Personal Narrative
“Today can be the day of my first wrestling match, I absolutely hope I win , what if I don't and It's embarrassing? I’m overthinking it, I’ll be fine, I just need to use the knowledge and skills I’ve learned from the past couple months.” I thought to myself as I walked to my sixth period class which was wrestling. It was the third week into the wrestling season and the first two league duels I defaulted because there was no one in my weight class.
As I arrived in the wrestling room, everyone was optimistic and talking about the varsity wrestlers from Katella high. I was nervous thinking about the all the people that were going to see me wrestle including my parents. After we were all seated the coaches announced that there would be a wrestle off for the varsity 126 lbs spot. I was my first year of wrestling and as I saw to varsity wrestlers wrestle in a high intensity match it was overwhelming and I thought to myself if I was ready for my first match.
It was six o'clock in the afternoon in the school gym, I had just finished weighing out at 113 lbs. I went to the stands where my team was sitting and waiting. I asked
…show more content…
one of the varsity wrestlers for advice on what should be the first thing I should do and he said “Just wrestle aggressively and try to make yourself angry at the other wrestler and use that instead of being nervous.” I took that advice seriously and tried to stop being nervous and have an aggressive mentality.The junior varsity squad had just finished warming up and it was time to begin. I was at the second lowest weight class of 113 so I was either going second behind 106’s or go first if they don't have a wrestler in that weight class. The desk called up the 113 lbs wrestlers and it I was going to be the first match of the day.
I first stared down my opponent as I walked to the center of the mat. I glanced at him I got the feeling that I was probably stronger than him so I knew I would need to make the first move and go strong in the beginning. We got to the center of the mat and the referee gave the signal to shake hands and at that moment I knew I was ready. I isolated my mind from who was around me and only saw my opponent in front of me. I started getting angry in my mind and thought to myself “It's either going to be him or me who we be victorious.”. As we shook each others hand, I squeezed my hand as hard as I could and can feel that he did too. The whistle blew, our first instinct was to lock arms and get a feel for each other and test our
strength. I made the first move in shot a double leg. I failed in doing so and he took me down for two points. I struggled to get an escape while on the ground and he struggled to get me on my back. He was trying to turn to my side by putting a great deal of pressure and I figured I could use the momentum to turn him. I waited for the right time to turn quickly into the way he's turning me and throw him. When the opportunity came I used the momentum to throw him off of me and it worked. I was on top and as he was still disoriented from the throw I was able to put a half and turn him over, all there was to do was to squeeze his head tightly and keep his back to the ground. The referee saw his back to the ground and started counting. He made a final attempt to slip out of the hold by tossing and turning, but I kept readjusting myself to him. As the referee counted it felt like minutes, even though I had only been a couple seconds. The referee finally slammed the mat and blew the whistle to end the match and I had won. The home crowd cheered and knew as the first match of the night I had set the mood for the savanna rebel wrestling team. As I went back to the sideline chairs my coach went up to me and congratulated me on my first match. I saw my friends, they congratulated me and told me to look at the clock and I saw that I had finished the match under one minute. I felt great about myself and very confident it was a feeling I knew I would never forget . I had learned that hard work pays off at the end and while the journey may be difficult the it will always be worth it when you reach your destination.
When we first arrived I’d thought we’d taken a wrong turn and went to a traveling gypsy convention by mistake. The whole field outside the school was filled with tents of various sizes and colors. 200 wrestlers, about thirty of which were girls, filtered about the area. As my soon-to-be teammates and I headed to the first practice, anxiety gnawed at my stomach like a dog with a bone (FL). I wanted to impress everybody, and prove that I could make it in this sport. Before we started, the coach patted me on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back all right.” he told me. I smiled and nodded. At least one person was looking out for me.
...defensively, so, I couldn't. I finally got in on his leg with 30 seconds left in the period. I took every last bit of strength in my body and drove him back. It was a take down right by the out of bounds line, then, slam! As I was taking him down, my hands broke loose and we both fell to our sides. Before I realized we weren't out of bounds, Petro rolled on top of me, getting the two points I just worked for. The whistle blew, and it was over. Petro won with a 3-1 decision over Mayberry. I had nothing to say at the moment except that I was proud of myself and deep down I knew I won that match. After going through all that I went through I now know that I can do anything if I wan it bad enough. I will return to wrestling as a senior this year and I am setting my goal to be a state placer again! Not to be cocky, but being a state champion is on the top of my list too.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, echoes through my head as I walk to the middle of the mat. "At 160lbs Aidan Conner of La Junta vs. Rodney Jones of Hotchkiss." All I can think of is every bead of sweat, every drip of blood, every mile, every push up, every tear. Why? All of this: just to be victorious. All in preparation for one match, six minutes. For some these six minutes may only be a glimpse, and then again for some it may be the biggest six minutes of their life. Many get the chance to experience it more than once. Some may work harder and want it more than others, but they may never get the chance. All they get is a moral victory. Every kid, every man comes into the tournament with a goal. For some is to win, for some is to place, others are just happy to qualify. These six minutes come on a cold frigid night in February at a place called the Pepsi Center. Once a year this gathering takes place when the small and the large, the best of the best, come to compete in front thousands of people. I am at the Colorado State Wrestling Championships.
I was watching the action at the heart of the club. This is where the more experienced judokas practiced, all of them looking fluent in every move they pulled off. Nobody ever made a mistake by the look of it. There was an older boy, around sixteen, nonchalantly throwing people to the ground, it seemed as if it was as easy as breathing to him. That is what I wanted to be able to do, not necessarily with judo, but with interacting. My stomach groaned harder and harder the longer I watched, I was terrified. I was really nervous stepping on the mat, knowing how I would get thrown on my back as soon as I did. The instructor introduced me to the rest of the class, I wanted to be sick but continued on anyways. Looking back, I did act strangely, even though everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming I still didn’t want to be a part of it. To this day I wonder why I was awkward in social in social situations, it confuses me, but it was a major problem to me back then. When I was asked to pair up with someone a shiver crawled its way up my spine. I looked about panicking about who I was going to pair up with, no-one was to be seen but a boy of my size. A thin boy with two of his front teeth missing, it didn’t stop him smiling from ear to ear though. The instructor told me to grip his collar and pivot. The fact that I actually put my hands on him confuses me to this day, it felt weird and uncomfortable and at the time I hated
As I sit here with my eyes closed, I imagine a tropical breeze. The warm wet air slides over my face. The humidity seems almost heavy enough to crush me. As I take a deep breath, the realization that this is no tropical air comes crashing in. Instead of the refreshing scent of the ocean, or tropical plants, the taste of salt from sweat and a smell of the human body fill my lungs. The daydream is over. A shrill whistle sounds and the voice of coach Chuck booms through out the room, breaking the peace that was comforting the pain in my shoulder and bringing me back to reality. I was not on some humid island paradise, but rather in the explosive atmosphere of the Hotchkiss High School wrestling room.
From the first day of practice, I knew that wrestling would change my life. Today I am going to talk about two different cultural identities that run in my family. One of them is wrestling and the other is a German cultural background. These two aspects are part of daily life to all members of my family.
But somehow he was different - true athletes always are For though he cursed, and bled, and sweat, he prided in the scar. They told him to win like a man, no matter what the cost; So many times he ventured forth; so many times he lost. And when they turned around, and said "Its OK son; you tried," He clenched his headgear in his fist, and like a man, he cried. But from his tears came anger; then, when it ceased to spin, the wrestler rose again, determined that the next time, he would win.
As the season progressed, competition started getting fiercer. I was up against girls running at a 5A level, yet, I was able to hold my own. Finally there came a tiny light at the end of the tunnel; it seemed as though I was getting closer and closer to accomplishing my goal. Along with my undefeated title came a huge target painted on my back. I religiously checked "Rocky Preps" every day to see if the competition was gaining on me. It seemed that every time I had improved, there was someone right behind me, running their personal best too. I trained during the weeks before regionals like I had never trained before. Each day my stomach became more twisted with knots that looped around every part of my stomach. I don't think I had ever been that nervous in my whole life.
When I was a Freshman, I was curious about the sport of Wrestling. When I tried out for it, I was eager to learn more about it. It is not just rolling around on the mat it is a form of combat using grappling techniques such as throws, takedowns, pins, holds, and joint locks. In addition into this sport, there are a variety of ways to use these grappling techniques. Wrestling has many rich memories of it is history with a variety of wrestling styles and rules.
Every day I felt the Sweat dripping down from my face, heart banging against my chest while punches come “bang, bang, bang”. That was an everyday experience for me at Franklin Smedley Elementary School, the kids no taller than five feet, embracing the eye of the tiger every day on my face, and I would ball up wishing I had some courage, some wisdom, some knowledge of confidence, self-defense. Days, weeks, months, even years went past with this repetitive taste of salt from the sweat and search for oxygen as my heart continued to beat faster and faster. In the entire school, I had one friend named Nicholas Whales, who just joined boxing in Northeast Philadelphia. The Jack Costello Boxing Club. Costello’s.. This experience had a positive impact because it was what made me want to start boxing, and it’s what gave me the drive to what to succeed. Also, allowed me to unleash a drive in boxing that I never thought I have
Wrestling, one the world’s oldest sport, is the newest sport to the athletic program. Head Coach Danny Nolan, with the help of his father, Coach Kevin Nolan, and his brother Coach Mike Nolan instruct four seniors, three juniors, five sophomores, and five freshman in the sport of wrestling.
When a person walks into a building to see a live wrestling event they do not know what to expect. They wonder who will be wrestling. They wonder where their seats are. All of the suspense gets them ready for the show. The suspense gets them pumped and ready to for the show to start.
As a seventeen year old kid in the spring of my Junior year in high school, I largely considered myself to be an adult. I could easily cook or clean for myself when needed, I could drive, and I was for the most part mentally mature enough as well. However, one quality that eluded me from adulthood was the fact that I evaded any unwanted responsibilities. Like most kids my age with a similar background, selective attention was an issue. The aspects or issues I cared about, I really cared about.
The gate opened and I was in. This was just like every morning, I did not expect anything out of the ordinary to happen. After filling up my water bottle and stuffing everything into a locker, I was ready to go. I walked into the weight room, scattered with people’s scrunched faces as they pushed their weights.