After five difficult matches in the 2021-22 season, Orono Wrestling is currently 3-7.
“The wrestling team is young. We’re super young, and many are inexperienced,” Orono wrestling head coach, Joe McPherson said.
Orono lost many valuable seniors in the last few seasons, however, they hope to bounce back and finish this year strong even with their disadvantage.
McPherson gives his all for his wrestlers and definitely knows what he is doing. “I’ve wrestled since I was five years old,” McPherson said, “I really love the sport, what attracted me was my passion and love for what it represents.”.
With countless years of wrestling and over 20 years of coaching, McPherson has learned what it takes to coach and wrestle. McPherson was also a three-sport athlete in high school, so he truly knows the limits and how he can challenge the wrestlers, while still making the sport an enjoyable experience.
“Wrestling brings a little bit of different toughness to the table, mental toughness, and discipline,” McPherson said.
Most of the athletes like this challenge and recognize the toughness.
“I spend maybe 20 hours, depending on the week, training and doing extra conditioning,” senior wrestler Eli Mckown said.
Many of the young men also mentioned how wrestling helps them improve in their other sports.
“Wrestling helps me with tackling in football, being that I’m a defensive player,” Mckown said.
This season is going well for Orono as opposed to last year. COVID-19 hit Orono Wrestling hard and affected the performance and stats for athletes.
“It was a shortened season and we only got to wrestle duels. So we missed out on the individual portion” McPherson said.
Individual matches help improve the athlete’s skills and stats, as they get to wrestle for themselves. The athletes do their best to stay in shape and protect themselves in order to keep the season moving smoothly.
“[Students] were distance learning, and getting quarantined, so that was part of the issue,” Mckown said.
With distance learning kids were often not very active which directly impacted their performance in practices and matches.
A wrestling coach and high school teacher in Kansas found many ways to help with this problem. Doug Vander Linder has coached his team for 30 years and conquered the challenge of COVID, this previous year, according to an article from Education Week.
Vander Linder mentions that wrestling is about hard work, not only for the athletes but as a coach too. He says as a teacher and a coach they need a “shared vision.”
McPherson and his athletes hope to end the season strong and without any trouble from COVID-19. “[The season] has been pretty good, knock on wood, it hasn’t been affected a lot in the standpoint of shutting down,” McPherson said.
Orono athletes last competed on January 20th in a dual meet against New Prague. Next, Orono will be facing off against a variety of teams at an invitational meet held at Eastridge Highschool.
