Have you ever wondered what it’s like to attend a wrestling tournament? Well I went to one and this was my experience.

On Friday, February 14. 2020, Pinole Valley hosted a huge wrestling tournament in the large gym here on campus. I was very interested in what the wrestling was about, so I got excused from my class and headed to the tournament. 

When I arrived at the large gym, I could hear the craziness from outside the doors. I did not expect the gym to be so noisy when I came in. I walked inside and the assistants directed me where to sit. All you see when you walk in is mat cushions on the floor and people standing surrounding the wrestling matches observing. I found a seat in the bleachers and was watching the matches happen. When they are wrestling, there are three different sections on the mats to wrestle. There are three different matches happening at the same time. They have someone calling the names of people who are next to wrestle and prepare for their match on the intercom of the gym. When they are getting ready to wrestle, they take off their sweat suits and wear their singlet. A singlet is a one piece, tight fitting uniform for the wrestlers. They are then called up to go against their opponent. 

After a while of observing the wrestling tournament, I heard someone say that they technically do not play as a “team”. I had a lot of questions so I found someone who I thought was a reliable source and would have the answers to my questions. I was told that their record is just for themselves, and even though they are a team, their score does not rely on each other. It is just based on themselves and how they perform in the matches. I thought this was really interesting because I had no idea how different the scoring was from most sports. I think it is unique for the wrestlers and makes them more independent. 

I had a lot of fun at the tournament and it is very entertaining to watch. I actually have friends that are on the team, and it was cool to see my friends down on the mat wrestling. I enjoyed the experience overall and I would recommend anyone to go watch sometime!