The people that aren’t Loy Norrix athletes would know very little of what the team members go through every day during practice. They don’t know the struggles or the smiles a team has or the wins and losses the team has taken in and out of uniform.
When people think of Loy Norrix sports teams, they think of the losses they have endured instead of the wins. When it comes to teams at Norrix, what do students learn from being on a team?
Wrestling coach, Alex Hill said, “[You] don’t have to be physically tough but mentally tough and have to work hard.”
The 2017-2018 wrestling team is young and developing. The team has a meet every Wednesday and competes in a tournament every Saturday. They devote their lives to wrestling for at least three months of the school year. The wrestlers have practice every day for two hours, they get cardio in, practice wrestling moves and, some days, the wrestlers do major conditioning.
Through all the challenges the wrestling team faces they are still losing by score, but mentally the wrestling team is winning. This team is learning the challenges of life and how to deal with them.They have to discipline themselves to not overeat and maintain the diet throughout the season. The wrestlers have to commit to the long season and using most of their time for wrestling. This will help them in the future when they are struggling.
Loy Norrix athletes are hardworking, just because there are losses on the scoreboard it doesn’t mean there is loss for a player.
For the wrestling team they must maintain the weight they are told to be at by a test they take. The wrestlers are most likely to be at the lowest weight possible for them. They take a test, called the alpha test that is based off of their weight and the fat from their abdomen, tricep and, shoulder. Sometimes it is really hard for a wrestler because the weight is way under what they are used to.
When a person gets physically active, they use energy and then need to eat more.It takes discipline to not eat everything that walks in front of them. If the wrestler does end up being overweight, they must stay after practice for a while to lose the pounds they have gained. The wrestlers must stay conditioned throughout the season which does mean the wrestlers not only run in practice but run at home.
“The discipline [is challenging], making sure you’re at practice everyday and your diet is on point. The biggest part of the commitment is it takes six days of the week for three months,” said junior wrestler Roy Britney.
The challenge is not caving in on the diet or quitting because of all the work and commitment. That team is learning self-control by managing their diet and their schedule for school, sleep and social life. The stress of student athletes go through is something words can’t explain. Players stay through all the challenges a team has. That is real brain power, that is the win that no one sees.
“I just take it [losing] as being able to learn from my mistakes,” said sophomore wrestler Bryce Cooper.
“Youth sports should help kids learn that all they can do is focus on their effort, and not the outcome,” according to TEAM USA.
As much as people hate losing, this helps with your mentality of things. Next time Cooper goes on the mat, he will know what he did wrong the last time and what he needs to do right in the future.
Just because he lost does not mean he is bad, he is still learning. Cooper knows that at any moment the score can change and so can the position of the match. Cooper believes that any person can lose at anytime. Loy Norrix just happens to be a part of that.
When asked what he has learned from joining wrestling? Cooper had a hard time answering. No one thinks of the wins they get off of the scoreboard.
After a few minutes of thinking, Cooper replied with, “I learned how to deal with losing and how to stay healthy all through my life.”
Losing can be hard for some people, as they say ‘winning is contagious.’ Britney and Cooper both believe that losing helps people learn from their mistakes.
Loy Norrix Cheerleading
The Loy Norrix sideline cheerleading team has the challenge of trying to get to every sport and cheer them on. The cheerleaders even have to draft their own moves and words for their cheers. They practice every day for about two hours and have competitions on Saturdays that last about 4 hours.
The cheerleaders need to be on point during cheers and memorize all the words to a cheer. The sideline cheer team season ends after football season but then competitive cheer starts right after.
Sideline cheer is cheering at games for the teams and competitive is performing for judges and getting scored on it. For competitive cheer, the cheerleaders have to dress the same and have the same make-up. The cheerleaders have to have white shoes, the same outfit, maroon lipstick and their hair parted on the left side in a low ponytail.
People can take wins differently. When Imani and her team perform, they get scores that reflect on how they did. Winning is great but what is important about losing?
“Having fun [is important]. It’s so much pressure put on you to do good when on the mat but you have to remember to enjoy and be happy,” said a cheerleading team leader, junior Jordan Taylor.
When a team takes a loss other people judge and comment like ‘they aren’t that good’ are used, not even realizing how hard a team could actually work. When performing in front of other people, it can be so much pressure and a lot to deal with for some students.
Overall student athletes are strong and Loy Norrix needs to appreciate all the athletes and all the work students put into being on a team a team.
“I be happy but humble,” said junior sideline and competitive cheerleader Imani Berry.
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Loy Norrix Wrestlers and Cheerleaders Focus on the Wins No One Sees
March 28, 2018
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