Do I need to be in-shape, know wrestling or have experience?
No. We will get you in shape, we will teach you to wrestle, we will give you experience. You just need a can do attitude and good work ethic and a desire to learn and succeed.
Is Wrestling only for boys and certain body types?
No. Anyone can wrestle. Girls wrestling is a CIF sport with its own tournaments, CIF and State Championships. All body types are welcome including short, and tall, skinny and large. There are fourteen weight classes and moves that cater to all body types.
Do I have to wear the singlet? What is the dress code?
Singlets are only worn during competition. As of a few years ago, wrestlers can also opt-out of a singlet and wear combat shorts and a rashguard. But if you are brave enough to fight, you are brave enough for a singlet.
You will need a pair of wrestling shoes. They are available online or in a local sporting goods store. A good pair doe not have to be expensive but it should offer a way to secure laces and be light and durable.
Headgear is not necessary during practice but some prefer to wear it as well as knee pads and mouth guard which is required for those with braces.
Do I have to cut weight or stop eating?
Wrestling is limited to ten weight classes. There are spots for JV and Varsity. You can go up and down a certain amount of weight after start of the season. As wrestlers improve and become more competitive, they learn to control their weight and may go up and down a weight-class depending on the competition in the room and on the mat.
Wrestling requires peak performance and endurance of strength and aerobics. Because High School students are still groing and will generally go up many weight classes during their high school carreer, we encourage wrestlers to be unhealthy as far as eating and hydration to be at peak physical shape for competition.
Is wrestling safe?
Wrestling is a 3000 year old sport, the only one to be mentioned in the bible and one of the original sports in the original Olympic games. As such it is developed to be safe, especially under the supervision of trained staff and referees. According to studies, it is also one of the safest high school sports, with fewer concussions registered than soccer, cheer, lacrosse and of course, football, ranked fifteenth sport by injury. Every weekend during the season, thousands of kids will wrestle in hundreds of tournaments with very rare instances of serious injuries. It is the prerogative of the coaching staff at Patrick Henry to put the student’s welfare first above winning.
Who do I wrestle?
Wrestling is divided by skill and category. This means you will not have to face anyone who is heavier than you unless you chose to go up a weight class. You also will not face someone with more experience unless you chose to wrestle varsity. Sometimes a first or second-year wrestler is asked to wrestle in a varsity match. This is done with discretion in cases of absolute necessity and only if it is a match that will be competitive and offer growth and learning.
During practice, you will usually wrestle people close to your weight and skill level.
Are there college scholarships for wrestling?
Yes. Wrestling is not as popular of a sport as basketball or football, but many prestigious colleges offer scholarships to wrestlers. Having good grades and being good at wrestling can make one stand out in a pool of applicants with many San Diego wrestlers going on to schools like Northwestern University, Columbia and Princeton. There are also smaller programs in the area where one can apply and wrestle at a collegiate level such as CSU San Marcos, Palomar College and Cal Baptist University.
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