high school wrestling

[sendo]

well im a senior in high school and i regret not doing many things during my freshman -> junior year...my college resume is extremely empty (2 activities >.<).....im thinking of doing a winter sport this year (volleyball in the summer) and that sport is wrestling.....the problem is, im really nervous about how my matches are gunna be like and whether or not i make it to varsity since its my first year....also i was wondering if it was worth doing (college-wise and experience-wise)....this would be my first year doing wrestling so i dont have much experience at all.....wrestling takes up alot of time and i dont think ill be able to keep up with school....im stuck between 3 options:

A) do wrestling and have my gpa drop
B) dont do wrestling and raise my gpa
C) do wrestling and raise my gpa (not likely to happen)

i really wanna do wrestling so if i go with option A then im gunna try extremely hard to be state champ so then if i drop my gpa it wouldnt really look THAT bad...

wrestling season doesnt start until the end of november so i have until then to decide

btw im 5'4 (small asian) and i weigh around 110lbs

any advice please?

 

[Blindside]

If you haven't wrestled before the odds of you "being a state champ" as a senior are about nil. My guess is you'll spend your practices getting smoked on the mat, and being frustrated. Size doesn't mean much in wrestling is determined by weight classes. If you want something similar try a jiu-jitsu or judo school where you will be paired with other beginners.

Lamont

 

[Kacey]

Well, having trained as a school guidance counselor, yes, it helps to have extra-curricular activities on your application... but not at the expense of your GPA. Also, varsity or junior varsity, one season of experience in wrestling isn't really going to do any good, as it will look just like what it is - an attempt to beef up your application, rather than a genuine interest.

Rather than join something at the last second (which is what you're suggesting) is there anything you already do that you could get credit for, or begin to do more formally so you can more easily list it? Colleges and universities don't care if your activities are through the school or not - they are looking to see if you are a well-rounded person. Do you have any hobbies? A job? Do any volunteer work? Help in a family business? Are you bilingual or multilingual? Have you had any unusual experiences? Traveled abroad? Won any awards?

Your profile doesn't list any affiliation with a martial art - why did you choose to come here to ask this question?

 

[rutherford]

Follow your heart.

I wrestled while I was in high school, but it was down at the YMCA two towns over because my school didn't have a team. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn't something I ever put on my college application.

If you really want to wrestle, then go for it. Don't worry about the matches. Glory in the matches!

I also got *and then pissed away* a full ride scholarship. If you're just going to wrestle to get into college, your time is better spent elsewhere. A good entrance essay, a few extra point on some standardized test, picking the right schools to apply, that's all going to matter just as much.

Follow your heart, and enjoy your senior year. There will never be another year like it.

 

[arnisador]

Well, having trained as a school guidance counselor, yes, it helps to have extra-curricular activities on your application... but not at the expense of your GPA. Also, varsity or junior varsity, one season of experience in wrestling isn't really going to do any good, as it will look just like what it is - an attempt to beef up your application, rather than a genuine interest.

Rather than join something at the last second (which is what you're suggesting) is there anything you already do that you could get credit for, or begin to do more formally so you can more easily list it? Colleges and universities don't care if your activities are through the school or not - they are looking to see if you are a well-rounded person. Do you have any hobbies? A job? Do any volunteer work? Help in a family business? Are you bilingual or multilingual? Have you had any unusual experiences? Traveled abroad? Won any awards?

All good advice; emphasis added. I'm a college professor and while I'm not in admissions this reflects the kind of things I hear. Any last-minute activity will look like just that, but volunteering will probably play better than wrestling. Even joining a martial arts program (e.g. fencing) will look like gaining a hobby, whereas wrestling is clearly an "until graduation" thing. Heck, having a part-time job shows some initiative. But, don't lower your GPA for any of this!

Also...don't obsess over this. You'll get in somewhere reasonable. Activities help, but those without them do fine too.

Your profile doesn't list any affiliation with a martial art - why did you choose to come here to ask this question?

Well, wrestling is a martial art/sport!

 

[still learning]

Hello, Your GPA will go down if you make it go down. Lots of my son and daughter wrestling teammates are 3.5 and up. (Kealakekua High School)

Yes! being a beginner in the Senior year will be tuff for first timers...do not expect alot wins, BUT expect to learn sport style wrestling....you will find it very challenging for an individual sport.

What you will learn will always be a part of you...make the best of it.

My son is a Senior with 3 years of High school sport wrestling, my daughter first year on the team as a freshman. My son is a 3.6 and my daughter is 3.9 average so far. The training (condition part has started)

We were told NO high schools can use the mats for training till NOV,23 2006...nation wide.

What you believe..will come true..( if you believe your GPA will fall if you wrestle than it will happen that way).

Be more positive about things.....you will find you life getting better each day....Just smile and keep it on...PLease! ......Aloha

 

[Hand Sword]

Hi deFT,

I would say, coming from a lot of high school regrets myself, go for it, if you're interested. Don't worry so much about an empty college resume', it's the GPA and SAT numbers that matter. Stay focussed on that and you'll be fine. But, hell yeah, do the activities! The hell with the wins, from a personal view, it's about the fun! You're a senior, not much time left! The experiences will serve you well in college, and the rest of your life.

 

[sendo]

thanks for all the responses and yes i am interested in wrestling and its not just for my resume

Your profile doesn't list any affiliation with a martial art - why did you choose to come here to ask this question?

i'm always reading about muay thai on this forum because me and my friends have been thinking about taking it together, i noticed its an MMA forum so i thought asking about wrestling was ok even though i have very little experience in martial arts (tae kwon do which was in the 4th and 5th grade)

sorry if it was the wrong place to ask the question

 

[Kacey]

thanks for all the responses and yes i am interested in wrestling and its not just for my resume

i'm always reading about muay thai on this forum because me and my friends have been thinking about taking it together, i noticed its an MMA forum so i thought asking about wrestling was ok even though i have very little experience in martial arts (tae kwon do which was in the 4th and 5th grade)

sorry if it was the wrong place to ask the question

It wasn't the wrong place - I was just curious how you picked MT to post the question. Makes perfect sense now.

 

[sendo]

this is off topic but is starting muay thai at 17 "starting late" ? im just curious because ive read about how the "good" people start martial arts at an early age like 7 years old....its not gunna hold me back from taking lessons if i am starting late though....better late than never

 

[ArmorOfGod]

this is off topic but is starting muay thai at 17 "starting late" ? im just curious because ive read about how the "good" people start martial arts at an early age like 7 years old....its not gunna hold me back from taking lessons if i am starting late though....better late than never

17 too late?
I don't even take students until they are 10, but prefer it if they are around 15. I started at 15, and I have come to believe that 15-25 is roughly the best time to start if you are looking to stick with it.

AoG

 

[Marvin]

this is off topic but is starting muay thai at 17 "starting late" ? im just curious because ive read about how the "good" people start martial arts at an early age like 7 years old....its not gunna hold me back from taking lessons if i am starting late though....better late than never

What do you want to do with it? As a general rule it is never to late to start any m.a. most folk train just to enjoy themselves anyway. Heh, I wish I had started bjj at the ancient age of 17 .
Just enjoy your training and have fun

 

[sendo]

What do you want to do with it?

if you mean muay thai: honestly i want some sort of self defense in "street" fights because fights happen quite often aroudn here....and muay thai seems the most interesting because even if it wasnt self defense, its still keeping me in shape....so pretty much i want to take muay thai for some self defense and to be fit

i've just noticed aikido and im not sure if thats a practical form of self defense....there seems to be alot of throws involved

<--- is this video realistic at all? the throw at 1:14 looks like the guy just did a flip himself...actually all the throws look like the one-being-thrown just does a flip on his own

 

[Kacey]

this is off topic but is starting muay thai at 17 "starting late" ? im just curious because ive read about how the "good" people start martial arts at an early age like 7 years old....its not gunna hold me back from taking lessons if i am starting late though....better late than never

I know some very good people who started after 50 - I had the privilege of testing one of them to his first degree black belt today, at 55. He did an awesome job - as did the other students testing. Age is no barrier. He may never kick as high as the 17 year-old who was testing, but so what? He is much more precise with his technique than she is, because he doesn't have the spare energy to be imprecise.

To get back to the original purpose of the thread - deFT, have you decided anything about wrestling, or other things you could use for your college applications?

 

[sendo]

well i dont think ill be joining wrestling cause its really not worth risking my gpa for it (which is low already) .... im gunna look for a muay thai school instead and get some volunteer hours in for my application

i should probably start a new thread cause this is goign really off topic but what do you guys think of this place http://www.bostonmuaythai.com/2bmta-home.htm

 

[zDom]

the throw at 1:14 looks like the guy just did a flip himself...actually all the throws look like the one-being-thrown just does a flip on his own

If they don't flip on their own, very VERY nasty things happen.

Generally speaking, some of those throws will throw the person to the ground, but more in a painful heap that a pretty breakfall as shown.

Other "throws" won't really "throw" them, but will break and dislocate wrists, arms, shoulders.

 

[OneKickWonder]

Hey man it is never too late to get started in the martial arts. I am 25 and started at the beginning of the year. There are 40 and 50 year old men that just started. Yeah the training completely smokes them but they hang in there and it is actually helping them get in better shape. You will not understand until you actually do start getting serious about it. But once you become seriously involved in the martial arts it consumes you. I train 6 days a week, 3 hours a day, at the school and thats only because we dont have class on Sunday. I want to take other forms of martial arts too but I dont have the time and I want to finish my black belt in Kenpo first.