Takedown Report

Commentary: Making a case for more high school wrestling

Often-overlooked sport holds important lessons for student- athletes

By Dennis Begley, Correspondent
During my high school years with the Monty Tech wrestling program, I often wished there were more teams in the region. Besides the Bulldogs, there were only two other local programs: Leominster and Nashoba Regional.
That fact felt, and still feels, like a missed opportunity. The sport of wrestling still has so much to offer local athletes, and there are plenty of reasons for high schools to work toward investing in programs of their own.

The effort pays off

Anybody who knows me will tell you I’m a horrible athlete. In middle school, however, I discovered wrestling, and it changed my life. I had found a sport that truly was all about how much work you were willing to put in. If the effort was there, you would be successful. For kids who want to be part of something, but lack the size, speed or coordination to excel at other activities, a sport that separates athletes into weight classes and relies as much on dedication as natural ability is a perfect fit.

A different winter sport

After the fall season ends, football players are told to either start lifting or find a winter sport. Since some can’t shoot a basketball or skate to the level of their peers, lifting it is. Wrestling gives these players a different way to keep in shape and keep that competitive mindset during the winter season.

Many professional football players credit wrestling for their success on the gridiron. Included among those ranks are Balitmore Ravens legend Ray Lewis and former New England offensive lineman Stephen Neal, who never played NCAA football and was actually a world-champion wrestler before moving on to a career in football, where he won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. Hall of Fame coach John Madden once said he would have all his offensive linemen wrestle if he could.
Read more at : http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/sports/ci_32752282/commentary-making-case-more-high-school-wrestling#ixzz5vC72eZoB

July 30, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized