Have you ever pushed yourself beyond your mental and physical limits?
I do it every day at 2:30 PM during wrestling season. Every practice starts with a 20–30-minute run, followed by another 10–15 minutes of running stairs. My legs burn, my breath is short, but we keep going—straight to the wrestling room, where the real challenge begins.
We lace up our wrestling shoes and dive into conditioning: jogging, bear crawls, cartwheels, army crawls, and sprawls. Every movement drains your energy. The room gets hotter, sweat pours, thirst sets in, and exhaustion creeps up. But if you want to be the best, you have to push past your limits.
When I first joined wrestling as a sophomore, my friend Miguel encouraged me. “You’re strong,” he said. “You should join.” I thought it would be easy. I walked into the wrestling room with confidence—until I heard the coach yell, “PUT YOUR RUNNING SHOES ON!” No introductions, no warm welcome—we just got right to work. I was out of shape, struggling with push-ups, barely able to keep up. The seniors looked tough—tall, muscular, and intimidating.
As the weeks went on, we learned the basics, then moved on to technique. My first match was on December 13, 2022, against Hempstead. I was sick with nerves, but I pinned my opponent and won. That victory fueled my excitement, and I finished the season with a 4-1 record.
Junior year was my favorite. The seniors were incredible teammates, and practices became even more intense. We ran harder, drilled longer, and pushed ourselves further. I remember a dual meet at Bellmore JFK, where I wrestled the JV guys and went 2-0. The coaches started noticing me, telling me I had potential. That motivated me even more. I walked into every practice ready to work and dominate.
As the season progressed, I kept improving—my technique sharpened, and my confidence grew. At another varsity tournament, I went 1-1. My first opponent was strong, and despite battling on the mat, I got pinned. That loss stung, but instead of letting it defeat me, I used it as fuel. I never wanted to feel that way again.
My last varsity match was at the county qualifiers. I didn’t place, but I finished 2-2—proof of how much I had grown. Now, as a senior, I know I have what it takes to be the 190-pound varsity wrestler I want to be. Every day, I challenge myself to get better.
To the future wrestlers of Westbury High School: Never give up, learn from your mistakes, rebuild your confidence, and keep moving forward. I placed 6th at the qualifiers, falling short of my goal to make it to counties, but I’m proud of my journey.
As for my teammates, six of them qualified for counties—an incredible achievement. Two of them even placed! My friend Miguel Turcios, the one who got me into wrestling, finished 3rd place, and Emmanuel Exantus became a County Champion! Both advanced to the State Championships—an amazing accomplishment.
As a team, we didn’t make the playoffs, but in my eyes, we had an incredible season. We learned that losses are just lessons and that success isn’t given—it’s earned. In wrestling, no one wins for you. It’s up to you to put in the work, push past your limits, and come back stronger every time.