You are on the mat staring at your opponent. They are facing you dead in the eye, bloodthirsty for a takedown. Suddenly, the battle commences and your opponent rushes towards you. You turn and grab them by the waist, using all your strength, you crash them onto the floor using a tricky move you learned. Finally, after struggling, your opponent taps out in defeat. Adrenaline pulses through you as you raise your hands in happiness and your friends congratulate you. 

Wrestling is a fun and competitive sport, Although it has proven to be a time consuming commitment. Wrestling has overall positively impacted the students at Hoffman Estates High School. 

“Being a wrestler means training 24/7 … you learn a lot more responsibility and learn how to deal with problems better,” says Annie Rakotci, junior. It has affected me and continues to affect me because it makes me more disciplined but is also something that makes me the happiest in the world, not just the sport but also the community.”

Training almost six days a week is difficult, because although wrestling is a physical sport, it is also a mental sport. In order to be putting your all in, your mind must also be prepared to work hard and be challenged. 

“It’s definitely a hard, physical sport, but it’s also a mental game. You’re giving 100% all the time and it can get tiring. But if you want to get better at it, you have to put the hard work in,” said Olivia Paleyo, sophomore. 

Sometimes, with so much commitment, it’s difficult for students to have time to do other things. Wrestling is extremely difficult, due to all the different ways your opponent can attack or defend. Students must be able to commit and put their all in. 

“It’s a big commitment for me personally. It affects me because sometimes I end up prioritizing it over school work,” said Abby Ji, junior. “My goal is to go to college with it though.” 

Although it’s a big commitment, wrestling provides students with many opportunities and a family. Many have stated how they feel happiness and how they feel connected because of the community, “Wrestling has become my life and I love the sport, you have a forever family when you join wrestling … Wrestling may be a solo sport on the mat but off the mat it’s one of the most connected sports. That’s why I love the sport and I commit to it fully,” said Nikki Hubbard, sophomore. 

Students love wrestling; one on one with an opponent may make you feel like you’re on your own. But, in the background you can always count on your teammates to lift you up. With all the persistence everyone is putting in, the students in wrestling will have a great finish at the end of the season. 

“The team is looking solid this year, in my opinion we look very developed,” says Bruce Okada, junior.