For ages, pre-game rituals have been present within the sports world, ranging from Lebron’s chalk throw to Tiger Woods wearing red on Sundays. These routines are well known and are special to these athletes. This poses the question: What about our athletes?
Argo Wrestling started on November 10, bringing new pre-meet routines into the spotlight.
For example, Skylar-Arellano-Phillips—a sophomore who has been wrestling for 5 years and is on varsity—had a routine that centered around mat work.
“…I like listening to music [in the metal genre], and I like watching other people wrestle. It just helps me focus,” said Phillips.
Like Skylar, Daniel Vazquez—a junior on varsity who started his wrestling as a freshman—focused on viewing others’ techniques on the mat.
“I’m just seeing what other people are doing…It just helps me focus on what I’m going to do,” said Vazquez.
Phillips and Vazquez said they go head-to-head before meets as well. Not only did this help them with their skills on the mat, but it also created a bond between the two wrestlers.
Dilan Bustillos—a varsity wrestler who is also involved in the wrestling club “Beat The Streets”—strived to fortify his mentality.
“…I like to use positive self-talk, listen to [calm] music, motivate myself, get ready for my match and getting ready to dominate my match,” said Bustillos.
Elena Raymond—varsity wrestler with 4 years of experience, who also trains with the wrestling club “Beat The Streets” and is the second girl in Argo history to qualify for the State Series—targeted her technical skills right before her match.
“I just like to lock in with a partner that I can trust to test me in moves that I already know… off the mat, I just listen to [rap] music, and I try not to talk to people that would distract me,” said Raymond. “…I remind myself that I’m strong and that I’ve achieved a lot of goals in this sport.”
These players’ routines were all unique to them. From mental precision to intense mat-work, these practices helped players on and off the mat and were small habits that created major impacts. As the season progressed, each player continued to grow and learn.
