Are you a career wrestler?

Wrestling with Dr. Michael Whitely [photo from www.news-herald.com]

I know I definitely am.  I didn't just wrestle in high school or just wrestle in college - I am a wrestler.  I continue to stay involved with the sport in any way that I can make time for.  Far too many people just hang up their shoes when their high school, college, or even international career is over, and even if they do some coaching, they never really wrestle again.

I really think this is the wrong idea.  Although wrestling is mostly a young man's (and woman's) game, I believe that in order for us to advance the sport and make it grow, wrestling needs to be an activity that you can do recreationally.  There needs to be a way for people to just go to the gym and wrestle, just like anyone can just go to the gym and shoot hoops.  Some may say that wrestling should only be a competitive sport reserved for the diehards, but if that is the case, how will you ever get people that are on the fringe interested in the sport?

And for anyone that thinks that you can't wrestle when you're middle aged or older, think again.  I know of a handful of wrestlers that are in their 70s+ that can still get on the mat and whoop your butt, and I personally know two fifty-year-olds that decided to make a lifestyle change and get back in shape by wrestling.  Both of them lost at least 40 pounds in the process and still roll around on the mat with college wrestlers.  But on the other hand, your body will change as you age, despite your best efforts.  Thus, it becomes even more important at that point to keep your body in good enough condition to handle wrestling, warm up properly to avoid injury, and maintain your flexibility.

In addition to continuing to wrestle after our competitive days are over, we should be doing things such as bringing back wrestling as part of the curriculum in P.E. classes and reinstating wrestling as an intramural and interfraternity sport at colleges.  We should be starting recreational groups such as the one my former college teammate practices with in New York City.  We should be teaching wrestling as a method of self-defense and exercise to people of all ages and genders.  And we should be opening up gyms that are dedicated to wrestling for both competitive and recreational athletes.

Now finally to the point I wanted to make.  Last week I signed up to compete in the new concept tournament, Tour ACW (Association of Career Wrestlers), on October 20th in Pittsburgh, PA.  This is a first of its kind event for post-collegiate wrestlers that even offers a cash prize to the winner of each weight class: http://www.touracw.com/.  Without going into too much detail, the rules are a combination of freestyle and folkstyle, and I personally think it takes the best of both worlds.  What's most unique about this tournament is that there are no periods, no time limits, no nothing.  The match ends with either a pin or the first person to ten points!  The first to ten rule will make it exciting for both fans and athletes, as it will promote action and risk-taking.  I'm most excited about the unlimited time, as it favors my endurance.  I always did well during long "grind" matches during college or "red flag" practices at camps.  So pumped!

Be a career wrestler,
Jeff

P.S. One of the fifty-year-olds I wrestle with sometime sends out mass texts to myself and others saying: "Anyone interested in rolling around at Cleveland State today?"  In my opinion, this is totally awesome; it is exactly what I envision with people just being able to go the the gym and wrestle!