As certain sports start to expand and be created, there is one particular sport that has been increasing slowly but surely for over 1,000 years. For those that don’t know, wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling is one of the oldest forms of combat, with origins tracing back to prehistoric times. It is believed to have originated in ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece. Evidence of wrestling can be found in cave drawings dating back to around 3000 BCE in France, and ancient Egyptian tombs depict wrestling scenes from approximately 2400 BCE. In ancient Greece, wrestling was a prominent sport and a key event in the Olympic games, starting in 708 BCE. The sport has evolved over millennia, influencing various styles and traditions worldwide, including Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, which are popular today. This slowly brings up the common question: why should wrestling upgrade their space? 

     First and most importantly, wrestling is a very popular and growing sport. Coach Lange explains how he’s seen more wrestlers go out these past few seasons than ever before. Lange says they went from having around ten girl wrestlers by the end of last season to almost 20 this season. That’s almost ten more girls than the season before, meaning more space is required. Lange said, “There’s a lot of girls going out.” Each wrestling circle contains a space for two players to practice, and there are four of these circles on each mat. In future years, this may not be enough space to hold future wrestlers. This problem may cause players to have to sit out during team practices due to the amount of space in the wrestling room, which may inhibit their individual player improvement.

     The next reason why the wrestling room should be enlarged is for player improvement. Yes, players should take pride in their space, but with such a small and crowded wrestling room, it can be very hard for coaches to organize practices while making sure players have the space they need to perform the drills and thousands of reps to get better. Coach Lange explains how a larger space will not only help players but will provide lots of grace to coaches as well. “It’s good to have a bigger space,” Lange said. A larger space would help the coaching staff organize practice well, giving their players all the resources and space they need to become better athletes. The more room these wrestlers have, the more practice and reps they may acquire. A study done by GuitarTricks said, “Some researchers believe it takes between 1,000 and 30,000 repetitions of an activity for it to become second nature to you.” This proves that to build muscle memory, it takes lots of repetition and practice. Therefore, enlarging the space can lead to more efficient practices, helping players reach their full potential. More space can lead to more practice and more freedom. This freedom may also be helpful if any wrestlers want to take extra reps after practice or need to cut weight for an upcoming meet.

     Ultimately, the wrestling room needs to be enlarged for the sake of students’ lives and time. Lange explains how each week the girls and boys switch practice times. “One week, a group gets to practice from 3-5:30/6, and the other group has to practice from 6-8/8:30,” said Lange. Students already have their hands full with endless amounts of homework. They should not have to be at the school until almost 9 p.m. Most students also have to balance hobbies and work along with sports and activities they’re involved in. Kenadee Batey, senior, said, “The girls switch practices every other week. So on the day’s practice runs late, I sleep because there’s no time, motivation, or the want to do anything.” Although the idea of having late practice may seem fine, it corrupts students’ lives. Not only would students have to balance homework, hobbies, and their social life, but they would commonly have to balance out a part-time job to provide for themselves and rarely their only family. Some teachers or staff may say “Just quit your job, school is more important,” but it’s more complex than that. Some students have to work because they are seniors and need money for college. Not every parent pays for it. Some students’ guardians also can be single, so there’s only one income or one might be disabled, and can’t work. While it may seem upsetting, it’s the truth. 

     The high school has gotten a lot of upgrades recently, but as the wrestling program continues to grow in popularity, it might be worth it to think about making another one.