Stance, agility, reaction time, endurance, and mindset. The five most important concepts of wrestling. As the wrestling season has begun at Madison High School the athletes on this year’s team learn how to incorporate each of these skills into every match and practice. Head Coach Mike Goodwin helps by setting up many drills for each practice to prepare the team for the upcoming season. So far the Madison Wrestling team has beat Whippany Park 36-33 during a home meet on December 15 and Mendham 43-33 on December 21.
As many people join this year’s wrestling team, new and experienced, the amount of athletes willing to put in the work increases. “We are on the young and inexperienced side but some of our better wrestlers tend to be the younger guys right now,” Coach Goodwin said. A couple of past Recreational athletes, who have wrestled before, are joining the school team this year. Since they are more experienced than the new freshman, Coach Goodwin thinks they will likely be valuable assets to the team in the months to come.
For the first time in Madison’s history multiple girls, senior Avery Hines and freshman Mariana Zegel have self-recruited themselves onto the wrestling team. Zegel says she has always liked the sport but really got into it this year as she transitions into high school. Although they compete in different categories at meets, both girls still practice with the guys at practice. Zegel said, “it’s kind of hard wrestling with a bunch of guys, but it’s definitely helping me get better”. Zegel describes that because the boys on the team are faster and stronger she is learning the sport at a much more advanced level.