Does anyone else feel bad...

[WrestlingRash]

for the kids who are pictured on the right hand side of this forum, who have just signed up to be miserable and malnourished for the next 4-5 years of their lives? I was young and dumb and thought I would win NCAAs and got smacked down by reality, just as most of these guys will. Poor guys. Don't tell em. 

[Hammerlock3]

[nhs67]

I don't know... I came up in a time where weight cutting was extremely bad, unhealthy, and rampant.  I was one of the few cutting a lot of weight and even to this day as a man closer to 60 than 50 my weight isn't much more than my walk around weight was then.

Good genetics, better food, and a lot of rum.

These guys on the right?  Hopefully they have had their expectations tempered and don't cause themselves too much bodily harm on the way.  Student comes before athlete.  For ~99% of these guys mind, body, and soul health leads to success more so than pain and suffering does.

[npope]

The self-denial associated with weight loss is a complicated personality trait and (thankfully) many people simply are not emotionally ready to buy-into it. I was one of the extreme weight cutters n HS and college; it wore me out by the time I was done with the sport. But I do remember guys on my teams who couldn't (or wouldn't) engage in significant weight loss and at the time, I felt as though they simply didn't have the "commitment" to the sport or the team that I had; I thought less of them as a competitor/teammate. 

With the benefit of time and perspective I can now better see the error of my thinking. The absolute worst thing about our sport is (excessive) weight loss.

[Wildcat92]

I had opportunities to continue my career after HS at some D3 schools, but by the time HS ended I was done.  The weight cutting was certainly a factor.  I knew a few guys that went to wrestle for those same D3 schools that weren't as successful in HS as I was and they had some moderate success, so looking back I could have been somewhat successful at that level, but my heart was no longer in it and I moved on.

[KCMO2]

13 hours ago, WrestlingRash said:

for the kids who are pictured on the right hand side of this forum, who have just signed up to be miserable and malnourished for the next 4-5 years of their lives? I was young and dumb and thought I would win NCAAs and got smacked down by reality, just as most of these guys will. Poor guys. Don't tell em. 

Just because you had a miserable time doesn't mean everybody else will.  Weight cutting wasn't fun, but otherwise I enjoyed my college experience, and I wasn't that great.  If everyone thought like you then college wrestling would be history.

[Idaho]

15 hours ago, WrestlingRash said:

for the kids who are pictured on the right hand side of this forum, who have just signed up to be miserable and malnourished for the next 4-5 years of their lives? I was young and dumb and thought I would win NCAAs and got smacked down by reality, just as most of these guys will. Poor guys. Don't tell em. 

Well one of the guys is 285 and Slack is an undersized 197, so I am not sure it applies to all

3 hours ago, nhs67 said:

don't know... I came up in a time where weight cutting was extremely bad, unhealthy, and rampant.  I was one of the few cutting a lot of weight

Amen.... Preach it brother!

[WrestlingRash]

2 hours ago, KCMO2 said:

Just because you had a miserable time doesn't mean everybody else will.  Weight cutting wasn't fun, but otherwise I enjoyed my college experience, and I wasn't that great.  If everyone thought like you then college wrestling would be history.

Most of my team was burnt out badly. Yes, I see glory in the struggle. The good times are plenty. But, let's not act like its not a living hell. 

[rhino184]

16 hours ago, WrestlingRash said:

for the kids who are pictured on the right hand side of this forum, who have just signed up to be miserable and malnourished for the next 4-5 years of their lives? I was young and dumb and thought I would win NCAAs and got smacked down by reality, just as most of these guys will. Poor guys. Don't tell em. 

There are certainly down moments in the grind of division one, and I can certainly speak to that considering I wasn't any good. On the other hand, many of the positive aspects of my life stem from the decision I made to attend the university I did and in getting to be teammates going through the ups and downs of college wrestling. I certainly regret aspects of the way I competed and my lack of success on the mat, but I personally don't regret making that commitment and where it has helped me get to in life 

[Hilton Head Joe]

Totally depends on your past with the sport. Alot but not all fathers who have pushed their kids since the age of 5 and pushed nothing but wrestling, wrestling, wrestling has mixed results from what I have seen. Usually, those kids are the best but I have seen top college prospects all the sudden up and quit the sport their senior years and/or shortly thereafter and move on with life and never look back. Almost all of those type guys do not regret it. Burnt out! And some guys who started in high school and were only moderately pushed and fell in love with the sport apply and who apply to 30 schools and only get one offer. I know a couple of guys like that that are thriving and love every second of it including the weight cutting. They are just thankful to be on a college team!   

[CHROMEBIRD]

Maybe they enjoy the sport and want to challenge themselves? Maybe wrestling is a doorway to a college degree? Maybe they feel like they're not done yet?