Senior Colby Williams prepares for a match.
Sports were on the line this year, and athletes were not sure if they were going to be able to even attend or even play sports. Luckily, they adapted and were able to play and represent Indy Nation. According to wrestlers, the COVID-19 regulations did not have much effect on their work ethic. They pushed through the new rules and ended up going to the States. Senior Sam Johnson got third place and Junior Sam Cooper got sixth.
“This year was a lot different due to the Covid regulations, but our coaching staff came together to make sure all policies were enacted correctly while making sure our wrestlers improved every day. We are lucky that our wrestlers didn’t complain about the new practice policies, but rather went to work, got better every day, and viewed every practice and match as a blessing,” said Coach Paul Grinups. This shows how committed the team is to their sport. Adapting can be hard, and they put it aside and did the extra work so they could do their best.
“As a team, it was seeing the wrestlers buying into our program and having success. The team would get loud and cheer for the team during the duals and we were the loudest team in the county. The coaches loved seeing that energy and excitement from our wrestlers and managers,” said Grinups.
With all good things, challenges are inevitable. Mr. Grinups shared some challenges the wrestlers had to overcome. “The hardest thing was not having all our wrestlers come back this season due to COVID concerns. The coaches understood completely, but we missed seeing those wrestlers every day. It was also hard not having fans in the stands as well. We have some great staff members, parents, and families that always come to our matches and support our wrestlers,” said Grinups.
“Improving is more challenging because we are limited to only one partner for practice every two weeks and our competition stemmed to only half of local schools,” said senior Colby Williams.
“We were proud of all our wrestlers, but especially our seniors- Cody Seeley, Sam Johnson, Jamie Nix, Colby Williams, and Kevin Acosta for the past two years and setting the foundation for the program to grow into something special,” said Grinups.