From the start of the school year, wrestling has been one of the most talked about sports at DVHS. The supportive team atmosphere and no-cut policy made wrestling an appealing sport for new athletes to pick up on.
“I joined wrestling because during the PE unit, it seemed like a lot of fun, and then I went to the open mat and I thought this is something I’m good at,” freshman Dorian Minoza said.
Throughout the season, the team has accomplished a number of wins which can be attributed to their immense amounts of hard work. The team meets daily to go over drills and practice. The surplus of younger team members also contributes to the hard working atmosphere the team had this year.
“It’s a young team of freshmen and sophomores full of a lot of spirit,” Coach Weise noted.
On top of this youth movement, the Dougherty’s wrestling team saw an increase in interest from girls and the expansion of their girls wrestling program.
“This year we have a full line up of girls and we have some practices with just girls. I’m very proud of that,” Coach Weise said.
This all girls team environment provides a support system and gives them an opportunity to develop strong bonds.
“It’s nice because like we all have something to relate to especially because we’re girls and when girls and guys wrestle it’s like two different worlds,” sophomore Vanshika Burman said.
The team members attribute this team culture to the supportive nature of the team. The team is constantly pushing one another to do better, and when someone doesn’t do well it becomes a low point for them all.
The program has also gained momentum because of its no cut policy and assistance in training for other sports. Wrestling’s training consists of warm ups, which can either be drills or cardio, and drill based training. The intensity of training prepared the team well for their tournaments in which many of the team members do significantly well at. As the season progressed, the older members of the team coached the newcomers in order to build up the team’s overall strength. The more experienced team members trained with the newcomers, building a mentor relationship. The team developed strong bonds of trust and helped one another reach their personal goals.
“It’s nice seeing the program transform from a regular team to a family,” senior Dylan Macalino said.
The program’s training contributed to the wins of many athletes on the team who feel as if they’ve gained confidence and hope to train harder. Every member of the team is constantly working to be the best they can be and move into the weight class that they want to be in.
“A high of the season is seeing out guys making other people give up, knowing how hard they work in the room,” states team captain and junior Kenshin Lin.
Throughout the season, the team was working to be their best and push themselves to become the team they wish to be.
