No more wrestling?

Numerous of guys on the NC State wrestling team have stop wrestling for certain reasons. Maybe because it was too hard, maybe they wanted to focus on school more, maybe it’s not their thing anymore, or maybe they are moving onto bigger and better things. This wrestling season, I knew of three guys that have stop wrestling. I tried to get their opinion about why they decided to stop wrestling, but they wouldn’t respond back to me. The only person that was willing to talk about his situation was Raymond Edward Ward. This would have been Ward’s 5th and last year of wrestling, but he decided to stop wrestling and “move on.”

“I decided to not finish out the rest of my wrestling season because I am a 5^th year senior and wrestling really had no benefit to me for my future plans, said Ward.”  “I have been broke as a joke for the past four years because my ex-girlfriend back in freshman year took all my money so I needed to start working and make that paper again.” Ward was by far the best NC State wrestler I have interviewed. He gave me some good laughes and was very opened to why he wanted to move on from wrestling. I guess some of the wrestlers were not so opened about sharing to why they weren’t wrestling anymore.

I understand that wrestling is a very hard sport. These boys are wrestling the college league now. A college sport can take up a lot of time. You have to practice once or twice a day, go to school, do homework/studying, and make it to every competition. Where does the social life fit in here? If these boys stop wrestling to focus on something else, I can completely understand that. Especially if you are a junior or senior, you are about to graduate and you’re going to need a JOB!

“I think not finishing out my last wrestling season was definately a good thing, said Ward.”  “People say I quit, but I definately did not quit. I moved on. I had to get some experience working full time in a business type position because I was not able to do an internship with wrestling being a full time job basically.” When the NC state wrestling team go to look for jobs after college, a company is going to like to see that they have manage to go to school and wrestle both at the same time, but if they just stop wrestling a company is going to think they cannot manage too many things at the same time.

Almost all of those boys have been wrestling since they were little and I know it is probably sad for them when they have to stop wrestling for some reasons. “I definatley miss wrestling, said Ward.”  “I have done it since I was in the fifth grade.  I still apartment wrestle all the time....still whooping that ass.  But like I mentioned there is a time in your life when you know you have to move on to benefit yourself.  As of now I do not regret my decision.  I might when I am older but then I'll be a millionaire...so I won't care.”