Middle school students typically play sports like football, baseball, and soccer. But what if they wanted to try something new and different?
Wrestling is becoming a popular sport among kids looking for a new challenge.

“Ursus” asked Bedford Middle School’s 6th grade student and football player Matteo Lombardo why he joined wrestling, and he will tell you that he had heard that wrestling was good practice for football and wanted to try out the sport.

Many things motivate kids to try wrestling.

One thing that motivated a lot of kids to try wrestling was their friends. Friends motivate us to do a lot. What does it feel like to wrestle your own friends? Although this is a very tough and physical sport, it is also a fun sport. There is a lot bond building in the sport too. There are many tough workouts, warm ups, some wins, and some pins, but in the end at least you get to share the learning experience with your friends.

Many things are new about wrestling as of these past few years. This includes new Westport youth coaches and a new coaching staff for varsity and junior varsity wrestling at Staples High School.

Coaches are a big part of any sport. First of all, they teach us everything we need to know about the sport, such as the rules and how to train and prepare for matches.
Second of all, they mentor us. Teaching and mentoring seem like the same thing, but actually teaching a sport helps the athlete develop new skills and strategies.

Mentoring involves someone who guides you through something new and is there to provide advice when needed. Coaches are a big part of the process of learning and enjoying a new sport, as well as developing life skills. Without these coaches, the athletes would not learn so much about the sports and not gain as many life skills.

If you are interested in tough physical training, building close bonds with teammates, and meeting some great coaches, wrestling may be the sport for you.