The Kempsville Varsity Wrestling team has a record so far of 5 wins and 10 losses. Coach Sean Early shed light on a major reason for their current record, and about the team itself. “We don’t have all of the weight classes filled, so we’re forfeiting three or four matches each time” he commented. Weight classes are the categorized range of weights a wrestler can be in. A match can only be between wrestlers in the same class. However, despite the fact that the season has not been going as planned, it hasn’t been all bad.

Early says that they have come a long way since the beginning of the season. He also noted that it can be a bit difficult to gauge since the players face a different opponent each time. Nonetheless, he believes that all of the effort they’ve put in has paid off. He has even noticed it in the younger and more inexperienced members of the team.

The practices for the athletes are the perfect balance between fun and work. “Well, we do all kinds of crazy stuff” Early said with a chuckle. There is a lot of variety in what they do. Technique, conditioning,  live wrestling practice, flipping tires, hitting them with sledgehammers, and climbing ropes are just a few examples of this. They typically do abbreviated practices before a match in order to warm up.

Early’s reason for coaching is a personal love of the sport itself; he once wrestled for Kempsville High and wrestled in college for George Mason University.

There are valuable things the players learn from being on a wrestling team: hard work and discipline. The players become much more aware of their weight and calorie intake, which can be good for living a healthy lifestyle. “These skills can also translate into other aspects of life later on,” said Early.

There is also quite a bit of talent on the team. Early feels confident that there are a few on the team who will place very high in the State Competition.

Sophomore Ari Trussell explains his reasons for being on the team. Trussell began wrestling at the start of the 2014-2015 season. His reason for wrestling is the same as his favorite part about being on the team: it is fun. He says that there is nothing he dislikes about wrestling. Trussell feels he has improved since the start of the season and says that he has practice to thank for it. His final comment on wrestling is that the sport is “hard work, but worth it.” The team has the will, but they must find the way. Their main focus will be winning the matches and filling the classes.