There comes a point where we´ve all faced a difficult decision, where you had to give up something you love. In my shoes, it was the decision to give up wrestling my junior year. As much as I love wrestling, my studies are much more important and beneficial to me. I had to sacrifice something I love for something I need. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to be fully committed to the sport, I decided not to go through with it.

This all started last year toward the end of October, my sophomore year, when someone suggested I do wrestling. I never saw wrestling as an option for me since it seemed too extreme and I had volleyball going on at the time. My best friend had been pushing me to do it, so after talking to the wrestling coach, Coach JJ, they had convinced me to try it out.

Once I decided to do wrestling I, of course being a newbie in the sport, had a difficult time during practice.  I was lost and everything was all new to me, but I was determined to finish the season by working hard. When it came to the first tournament, I was anxious and nervous throughout the day. However, at the end of my tournament, I ended up going 3-0. The whole experience was new to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the season went on I started to enjoy the sport more. The wrestling team started to feel more like a family. During every match, I could always count on my teammates to be there supporting me and advising me. Whether it was a victory or a defeat, my teammates would be there congratulating me. The rides home were also memorable. We would spend the whole ride talking and laughing until our sides hurt. These moments made the pain suffering practices worth it and had convinced me to do wrestling the following year.

The year had I decided to take multiple AP classes, and I wasn’t aware of just how much work came with those classes. During volleyball season I was finding it difficult to manage my time with school and the sport. There were multiple nights where I had to pull full all-nighters, which would leave me drained the following day. This was a daily routine throughout my volleyball season, but I was able to handle it.

While I did enjoy wrestling, I knew the process wouldn’t be the same. Wrestling was a more challenging and demanding sport than volleyball. In spite of both practices being 3 hours long, what we do in wrestling is much more draining. Our warm-ups are exhausting and after that, we go hardcore for the rest of practice. Leaving you worn out after practice, which would be fatal to my grades.

If I  decided to do wrestling, I would have had a difficult time staying up and finishing off some work or studying. I also kept in mind that my weekend for relaxing and doing homework would be shortened to a day. As the sport carries out day-long tournaments every Saturday. I knew I wouldn’t have enjoyed wrestling if I had assignments to worry about.

Although I did think it over, even making a pro and cons list, where a pro would be learning and improving in wrestling and a con being it would be tiring trying to juggle school with wrestling. I ultimately made the decision not to do wrestling this year.

As much as I was upset about not going through it,  I knew I had made the best decision that would benefit me and my studies, and I promised myself to do wrestling my senior year. I’m determined to work twice as hard as I will lose a year of learning and developing as a wrestler. Limiting my chances to make it into CCS, but that’s a challenge I’m willing to take. Even if it means putting work outside of practice like building up my endurance through running. As well as going to open mat during the summer to be prepared for the wrestling season before it starts. I will give it my best effort to try and place in CCS and make my name up on the wall in the wrestling room.