Wrestlers get ready

Caden Munderloh Web/Video Editor

During a duel, senior Jayda Parker faces her opponent junior Izzabella Guzman. Photo by Jeremy Ayala

Wrestling requires constant mind and full-body training. East has a boys and a girls wrestling team that train separately after school almost every day.

For training, the girls focus on workouts, especially cardio, and special exercises for their necks. It’s important for a wrestler to do neck exercises and workouts to prevent injuries and to become more flexible, but their workouts don’t just focus on preventing injuries or being a better wrestler, but also becoming stronger and having better flexibility within more maneuvers they will learn.

“It’s very hard at first. I underestimated how challenging it is but wrestling is really fun, I do encourage other people to join. Wrestling is a good team bonding type of sport. We train kinda like gymnastics with flexibility workouts as well as regular muscle workouts,” junior Pairs Plough said.

The boys primarily focus on strength and flexibility, but also on breathing techniques and cardio. Like the girls, the boys practice almost every day after school, doing workouts, instruction on techniques, and also sparring with each other. 

“It’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever done, easily the toughest sport I’ve ever done. We do two to two and a half hour practice every day but for our practice, I think as a team we need to do more cardio workouts,”  senior Marshal Chandler said.

Whether someone plays for the boys’ or girls’ team it can be agreed that wrestling is a tough sport that progressively changes as the season goes on. Both teams run nearly the same, requiring lots of motivation and dedication and, most important of all, teamwork to push each other to become better wrestlers.

“I’m super excited for this season and I’m super excited to be a new coach here although I haven’t had the chance to see the guys in action yet I know it will be super important for the guys to always strive to be better in all facets of wrestling, and in life, whether it’s on the mat, in school or even out in our lives, all around becoming [a] better person every day. It’s one philosophy I will always preach as a coach,” boys wrestling head coach Mathew Malcom said.