Wrestling
Written by: Meg Howington
With it being my final year here at Savannah Country Day, I wanted to challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone and take time to learn about things I normally wouldn’t be interested in. So I decided to learn more about a sport at SCDS most people aren’t really familiar with: Wrestling.
Country Day’s wrestling season began on Saturday, November 16 at the Chatham County Invitational, where they competed against twelve other teams from nearby. Although the competition was fierce, one man rose above the rest and took home the 165lb championship at the end of the day. That man was Ramon Barboa.
I took it upon myself to reach out to him and ask him a few questions about him and his experience with wrestling. Below is what he said, enjoy! :)
Q) How long have you been wrestling at Country Day?
A) I have been wrestling at Country Day since my freshman year. I had an interest in wrestling growing up and had always wanted to try it.
Q) What is your favorite memory from your time wrestling?
A) My favorite memory of wrestling was referring to the little hornets wrestling team. Seeing how happy a sport I loved so much made them feel so heartwarming. It reminded me of how I was when I was a kid, made me smile a little.
Q) What is your mindset going into this season?
A) My mindset before, during, and after a match is PRAY. Once I weigh in on the scale, I warm up, find a spot on an open mat, and pray that God gives me strength, wisdom, and guidance during my matches. In between matches, I pray. After I win, I thank God and continue to pray. I’d be nothing without Him.
Q) In your opinion, why do you think more people should wrestle for country day?
A) I really do think that wrestling is an underrated sport especially because it’s a great utilized tool for offseason work for sports like football, lacrosse, MMA, and jiu-jitsu. Wrestling allows me to keep myself in shape, and work to be the best version of myself.
Q) What is your biggest takeaway from wrestling?
A) My biggest takeaway is mental toughness. Wrestling is a sport heavily involving speed, strength, endurance. A wrestling match is six total minutes, and like the first minute, I'm worn out, but this really builds your toughness to get things done not just on the mat but outside as well. I’m focused on getting the job done. Whether it's on or off the mat, when I became a wrestler, I was always concerned about getting things done no matter what.
