If You are Thinking About Wrestling In College, Ask Yourself This Question

Early on in high school, I had no clue if I wanted to wrestle in college or not. To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought, which is not surprising since I hadn't given anything much thought at that point in my life.

I remember the way I felt when the season ended my freshman and sophomore years. It was like a weight was lifted off of me. I didn't say it, but a big part of me was glad that the season was over and I didn't have to wrestle anymore. I could finally "relax" and "have fun".

It wasn't until my junior year of high school that my perspective changed. That was the first year that I was not relieved when the season was over. I started to view wrestling as something that I enjoyed, not something that was stressful and a burden. Consequently, my junior year was also my most successful season up to that point. My growing love for the sport was fueling my improvement.

I don't remember an exact moment in time, but it was some time during that junior year that I decided I wanted to wrestle for another 4 years after high school. At the time, I probably didn't have any specific or mature reason for my decision other than "I wanted to", but now I can look back and see that the driving force that lead to my decision was my growing love for the sport.

So if you are trying to decide if you should wrestle in college right now, ask yourself this question. Do you enjoy wrestling more now than you did a year ago? I know there are plenty of other factors that go into making this decision, but if the answer to this question is "yes", you should start doing whatever it takes to make wrestling in college a possibility.

If the answer to this question is "no", that means wrestling is probably becoming more and more miserable for you. This does not necessarily mean that you should eliminate the possibility of wresting in college, but it does mean you should seriously evaluate why you are not enjoying the sport. If it is as simple as you are cutting too much weight, then stop it. If your parents are putting too much pressure on you, then have a serious conversation with them about how to not be a psycho-parent.

If you go through and look at why you aren't enjoying wrestling and you realize you just don't like it, do some college coach a favor and don't wrestle in college. There is nothing worse than coaching someone who hates the sport. Any business owner or leader can attest to this in the workplace as well. When someone hates going to work everyday they underperform and drag the rest of the team down with them.

For me, my love for the sport continued to grow all the way through my senior year of college. I became border-line obsessed with the sport and was constantly looking for ways to learn and improve. I believe that was the biggest driver of my success throughout my career.

If you are thinking about wrestling in college and your love for the sport is growing, I don't think you can go wrong by choosing to do it. You will find some brothers you never knew you had and it will likely be one of the most positive transformational experiences of your life.

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