Wrestling... After tomorrow, its gonna feel like a part of my life has ended. This year, wrestling has been the one thing i've been most passionate about. The passion i had for it rose above my academics, church life, and other clubs. Instead of going to Science Olympiad this year on February 4th, i decided to go to my Qualifiers tournament, in which i placed and became All Conference.

My junior wrestling season began middle of November 2011 or the 14th of November. However in actuality, it began over the summer when i went to a few inter-murals in school. For the last 4 months of my life, wrestling has been the toughest, and one of the greatest experiences of my life. It became such a great part of my life that i talk about it very frequently. It is the only sport where you earn your spot, you earn your fame, you bleed, sweat, and cry to become what you are. In order to become All conference, you must work for it and beat someone good. You make a name for yourself.

When i say bleed, sweat and cry, I'm not joking nor exaggerating. At the moment, i have a black eye, i have bruised knees, cuts all over my hands, jammed fingers, injured shoulder, and a mildly limping food. When i say sweat, i mean drenched in sweat, so when you take off your shirt, you can squeeze a bottle of water. It'll look like you just took a bath and just walked out. When i say cry, i mean being disappointed at yourself for not doing better and balling your eyes after loosing a match, you clearly would've won. You leave the room and you sit by yourself and plotting how to get better or what you did wrong.

What i found from wrestling: It must be one of the greatest sports ever known. Especially in a team setting. As i imagine it. From the first day wrestling started in November 14th of 2011, there were about 40-50 kids. From freshman to seniors, all in the same room. After the first few weeks, the numbers decreased to about 38 or so. It was necessary pruning for the one's who cannot persevere, and don't know how to make a commitment. Over the course of the season only a few more drop out. But everyday within that back gym, the ghetto wrestling room behind the curtain, we ran, stank up the place, and we worked with sweat dripping down our faces. We suck weight.

After a while, the team that stays, really becomes a team, a family full of unity. If you ever get the chance to spend 1/3 of the year sweating, bleeding, and working with another person, you are bound to become a family. A wrestling team is definitely a family in my eyes.

So let move on, as the season progresses, the 15 weight classes for varsity are filled. For me, i wrestled everyone on the team that was 145, or 152, or 160 that wanted to become the 152lb weight class varsity wrestler. I made that weight class. The other wrestlers of different weights wrestled for their spot on varsity. So when all is set, there are 15 varsity wrestlers, and the others go on Junior Varsity. (lemme define varsity and junior varsity. Varsity is the higher level more experienced wrestlers, and Junior Varsity is for the less experienced wrestlers)

Dual meets: Now this is my coach's favorite part of wrestling. (Coach Chris Macdonald) "It is our fifteen guys against their fifteen. Its a battle. When one teammate loses, the next wrestler makes up for his slack. We have each-others back. Go Get em" We wrestled for our team, for our family. When one person looses, we make sure the next guy gives it his all. Its a fight for 6 straight minutes. we say "Go Six or Get Six" which means you either wrestle for 6 minutes with all you got, whether you win or lose, or you pin the other opponent and get 6 points for our team. I love the warm ups when we run around the circle and after we finish our warm-up, we gather in the center on our bellies, and after the captain says something, we yell the same thing on 3. And we have our game face on to win. With our family, we became Dual Meet Conference Champions. Each match made a difference. It was up to the individual to pull out with a win. P.S i forgot to mention. Before every match, we can rely on our teammates to be on weight for that day. For me i could mean cutting my weight down from 160 down to 152, within a week by eating less. Wrestlers in a team suffer hunger together.

Qualifiers: I've stated this term already, but i'm pretty sure none of the viewers know what that is. Its one of the most important tournaments of the year. All other holiday tournaments and other school tournaments are nothing. The qualifiers is a place you have to prove yourself of worth. You have to place 1-4th place in order to become All Conference as an individual. Your seat in the tournament determines your worth or quality as a wrestler throughout the year and it also determines, what you are expected to place. Your seat also makes sure the two best wrestlers dont face off in the first match. So as i have said, i am all conference. And after you make all conference, you get to go to the Counties to attempt to become All county. Which means you wrestle the best wrestlers of Nassau County. If you win first in the counties, you get a chance to wrestle in the states and so on.

County: This is probably one of the most difficult tournaments a high school wrestler will get to unless they are extremely gifted and is a prodigy. In order to become All County, you must place 1-6th in this tournament. Within this bracket, there is 26 wrestlers within each weight class. And this event is tomorrow. If i win 1-6, i become All County. If i lose, this will be my last day of wrestling till next year.

I gotta admit, all the effort i placed into this sport has really been paying off excusing my injuries. Its really a sport where you reap what you sow. You gain as much as you try. Its a reflection of one of my favorite quotes. "Try a little harder to be a little better" Gorden B. Hinckley. Its a quote i think about when i practice and put my sweat and tears into something i love. And finding a passion in wrestling and the family setting really makes me come alive. "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive" Howard Thurman. It is a quote i've been living by.

After tomorrow, the county tournament, whether i become all county or not, i'm surely going to miss wrestling though i will be relieved the four months of work is over. Next year is definitely going to be a year I become the best at Wrestling in my weight class. I plan on working till I become All County and possibly continue on. I will finally be able to eat again. After suffering and not eating before the day of matches just to make weight, i'm relieved to finally be able to eat again.

But until next year, peace out wrestling. You are a great part of my life. Next year quite possibly be my last year wrestling, so i plan on doing all i can while i can. Wrestling has been molding me the last few months and i really appreciate the experience. One more day to give every last drop of sweat and work i have left on the mat tomorrow. Despite my disadvantage in the Seating Bracket. I'll go out there and wrestle with what i've got.

Till next year. -Most Outstanding Wrestler Jerry Ho-