Thomas Bowen

Wrestling is not a very popular sport where I am from. In South Georgia, the main winter sport is definitely basketball. Therefore, I had to step out of my comfort zone and participate in an unpopularized sport in my region. That was not the only comfort zone that I had to step out of. A wrestling uniform, singlet, looks similar to a leotard. Imagine two full grown males rolling around on a mat for three periods. That was my main sport. I initially was ashamed of wearing a singlet when I first started wrestling, but as I got older, I wore it with pride. When you put blood, sweat, and tears into a sport, it is hard not to become prideful of it. Two to three-hour practices a day in a room that was approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That alone will teach you self-discipline and to hydrate. Wrestling taught me a lot of life skills. The major life lesson that I learned from wrestling is that hard work and dedication definitely pay off. My team won state all four years of my high school career. As a sophomore, I placed third individually. My junior year, a senior moved up to my weight class and I had to sit back and cheer my team on from the bench. Finally, I won state individually my senior year. Winning my finals match at the state tournament was worth every bit of work I put in. It taught me that having patience and never giving up will reward you with great success in the end. I hope to transfer my hard work to college, for I will become successful in life.