On Feb 7, the Lakewood Rangers wrestling team went against Charles F. Brush High School and Saint Ignatius. As the boys walk into the gymnasium with singlets and their high-top wrestling shoes on, friends and family gather on the bleachers. The purple and gold mats cover the floor, with several chairs for the teams and coaches.
The room was filled with chatter from the audience,teams, and coaches. First, the girls’ wrestling teams for Brush and Lakewood competed against each other. Their impressive show of skill was soon followed by the boys’ talents, ready to be put on the mat.
At the meet, the boys’ Lakewood wrestling team was guided into success by head coach Kevin Claridy. Claridy shares his dedication to this sport and his passion for spurring the athletes onto remarkable growth.
“In total, I’ve been coaching for 14 years, I coached a club team in Springfield,” Claridy said. “I coached in Mentor and Akron High School, this will be my second year at Lakewood.”
Claridy also explains the importance of knowing that losing doesn’t always have to be bad. Setbacks can be a chance to grow as an athlete and be the best version of themselves.
“If they don’t go out and show effort, you know that’s a different conversation,” Claridy said. “Rather than if they went out and worked hard, but just came up short. Whenever we lose it’s all about learning, so as long as we take something away from it and we learn from it, and we don’t make the same mistakes, that’s usually my message. When we win, we just win with grace and move on.”
It can be essential to realize that the little things are just learning lessons and to keep moving past them. Goals and standards can also be set to strengthen an athlete’s performance.
Freshman Kostandin Laska talks about his mentality throughout his matches and his hopes for the future of this sport.
“I just always want to win and chase my dreams, so to accomplish that, I always have to make sure I’m giving it my all, that’s my motivation,” Laska said.
Laska shares his passion and determination to be successful in wrestling, which can reflect such great energy.
“My goal is to qualify for states my junior and senior year and I’m going to give it my all and see how far I can get,” Laska said.
Although the boys fell short of Saint Ignatius, they won against Brush High School. When each wrestler from every team stepped onto the mat, cheers from the sidelines of their teammates erupted. The coaches bent a knee to press strategic combinations, hoping to secure a win for the Lakewood Rangers.
Junior Diezel Edgar shares his approach to preparation for a meet.
“I like to walk around and get my body moving and listen to some music,” Edgar said. “I would say most of wrestling is mental, like 90% of it. If you’re not mentally ready it’s very hard.”
These words show part of what a fantastic sport wrestling can be and how exciting it is to see it in real time. The meet was exciting, lively, filled with fun competition, and a fantastic experience to watch. The team has so much to show and prove themselves. The dedication put into the sport is phenomenal. The passion that each and every player contains reflects brightly on the relationship they have with the sport.
Although this meet may not have had wins all around for Lakewood, it could still be considered a win for the time and effort every athlete put into it. The team was able to show off their growth and progress individually. The Lakewood Rangers wrestling team shows the commitment sports need to evolve and be fully successful.
