Every winter, most athletes are entering the season fat and happy. However, the wrestlers go into the season hungry and exhausted. This year, the wrestling team had their alpha-weigh in Nov. 21. The alpha is the weigh at the beginning of the year where the wrestlers try to get down to their lowest weight possible. During the weigh-in, a state certified trainer comes into the school and checks the athletes hydration and body fat percentage. The wrestler must first take a urine sample for their hydration to be tested. After that, each wrestler is put through a skin-fold test where their stomach, tricep, and the scapula is pinched by a caliper. This tool shows the amount of body fat available.

This season, the wrestling team luckily got to have their alpha weigh-in before Thanksgiving, so that they are able to replenish and enjoy the holiday. “As soon as Coach Kuhn told us that the alpha weigh-in was before Thanksgiving, it put a smile on my face. I am happy that I don’t have to sit and watch my family eat the delicious feast and be miserable for the holiday weekend,” said senior Eli Abbott.

Additionally, the team has over 15 weigh-ins throughout the year, so most wrestlers develop a favorite post-weigh-in meal or a craving they have while managing their weight.

According to Alexander Newton, “A craving that I always seem to have during wrestling season is a bacon cheeseburger. After wrestling season that is always one of the first meals I choose.”

Gavin Giles also said, “My favorite post weigh-in meal is a bottle of mixed fruit Pedialyte and a whole-grain bagel with peanut butter spread throughout the bagel with bananas on top.”