Wrestling is a sport of determination, effort, resilience, and technique. It is nothing like what you see on television. There’s no chairs, jumping off ropes, and especially it’s not scripted. High school wrestling is a real, competitive sport that demands nothing less than your best effort. And there’s no better place to do it than East’s very wrestling teams.
A typical wrestling match is made up of three periods, each being two minutes long. It starts with both wrestlers being in a neutral position, shake hands, and try to gain control of their opponent with the goal of pinning them. Points are earned through several means: takedowns, reversals, escapes, and near-falls. Wrestlers can also win through technical falls, where one player gets too far ahead in points, and win by default. Because of how the scoring works, it heavily favors technique, positioning, and strategy rather than strength alone. Athletes of all shapes and sizes can compete, making it one of the most inclusive sports offered at the high school level.
“Wrestling is just a different animal,” Patrick Swift, the girl’s wrestling coach, said. “It’s a ton of work, and a ton of hard work.”
That work is evident in the team’s demanding practice schedule. With a practice usually lasting from 3:20-6 p.m., and involving warm-ups of hand ball and dodge ball, straight into high paced drilling with five minutes of tape lines working on footwork, shadow wrestling, and a minute cartwheels and tumbling. Then after a short break, they go into practicing technique, favorite shots, and going over individually with things they can improve on. Then they go into the learning stages, which involves demoing, implementing, and teaching. And finally finish it off with live wrestling and conditioning.
At first glance, you might not think team and wrestling go well together. But in actuality, wrestling operates as a team sport in nearly every other aspect than on the mat.
“You always wrestle individually, but it’s a team sport in the mentality,” Brody Shada, a junior wrestler said. “Your teammates are always cheering you on.”
Wrestlers rely on their teammates during practices, where it’s their teammates who push them through conditioning, drilling, and when doing live wrestling. In meets, especially during duels, individual matches directly contribute to the teams score, meaning every bout matters, because all of them help the team. And during their matches, it’s their team that is cheering them on, and giving them the energy to win.
“it’s an individual sport, but I think it builds team quadratory,” Swift said. “You have a coach yelling in your ear the whole time, so you’re gonna lean on your teammates.”
Despite how difficult and intense it can be, wrestlers have said it’s rewarding for exactly that reason. So many wrestlers join and don’t get their first win until a couple weeks after joining. But that’s what makes those wins so special.
“We just had a girl pick up her first win a week ago, and she started in November,“ Swift said. “It’s that hard work and dedication and really buying into that program that we preach.”
Coaches and wrestlers alike emphasize that success is not just for those who start early in freshman year, or those who are really fit and strong, but for those willing to put in the effort. The program welcomes all athletes of all backgrounds, offering an opportunity for anyone ready to work to improve and find success on the mat.
How special East’s wrestling program is can be seen in how much success they’ve had. For example, Kyra Hains recently achieved 100 wins despite only being a junior. Which is so incredibly hard that only three other girls have done it in the school’s history. And some elite wrestlers can’t even do that.
This season, Lincoln East finds itself with the goal of rebuilding after two seniors who were high scorers graduated out, and one of their three returning medalists actually tore her kneecap before the season. However, the program continues to grow, with new wrestlers joining and returning and having athletes step into leadership roles. Their goal is to get the girls to the level of state winners, working day by day getting them better and better. As well as punch a couple through the district to state tournaments.
“I think we’re in a super good position to have a really strong finish,” Swift said. “I think we have the capability of that. But it takes that number, and that buy in.”
But wrestling takes more than just practice. It demands commitment past the regular season. While the season runs from November to February, athletes that truly want to be successful need year-round effort both in and out of practice. The coaches recommend camps and open mats, all of which the program offers.
“The thing about wrestling is if you want to be successful, November through February isn’t enough,” Swift said. “You have to put work outside of the room and out of the season.”
In a sport that demands everything from its athletes, East wrestlers continue to answer with effort and pride.
