Sophomore Bryn Cespedes has been wrestling for three and a half years. She started practicing mostly because of her brother Cruz, who has “way more experience.” Cespedes likes being a part of a team sport because she has, “made a lot of friends and they give great support.”

      She shares that her “teammates make practice fun because they always joke around and they help pass the time by having positive attitudes.” Cespedes says when she ”plays well or has a good match the feeling that [she gets] after is amazing, it just makes [her] smile when [she] finally beats the person.”

     Her brother, junior Cruz Cespedes, started wrestling at five years old. After his first ever practice, he “fell in love” with the sport. “My dad inspired me to start wrestling. He never got a chance to wrestle when he was a kid and I just wanted to be able to wrestle for him,” Cruz says. 

     Competing on the wrestling team is a huge commitment according to Cruz. “I mainly give up spending time with my friends to be at practice as well as time with my family because they are always running around to get me to tournaments and practices.” 

     The wrestler thinks his attitude is a big factor in winning. “As an athlete I do not like to lose so having an attitude that I always think I am going to win allows me to build the confidence I need to win,” he explains. 

     Senior Austin Arist is one of the team captains, and attends practice every day Monday to Friday. “Unless we have a match or tournament, I try to eat healthier during the season and I try to get to the weight room at least three times after or before practice,” he describes. 

     Being on the team provides a second family for Arist. “It allows you to develop team working skills, you can better yourself around friends,” he explains. Aryes teammates make practice fun for him because they “work hard but at the same time goof off and joke around when it is not interfering with the training.”

    Freshman Donald Blackmon joined the team because he loves to be active and to participate in sports. He believes it’s important to practice good sportsmanship, as he shakes the other kids hands and says good job after the match. 

     “When I am in a match, I calm down and just think about what I need to do. I get my heart pumping and then practice my shots and then just get into the mindset,” Blackmon comments.