Searcy (LP) It’s finally over. The intense months of wrestling season are finally over. After a successful, yet very busy season Coach Evans and his wrestlers have some time to breathe. They also have time to eat. Most of the wrestlers eat very little during season because they have to focus on keeping under their weight limit. Don’t worry though, they maintain  health standards and body fat regulations. Most wrestlers walk around at nearly twenty pounds over their weight class during the off-season. Caleb Freeman, one of Searcy’s best wrestlers and the current state runner-up for the 138 pound weight class, is walking around at 154 pounds right now. Freeman says, “Now that season is over, I’m just trying to get fat.”

This is a common sense of humor among wrestlers because they know that getting fat is impossible, given the demanding training regiment that Coach Evans keeps them on. Evans backs off of the cardio and fat burning training during the off-season and has his wrestlers focus more on mass building and strength training. This is because during season, weight training combined with the intense wrestling schedule would break the athletes down. The off-season is also used as time for the athletes to heal and regain strength. Jordan Slaughter, who has one more meet in his highschool wrestling career, loves the sport but is ready for the rest. His season is longer than the other wrestlers’ because he is going to the Meet of Champs. One thing all the wrestlers share is the hard work and long hours they put into the sport and the love they have for wrestling. They are all glad to have a break but they are also eager and ready to reach higher goals next season. The team mentality can be summed up by a quote from Coach Evans, “I am happy, but never satisfied.”