Why wrestling is hard

If you don't think wrestling is the most difficult scholastic sport, go talk to Kalvin Schultz. The junior from Trinity High School, who finished third in the state tournament last year, got knocked off by a familiar and dangerous opponent: hunger.

Schultz didn't make weight for the Section 6-AAA Tournament and never got the chance to compete. But competing is not his problem, holding his weight is. That's why wrestling is so hard. The battles take place on the mat and at the evening dinner table.

Schultz has battled weight problems all season and missed the match against Canon-McMillan because of his weight. He is not the only wrestler in the state to miss a match because of this problem, just the most noticeable because of how successful he was last season. Heck, Canon-McMillan's Mike Eberley had the same problem in the section tournament. Like it or not, Schultz became somewhat of a celebrity around this wrestling-crazed area because of how well he did last season.

Wrestlers and coaches understand. Fans may not. Holding your weight is not easy when your body is growing and temptations are so strong. They know that it's pretty easy to be beaten in wrestling, not only by your opponent but by your willpower.

That's why wrestling is so hard.