Quit HS Wrestling?

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futurefalconmom_11

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My son is a junior in HS and has started the process of applying to USAFA. He has been on the Varsity Wrestling team and has lettered every year since being a Freshman. He is an average wrestler and does not plan on wrestling after HS. He is contemplating whether or not to wrestle next year, his senior year. He would have a chance of being a Co-Captain but he is not enjoying the sport as much plus the fact that he really struggles with cutting weight. If he does not wrestle he will have more opportunities to have leadership roles in AFJROTC (they have conflicting meeting times). He received an AFJROTC Flight Scholarship and feels obligated to be more involved with that organization. He just became the Cadet Commander for his Civil Air Patrol squadron as well, which will require more of his time than just being a cadet. Since he already has the varsity letter box checked off, he would only be missing out on checking the sport captain box. He has a passion for flying and serving. He does not have a passion for wrestling. I guess the question is, should he wrestle his senior year?
 
Does he have other varsity letters in other sports?

There is no reason to make a decision now.

You will get both sides of the argument here.

What will be his explanation when it comes up in the interviews with BGO and nominating committees?

From a point perspective he will probably be ok. Unless his competition has more points.

I would advise him to hang in there. I talked my son out of quitting basketball his senior year.

Also - his application will likely be done before the senior winter sport starts.
 
Don’t quit wrestling cause it’s hard. Obviously, cutting weight isn’t fun. I have been wrestling since I was 3 years old. I have wanted to quit just as many times as anyone else. Staying in the sport will teach him so much. Try to get involved with other things while maintaining a leadership role in wrestling. That is what USAFA is looking for.
 
usafacan2023 said:
There is a “right and safe” way to do it. The reality is, that is part of the sport at nearly all levels.
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I am a huge UFC fan - watch it every weekend.

Occasionally you see huge size differences on fight night - guys making weight but being over a 10 pound difference.

Accusations of illegal IVs.

Seems obvious to me - weigh them an hour before the fight.
 
They have the varsity letter check mark already

“I did not wrestle my senior year because I decided to……”

Far to many times we see kids or parents phrase the rest of that in terms of ——I was not playing enough——it took time away from study——I was burnt out——-I found it hard to be a good team mate——etc

Id make sure you could finish that quote in a way that would sound more impressive rather than less so.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
They have the varsity letter check mark already

“I did not wrestle my senior year because I decided to……”

Far to many times we see kids or parents phrase the rest of that in terms of ——I was not playing enough——it took time away from study——I was burnt out——-I found it hard to be a good team mate——etc

Id make sure you could finish that quote in a way that would sound more impressive rather than less so.
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Right.... I think "to be an active and dedicated Cadet Commander for CAP" would be a relatively valid and justifiable answer to that question.
 
IMHO - if he's a wrestler - he is likely going to do extremely well on the CFA. (my DD maxed the Men's side of the CFA for pull-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups after leaving gymnastics 4 years before the CFA).

If he is seeking to be more focused and involved in other activities - do it. No one knows if wrestling his senior year will be the difference in getting an appointment, but there is merit in doing the things you are passionate about vs doing things to check the box.

The competition is difficult and can be worse based on the state/district you are competing.

There is irony in we hear all this talk about 'diversity' but then we encourage people to be just like everyone else.
 
futurefalconmom_11 said:
Right.... I think "to be an active and dedicated Cadet Commander for CAP" would be a relatively valid and justifiable answer to that question.
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That's an okay answer, but most top USAFA candidates will have managed to be active and dedicated to multiple things at a very high level. The follow up question would be, why not both? I get the time conflict with AFJROTC, but CAP is a flexible schedule. As the commander he should have some say and control in the schedule.

I wouldn't stay just to check a box for a USAFA application, but excelling with limited time is a skill highly valued by USAFA and the Air Force, and multi-sport, multi-activity candidates demonstrate they can handle the workload and prioritize correctly. AFROTC and CAP are very similar. IMHO, it's not missing the captain box check that matters, it's what it says about commitment to the sport/team and the ability to juggle the demands of competing activities. Don't get me wrong, there are good reasons to quit a sport, but the one I quoted probably isn't it.
 
USAFA10s said:
That's an okay answer, but most top USAFA candidates will have managed to be active and dedicated to multiple things at a very high level. The follow up question would be, why not both? I get the time conflict with AFJROTC, but CAP is a flexible schedule. As the commander he should have some say and control in the schedule.

I wouldn't stay just to check a box for a USAFA application, but excelling with limited time is a skill highly valued by USAFA and the Air Force, and multi-sport, multi-activity candidates demonstrate they can handle the workload and prioritize correctly. AFROTC and CAP are very similar. IMHO, it's not missing the captain box check that matters, it's what it says about commitment to the sport/team and the ability to juggle the demands of competing activities. Don't get me wrong, there are good reasons to quit a sport, but the one I quoted probably isn't it.
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The wrestling coach said he cannot miss any practices therefore any leadership role in AFJROTC is out of the question. CAP is a little more flexible, however most wrestling matches are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays and CAP meetings are on Thursdays, which he will not be able to control. He does not enjoy wrestling so its hard to decide so that he does not look like a quitter in their eyes. Yes it would show he is capable of multiple activities, but he would still be juggling multiple activities including a job. He is definitely capable of doing it all.
 
As a father of a wrestler who was recruited, I would ask a few questions before quitting. How competitive are the spots on his team? My son decided for his senior year he wan't cutting weight so he wrestled up at190lb though he weighed 178 which took a lot of stress away and his team was a state powerhouse but he could still move up because he would win the wrestle off. If your team has flexibility see if he can move up and eliminate the weight cut. Also how about injuries? Does he have a history of shoulder or knee injuries as wrestling is tough on your body and if he has a history you might want to skip season to fully heal.. As a senior and possibly cocaptain its a serious leadership and responsibility position. Walking away from that might be viewed as not necessarily a plus from his teammates or possibly the academy. All these questions are hard and your son has to make the decision. Nobody here knows if choosing to quit will negatively affect your application but I will say that quitting will require an explanation as to why you chose to quit. Applications and acceptance are so competitive and though it may seem like ticking boxes you are being compared to thousands of other applicants who have ticked those boxes.
 
Ghostjwm said:
As a father of a wrestler who was recruited, I would ask a few questions before quitting. How competitive are the spots on his team? My son decided for his senior year he wan't cutting weight so he wrestled up at190lb though he weighed 178 which took a lot of stress away and his team was a state powerhouse but he could still move up because he would win the wrestle off. If your team has flexibility see if he can move up and eliminate the weight cut. Also how about injuries? Does he have a history of shoulder or knee injuries as wrestling is tough on your body and if he has a history you might want to skip season to fully heal.. As a senior and possibly cocaptain its a serious leadership and responsibility position. Walking away from that might be viewed as not necessarily a plus from his teammates or possibly the academy. All these questions are hard and your son has to make the decision. Nobody here knows if choosing to quit will negatively affect your application but I will say that quitting will require an explanation as to why you chose to quit. Applications and acceptance are so competitive and though it may seem like ticking boxes you are being compared to thousands of other applicants who have ticked those boxes.
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They have pretty competitive wrestlers with fluctuating weights, so if nothing else he can wrestle JV with opportunities to letter, and less pressure to win. He has had injuries, especially his shoulder, which is one major reason for not wanting to continue.
 
futurefalconmom_11 said:
They have pretty competitive wrestlers with fluctuating weights, so if nothing else he can wrestle JV with opportunities to letter, and less pressure to win. He has had injuries, especially his shoulder, which is one major reason for not wanting to continue.
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Then don’t. We see kids get set back or lose their apt all the time with injury. He is a 3x letter winner in a demanding sport .

I doubt anyone will even ask about senior wrestling. And if they do——he has decided to do something else in his senior year.

The last thing he should be doing is risking a SA stopping injury for a sport he no longer loves and is now doing when he would rather be doing something else.

Injuries and I can no longer show up for my first day at a SA———this is not an uncommon topic here on these forums.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
Then don’t. We see kids get set back or lose their apt all the time with injury. He is a 3x letter winner in a demanding sport .

I doubt anyone will even ask about senior wrestling. And if they do——he has decided to do something else in his senior year.

The last thing he should be doing is risking a SA stopping injury for a sport he no longer loves and is now doing when he would rather be doing something else.

Injuries and I can no longer show up for my first day at a SA———this is not an uncommon topic here on these forums.
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Great advice, and definitely will help a mom not be stressed about an injury as well. I agree it is not worth the risk of injury and an appointment for a sport he does not love.
 
If he already has had a shoulder injury you definitely should be careful as I have seen several of my son's wrestler friends be DODMERB disqualified due to a history of shoulder injuries. If he doesn't enjoy it and has had previous serious injuries then sit out and do something else. I can say once my son received his LOA in December we were on pins and needles worried about injury during the season and right up to reporting. Wrestling is a hugely demanding physical sport and if you don't enjoy it I believe you actually increase your risk of injury as your training will not be the same. Good luck with your application!
 
I like STBacsi's comment: "“I did not wrestle my senior year because I decided to……”
A comment like that, framed with "...I decided to devote more time to my AFJROTC program, which enabled me to take on the leadership roles of XX and YY, allowing me to...

I have this "issue" every year with candidates and with my own JROTC students. They desire a different opportunity...
 
My son is/was a HS wrestler. He just finished his senior season. Honestly he likely would not have wrestled senior year if he was not applying to the academies, but it was his choice and he wanted to put everything on the table he could for his applications. He was a competitive wrestler, but certainly was not going to be a state title winner. And there is no doubt cutting weight is hard, it took its toll. He easily could have wrestled the class higher, he would have won the wrestle off every week, but he wrestled his weight class bc that was what was best for the overall team. I worried all season about injury, especially since I wasn’t certain his heart was in this season. But I also watched him lead the team every meet (2 year Captain), besides me there wasn’t another person in the gym that could tell he struggled with the decision. And although I know he was counting the days, he came up from his last pin in tears. The child hasn’t cried since he was 6 or 7 years old. I say all of this to say, the season meant more to him than he realized until it was over. Hindsight he is glad he made the decision to finish wrestling, if he had gotten injured I’m sure we would think differently. I held my breath through the last meet, I just wanted him out in tact.
 
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