The SHS and Brown Deer co-op wrestling team are swinging into their second month of training as their players prepare for the remainder of the season.

“This year [a focus] was to make it back to a team state championship,” said Coach Julian Gladney, head coach. “We’ve got about three more weeks before we can get to that point, but that’s one of our major goals this year.”

The wrestlers have been working towards this goal through tournaments and practices. However, the team has been fighting some difficulties and setbacks.

“This year has been kind of a challenging year,” Gladney said. “We lost a lot of seniors last year, but so far, our performance has been pretty good. It hasn’t completely lived up to all our expectations, but we’ve [been] battling a couple [of] injuries.”

Despite this, the team has grown closer throughout the season, developing into a tight knit group.

“[The team is made up of] mostly kids who come in as freshmen [and then] they wrestle all the way through their senior year,” Gladney said. “When you wrestle for a long time with each other… [the team] kind of develops into a family, because you really get to know each other through some of the tournaments that we go to, because we have to travel long distances, sleep overnight in hotels and things like that.”

The diversity of the team allows for a more immersive group, as the group isn’t just made up of any one kind of person.

“You get the feeling of family […] It’s multicultural, first of all,” Gladney said. “Second of all, it’s [gender] diverse, because we have a boy team and a girls team. [Also out of] the coaches that we have, we all come from different backgrounds. So it’s a pretty diverse group of people, and that makes up a family.”

Gladney has been involved with the Shorewood program for eight years, but has been coaching the sport for more than 30 years. Throughout that time, Gladney has had the opportunity to see how different groups of kids interact and work together within the sport. 

“Every team is unique in a way, you know, this team that I have [now], compared to some of the other teams, it’s in the top two or three,” Gladney said. “[This is] simply because of some of the successes that we’ve had throughout the years, and we’re coming to a point where it’s culminating all the efforts of the past four years.”

The training and conditioning for wrestlers can be extremely intense, in addition to the obstacle some wrestlers faced; having to heal from preexisting injuries.

“Wrestling is always a challenge,” Gladney said. “I don’t think there’s any team out there that says that they haven’t overcome some kind of obstacle or have a challenge, because wrestling is a very physical sport.”

In addition to the physical strains, the sport impacts each player’s body beyond the ring. It’s important for each wrestler to prioritize their mental and physical health throughout the season. 

“The average spectator probably wouldn’t know how harsh conditioning [and] training is,” said Lola Vogel-Del Valle, student team manager. “[For example] a team member lost like 13 pounds in three days, and that’s just not healthy. He ate ice cubes and blueberries, and so I think you look at it and you’re just like, ‘It’s just two guys fighting on a mat’, but it goes deeper than that.”

Often, the level of commitment wrestlers must put into the sport is overlooked. 

“It’s a pretty difficult sport,” said Lucas Rogerio-Bonato, varsity wrestler. “It looks kind of easy from the outside; I thought it was easy until I started. It’s pretty intense. [But] more people should do it regardless.”

However, the sport goes beyond competition and training; it can create a sense of community and belonging for many. 

“I got involved in a wrestling team when I was in the army, and once I got out of the army, it gave me an opportunity to go to school,” Gladney said. “It put me through college [and then] I went into the fire service. I was a firefighter for 28 years, and being a firefighter gave me the opportunity to get back into wrestling and coaching. I saw all the qualities that I learned in high school from being a wrestler, helped me get through the military, it helped me get through college, and it helped me become a firefighter […] [wrestling is] a great sport that teaches you a lot throughout your life.”