With the end of the fall and the start of winter, Regis Jesuit athletes start to transfer sports. In the case of Benjamin Bacon and Aidan Sullivan, they put down their football helmets and don wrestling headgear. In the wrestling room, nothing is easy. All wrestlers compete with a ferocity rivaled by few sports. The air is filled with grunts and heavy breathing. It smells like the product of hard work, sweat, and wrestlers throwing each other into the mat for two hours straight. Even though the room seems like chaos, head coach Daniel Wrona keeps it all under control. After every break in the practice matches, he claps twice, which is thundered among the hands of the JV and varsity wrestlers alike. This clap is the beginning of their grueling work.
Bacon and Sullivan spent all summer and fall working out to get better at football, but how does that help with wrestling? Benjamin Bacon said, “In football, the hardest hitter is usually the one who wins, and when it comes to wrestling it is who wants to pick the other guy up and throw him into the mat!” Bacon’s strength, conditioning, and mental toughness from football have helped him as he competes for a varsity spot as a freshman. In practice, Bacon can be seen working hard, trying to work out a way to pin his older opponents. He stands in a crouch, with his hands out and ready to attack.
For Aidan Sullivan, football has helped wrestling similarly. He said, “Football has helped with physicality, speed, and toughness.” Aidan Sullivan has been described to be a good wrestler because of his big size and length. His long arms are key to his wrestling success, and his knowledge of how to use them can be attributed to his offensive and defensive lineman positions. He wraps himself around his opponent and tears him to the ground. He then positions himself on top of the other wrestler, pinning him for good.
These football-turned-wrestling athletes have transitioned well and are working hard to excel in their next wrestling meets.