are starting to delve into their season. One interesting sport that doesn’t necessarily get the limelight it deserves is the US Wrestling team. Led by Mr. Grosz, the wrestling team is one of the more interesting teams in our school. I scheduled a time to sit down with Mr. Grosz and find out what the Wrestling team is all about.

(This interview was shortened for length.)

Me: What are your strategies for tackling this season and getting as many wins as possible?

Mr. Grosz: I think the most important thing is trying to keep everybody healthy, that’s the case in probably every sport, it’s about getting guys in shape but not training them too much. There are no trick or trick moves really, it’s a matter of doing the basics and fundamentals the right way, and really talking guys through how they manage a match and win a close match

Me: Would you recommend Students to come to these meets?

Mr. Grosz: Yeah Of course yeah.

Me: What’s your pitch?

Mr. Grosz: If they’ve never seen a wrestling match, which a lot of people haven’t, once people see them, they’re really exciting. You know the guys; they’re up close; its one guy vs another guy; it’s drama, and fans really help. With the physicality of the sport, it’s hard to be a spectator and not get into it; fans in the stands are leaning in 1 direction. It’s a fun sport to watch especially once they understand the rules

Me: What would you say is the most valuable quality of a good wrestling team?

Mr. Grosz: I think that one of the things that I always stress is that you have to be in shape, you have to. The [best] teams that I have had support each other. They work hard, they’re coachable, they work together, their all working together for the same common goal, even though it’s an individual sport.

Me: Would you say wrestling is harder than other sports workout wise?

Mr. Grosz: It’s [physically] different in certain ways for sure, and this is no knock on any other sports, a lot of the guys on our team play other sports, I think you can ask the kids on the team it’s probably the most physically demanding of anything. It requires so many different components of fitness: strength and conditioning, and also there’s that part of we don’t want guys to lose weight. Athletes are maintaining or controlling their weight, and they really have to be disciplined in the way they live in regard to their eating habits.

Me: Unlike football which, if I’m correct, is about gaining weight to tackle hard.

Mr. Grosz: Yeah what wrestling does, and helps in other sports, is athletes learn a lot about nutrition and a lot about their body and in that regard, it’s a little bit different. It’s tough; I’ve played football, baseball, and soccer. In my experience, yes, it’s definitely the most demanding physically.

Me: What do you think people can learn from wrestling?

Mr. Grosz: Just in general, I think you learn a lot of humility. I think it teaches you a lot about who you are. It takes a lot of guts to go out there with just one other person, and a bunch of people just watching you, and if you win, its great because you did the work yourself; you lose, it teaches you a lot about yourself, and who you are, and how far can you push yourself physically and mentally gives you a lot of discipline.

Afterwards, I decided to meet up with a newcomer to the US Highschool wrestling team, Math Bossick, to get his opinion on the sport.

Me: Have you wrestled before?

Bossick: No.

Me: So what made you want to wrestle?

Bossick: I play football in the fall, and I really wanted to prepare for football. I’ve never wrestled before, but a big part of US is trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone.

Me: Would you recommend wrestling even if you’re not that strong?

Bossick: I definitely would just because wrestling will build that [strength] up, and wrestling isn’t just about strength, you definitely have to have great form as well.

Me: Is it hard?

Bossick: Yeah, it is pretty hard. You have to have a lot of endurance, and there’s a lot of building involved and learning the form. Especially in high school, when you’ve never wrestled before it’s a bit of a challenge, but it’s a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend it.

As the season begins it’s important to show support to not only the wrestling team but all winter sports at US. The first and second wrestling scrimmages are on November 25th and December 2nd, so it would be extremely appreciated if you could attend. Good luck to Math Bossick, Mr. Grosz, and the rest of the Wrestling team this season. Go Preppers!