By Allison Chow,
Staff Writer
Student-athletes work hard in every sport they play and deserve recognition for all the time and effort put into the activity. However, wrestling, one of the many unrecognized sports at the high school level, does not get as much fanfare as it deserves in contrast to any other league sports.
The wrestling team once averaged 60 to 80 competitors a season and began as a small team training in Room 802. As the sport began to attract more participants, the team moved to a larger facility in Room 601.
The team participated in 13 League Championships in 19 years and averaged seven to nine athletes in CIF each year. Athletes competed in weight classes of 98 pounds to 245 pounds, with competitors wrestling against opponents of their equal weight. The wrestling team eventually disbanded because students lost interest in the sport.
Additionally, 601 was converted into a theater. With nowhere to practice or host competitions, a dearth of funding and necessary equipment ultimately contributed to the disbandment.
“It’s sad because I put a lot of time into the program,” former wrestling coach Jerry Lawrence said. “I know it’s a tough sport, and it’s really hard to find coaches. I made sure I had really good assistant coaches who understood my philosophy, which was …Give me the best effort you had, try your hardest and good things will happen.”
Though there is no longer a wrestling team present on campus, juniors Alden Doan and David Zhang looked for an opportunity to help share the world of combat sports with the school community through the Martial Arts Club. Club meetings consist of basic instruction, videos of professional fights and fun drills of martial arts.
“I find it mildly disappointing that TCHS doesn’t have a martial arts team,” Co-President Doan said. “But knowing the amount of time needed to compete, we would likely need year-round training to train new guys to be competition ready.”
Several students on campus compete in martial arts outside of school. Sophomore Daniel Sunoo is active in jiu-jitsu as he started competing a year and a half ago after his father inspired him to begin the sport.
Combat sports like wrestling and jiu-jitsu have different types of pressures compared to other sports like football because it requires a lot of mental planning. Athletes also consistently practice self-defense techniques to protect themselves and use it as a strategy to take down opponents.
“The sport impacts my life in many ways,” Sunoo said. “The sport requires intense cardio but it will help your health in the long run. I think jiu-jitsu helps mentally because we’re just there to have fun and enjoy the moment.”