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Show -f l'l60""063 Grapplers offer winfer excitement I November is upon us, and, although two exciting weeks remain I in the hunt for a state football championship and volleyball is about I to begin its ever-exciting state tournament, the end of the fall sports I season is in sight. I For many, the chilly November air and the end of fall sports I signify the onset of boredom and frustration, at least until basketball I season shifts into full gear in January. The high school sports fan I frantically begins to search for a fixa new object to which his or her I enthusiasm can be dedicated. I Here's an idea; (just a suggestion) try high school wrestling. I Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from the athletic abili- I ties and dedication of competitors in other sports, but if you've I known a dedicated wrestler, you've known the epitome of athletic I dedication. I Combine that dedication with the excitement of two evenly mat- I ched grapplers locked in a one-on-one duel, and you've got all the I drama you can possibly cram into a three-minute match. I Now, keep your mind open for a few minutes, and give me a I chance to present my case. r 4 Wrestling is more than two sweaty guys rolling around on a mat (even though, realistically, I must admit that's a big part of it). Wrestling combines endurance, finesse, strength and strategy, not to mention the ability to think clearly and quickly from a number of interesting in-teresting positions (some of which can tend to be a hair painful if not a little bit embarrassing). And, though the inexperienced fan may not realize the inner workings work-ings of a match, wrestling is as much a mental sport as it is a physical one. In fact, you could call wrestling a physical manifestation of chess. Wrestling, like chess, involves strategic attacks, lures and the courage to pounce on your opponent's mistake, asking yourself the whole time, "Was that really a mistake or is he baiting me?" Wrestlers must be smart enough to disguise their own weaknesses while taking advantage of their opponents'. Wrestling demands total dedication on the part of the athlete in almost every part of his lifestyle life-style from training to diet. In the past, wrestlers have taken a lot of flack, and rightly so, for crash dieting, using laxatives and self-induced self-induced vomiting and spitting to "suck weight' in order to wrestle at a certain weight class, but in reality these behaviors are symptoms of dedication carried to excess and are probably more the exception than the norm. The bottom line pits two, evenly weighted opponents alone on the mat. Both are forced to tap every ounce of strength and ingenuity they have available. They alone take the glory for a victory or responsibility for a loss. Unlike other fantasy-like forms of wrestling, there are no loudmouthed loud-mouthed managers ready to hit their client's opponents over the head with a megaphone or folding chair or tag team partners waiting in the wings to cheap-shot their teammate's foes when the ref is looking the other way. Wrestling is one of most exciting individual sports and is just around the comer, but don't take my word for it. Take in a few matches mat-ches before you decide whether or not you like it. Practice has already begun, and matches will begin later this month. At any rate, be sure and watch the Clipper for a preview of each of the south Davis teams along with match-by-match coverage of Bountiful, Boun-tiful, Davis, Viewmont and Woods Cross grapplers as they battle for the region and state titles. i i i |