Proper rest, nutrition key for wrestlers’ success on, off the mat

Published 1:24 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2011

All high school sports are demanding.

Student-athletes at Monroe High School frequently complain about being tired from practice or a game the day before. They talk about how they had to stay up until 2 a.m. to get all their homework done or to study for a big test. Balancing school with athl

etics, family and other commitments — and still getting enough sleep and proper nutrition — can be challenging.

But it seems no sport takes more out of an athlete than wrestling.

While most student-athletes will argue their sport is the most difficult, several Monroe students involved in wrestling as well as at least one other sport said wrestling was indeed the more exhausting. Asked if football of wrestling left him more drained, sophomore Hunter James didn’t hesitate. Wrestling, he said.

In addition to the time-management issues, wrestlers face physically grueling workouts and the added challenge of having to maintain their weight.

Not having enough energy to make it through a long day of school can take a toll on an athlete’s academic performance.

“I think it does have effects on the athlete’s schoolwork,” Monroe High School athletic director Brett Wille said. “For some kids, it may affect them more than others.”

Finding a balance between sports, school, nutrition and sleep can be difficult.

“Wrestlers have trouble with testing and studying because of the pressure to make weight,” Monroe athletic trainer Jen Carrol said. “The difference in nutrition has effects on the brain, which is something they don’t always realize.”

Some athletes do notice the difference when they don’t eat properly.

“Not being able to eat and give your body the food it needs to energize itself is what makes you the most tired throughout the day,” said senior Cody Curnutt, who wrestled at 145 pounds for the Bearcats this past season.

Educating wrestlers on the effects nutrition has on their brains and their ability to focus in school is beneficial, Carrol said. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has a weight management program. Its purpose is to “protect the health of all student athletes.”

The program is designed to help wrestlers make wiser decisions about their health, diet and fitness habits, and to better understand how those decisions impact their bodies.

Overall, Wille said, the Monroe High School does a good job of giving all students, including athletes, ample time and opportunity to get help with their schoolwork. He also said Monroe’s wrestling coaches do an outstanding job of teaching athletes the importance of finding balance in all areas of their lives. The challenge is getting the students to act on that advice.

The wrestlers who do quickly realize that proper health, diet and fitness habits allow them to perform at their highest levels both on and off the mat.

Editor’s Note: Lorelei Ritzert is a senior at Monroe High School. She plans to play soccer and study journalism at Aurora University in Aurora, Ill.. Ritzert, who is particularly interested in sportswriting, decided to write this story because she often heard wrestlers talk about how tired they were and how they wanted to learn more about what causes their lack of energy.