NC’s wrestling team dedicates themselves to maintaining their title of reigning regional champions, achieving this accomplishment two years in a row. They begin their season with daily practice, which will teach the athletes to drill their skills, push their bodies and regulate their strength. Their training remains one of the several reasons they continue stepping onto podiums, leading to regional and possibly national tournaments in the near future.
In the past, the NC wrestling team won numerous tournaments. Wrestlers endure intense training similar to any sport, which ensures the stimulation of an actual match. Repetition prepares the athletes for present matches in regard to key moves, counters and takedowns. The practices not only focus on skill but also emphasize conditioning. Wrestlers acquire the strength and techniques required for the sport, which will help them accomplish rigorous workouts. This combination of skill and physical strength becomes essential to power through the long seasons of competition.
“Every day is a new challenge and to get to the championships we take each day at a time and work on skills we need to improve on each day. We have gotten a lot of new culture, kids are working harder buying in and that’s all that matters. Our team is ready, we’re tough and we do not care who we’re wrestling against, they have to wrestle us — that’s our mentality. To make it to the championships this year we have to work on our weaknesses we saw in the tournament and our plan is to repeat the Cobb County Invitational win,” Head Girls Coach Jacob Longacre said
The coaches’ drive and determination lead the team with their experiences. The coaches that train these incoming athletes push through the practices and tournaments with energy and attentiveness to the students, which bonds the team into a family. NC’s victorious streak of success reflects the coaches’ and athletes’ determination and dedication to the sport. During their wrestling practices, Longacre and the former Advanced Placement (AP) World History teacher Jeffrey Bettis work together to provide advice to the athletes in guiding them to their top performance. The collaborative technique they used in their approach affects the way they develop their matches. The continuous support enhances the sense of family within the squad as the athletes remain motivated to succeed on and off the mat.
NC wrestlers practice with the intent to learn because they understand that real progress happens during this time. Each practice session serves as an opportunity to improve one’s technique and strength. The athletes present undying teamwork and mutual support in training, and this creates a strong bond that motivates them to do their best. For them, effort during practice leads them to success in tournaments and this ultimately helps them continue their path toward championships.
“This is the most focused and hard-working group ever seen at NC when it comes to wrestling. We’ve definitely increased our pace in preparation for this year’s championships, along with focusing on little details in our wrestling. I’ve been wrestling for around nine years now, and since it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, over the years it’s made me very mentally tough. We work very hard and prepare for a tough but successful season. So with the new classifications, we probably have a tougher region this year. We dominated last year. We plan on going into the region with the same mindset of dominating the competition. The goal is to make it to State and make big splashes in our classification,” magnet sophomore Ronan An (215) said.
In the long run, the success of the NC wrestling team lies in the connection between the coaches’ and athletes’ commitment to the sport. With consecutive championship wins under their belt, the team’s dedication improves with their training. As they continue to work towards other accomplishments, it remains clear that the foundation built during their practices drives them closer to their goal — winning regional championships yet again.
