Debunking stigma of cutting weight

Whenever asked what sports I play, I proudly respond with “wrestling.” Although wrestling is infamous for the amount of grit and willpower required to dominate your opponent, everyone responds by commenting on the dark spot that has marred the sport for years: cutting weight. 

Having been thrown into a varsity sport my freshman year, I felt the bitter challenges and pressures of managing my weight. I constantly worried about what I ate and how much I would have to cut. I stepped on the scale nearly every hour and, if I didn’t like the number that popped up, I threw on a sweatshirt and sweatpants and began running.

In the middle of a challenging weight drop, halfway through the season I decided to confront my coaches and ask for help. With their help, I quickly learned that I had been managing my weight very poorly, as there were easier ways to healthily drop weight. I continued to wrestle for the same weight class without struggling to make weight anymore.

Feeling stronger, more energetic and self-assured, I gradually began to improve my weight management hand in hand with my wrestling abilities throughout high school.

Today, with my improved and developed understanding of nutrition, I am able to focus more on wrestling and less on the pressures of making weight. 

Truthfully, some wrestlers cut an unmanageable amount of weight in unhealthy ways. Whether they believe it makes them compete better or that it is necessary to participate in the sport, they are severely misguided and will only suffer health repercussions in the long run. Fables of unsafe weight cuts and nightmares of food-deprived wrestlers only perpetuate a false stigma against the sport. Wrestling is a fantastic option for an athlete looking to compete in a winter sport. To those who are considering going out but have doubts about the weight aspect of the sport: do it. Although managing your weight still requires some self-discipline, I can assure you that making weight will never negatively affect your health as long as you communicate with your coaches.

By Max Carlin

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 4

January 31st, 2022