Leading the Pack

I asked most of the NC State wrestlers who they felt showed the most leadership on the team. The names that came up the most were Brett Farina, Darrius Little, and Colton Palmer. The wrestlers say that Little and Palmer are vocal leaders and Farina shows leadership through his work ethics. I’ve been to a couple of matches and seen Little and Palmer wrestle and I must say they are pretty darn good. When one of their teammates are wrestling, I always see Little yelling really loud to encourage his teammate and telling them what they need to do next. Little and Palmer are both captains on the team and leadership is one of the skills they have to show on and off the mat.  

“I try to show leadership on and off the mat by leading by example,” said Palmer. “On the mat I try to wrestle hard and intense, constantly looking for opportunities to score points. Off the mat I try to set a good example through my lifestyle, not partying, a good diet, and staying on top of my class work.” Palmer is also in a fraternity, so he has to juggle fraternity meetings and events, wrestling, school, and making sure he eats healthy 24/7. I honestly do not how he does it. School and my internship stresses me out enough.

Since Little was the most talked about from his teammates about how much leadership he shows and how vocal he is, I asked him who did he think showed the most leadership on the team, and he said Brett Farina. “On my team I show leadership not by words or motivational speeches, but through my actions,” said Farina. “Actions speak louder than words and I believe that through hard work you can achieve anything. Whether in practice or competition I give 100 percent all the time, the coaches expect this from me and they can use me as an example to show other people that it is essential to go hard in our sport.” I think that Farina is a leader off the mat too. I use to hang around Farina a lot and he was about his school work, getting up very early in the mornings to go run, and staying out of trouble. Though Farina might not be a starter on the Wolfpack wrestling team, he shows that he loves this sport and wants to be a part of this team.

I see some of the guys after their practice and most of them complain about how hard it was or how their bodies hurt, but I never hear anything out of Farina. From the sounds of it, it seem as practice sucks really bad and it’s the hardest these boys ever practice in their life. With the help of some of Palmer, Farina, and Little I think that’s how the whole team makes it through practice each day. “I think my teammates do feed off of me,” said Little. “There’s been times when I've came to practice feeling sluggish and not as energetic as normal and the team seems to practice in that manner as well. When I wasn't practicing for a few weeks, my coaches and teammates told me it was worst because practice seemed dead and dry.”

Farina, Palmer, and Little love their team and wants their team to do well. By showing leadership on their team, it will push their teammates harder, all them will become more stronger, and more confident in their team and themselves.