Senior Marty Verhaeghe reflects on his wrestling career
Q: What do you do to keep in shape for wrestling season year round?
A: I’m just constantly pushing myself, not letting myself get out of shape… I’m always active, no matter what it is. Always doing something. Chris Perry said, ‘20 minutes a day doing something,’ it doesn’t have to be directly wrestling, it can be anything, it can be basketball even other sports. Just keep your mind active.
Q: What has been your biggest motivator in your wrestling career?
A: Just to be the best, the best I can possibly be, to give myself the best chance to be the best that I can be and knowing that I did everything that I could. That’s kind of my motivator, just knowing that ‘wow, I did everything I could.’
Q: What has been your biggest struggle?
A: In my seventh grade year, I would get pinned, and I didn’t like getting pinned, so I just told myself I wasn’t going to get pinned anymore. It was a mental hurdle I had to get over because I would get pinned quite a bit. I realized I couldn’t get pinned anymore. I had to set up my mind and say I wasn’t going to do that. And sure enough, it doesn’t happen anymore. I think I’ve only been pinned once in my high school career and I’ve had well over 150 matches. That was my biggest mental hurdle.
Q: Why do you continue to wrestle?
A: It’s a great sport. In the real world you have to manage three or four or five things, and it’s going to be really hard. [Wrestling] is just preparing me for the real world. It’s really stressful in the real world sometimes and in the wrestling season it can be stressful managing certain things. I think it’s just the fact that it’s preparing me for the real world.
Q: How do you train for wrestling in your personal fitness hour?
A: I like the exercise; it keeps me active. I took weights and I didn’t like it because it was a lazier attitude. I like this hour that I take on my own… It’s a lot of hard work — it’s as hard as you make it. I think exercise has a lot to do with your mind, too. Exercise helps me to perform all my daily tasks a lot better.
This is Donna Armstrong's third year on The Standard. She is currently the Online Editor. Besides being involved in newspaper, Donna is a member of National...
