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This annual event is our first kick-off match that pits Sabino wrestlers against... other Sabino wrestlers! It's a lot of fun, gets our experienced wrestlers back into the groove, and gives the newer wrestlers a chance to wrestle in front of family and friends before heading out to more competitive events. It's also the first time some of our family and friends have SEEN wrestling, so it's a great learning experience for our audience, too. And check it out - we had a GREAT audience, with lots and lots of family and friends!
This evening started wtih a talk by our ref, who explained the rules and taught us a little bit about scoring. We then went right into standard warm-up exercises!
Our team was divided into two squads - "purple" vs "gold" (though both teams were wearing both colors. As in other meets, the wrestlers sat right along side the mat to cheer on their teammates. Coaches sit in the corners. In the following shots, you can also see our team managers (NOT in uniform) who are charged with keeping score for the team. This is in addition to the official score keepers who sit at a separate table.
When the match begins, both players are standing up. The goal is to take down the other wrestler, and hopefully get a "pin" - that's when you've got both your opponents shoulders on the mat for at least 2 seconds. Sounds easy, but it really isn't.
Wrestlers earn points for a variety of moves, like forcing the other person to the mat (a "take-down") or escaping from a hold.
Wrestlers lose points (actually, they earn points for their opponents) for a variety of things like illegal holds or stalling too long. The standard match consists of 3 rounds of 2 minutes each. The first round begins with both wrestlers standing (a "neutral" position). The 2nd and 3rd rounds begin with one wrestler in a kneeling or defensive position (down) and the other wrestler "in control" (one hand on the opponents stomach and the other on his elbow).
Wrestlers lose points (actually, they earn points for their opponents) for a variety of things like illegal holds or stalling too long. The standard match consists of 3 rounds of 2 minutes each. The first round begins with both wrestlers standing (a "neutral" position). The 2nd and 3rd rounds begin with one wrestler in a kneeling or defensive position (down) and the other wrestler "in control" (one hand on the opponents stomach and the other on his elbow).
Sometimes it's hard to tell just what's going on - they do get tangled up! But the referees are watching closely, and they'll use hand signals to indicate the points as they're awarded.
Wrestlers can earn points for coming close to getting a pin ("near-fall") and for getting out of a near-fall position ("escape").
Wrestling continues in these 2-minute increments, accruing individual points for each wrestler. If one wrestler pins the other, that wrestler is declared the winner and the match is over. If it goes the full three rounds, the wrestler with the most points is declared the winner.
In a standard varsity meet, there are 14 matches (one for each weight class). JV is a little bit different, because there can be multiple JV wrestlers in each weight class. After everyone has wrestled, points are awarded to the team for each individual win, and one team is declared the overall winner. (Go GOLD!) For home matches, we're not quite done, though - we have to roll up the mats and put things away.
Next up: A multi-meet where all 5 schools from our region compete! Want to see more pictures? Check out prior events:
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