A wrestler’s life

Editor's note: Linda Seger of Cedar Rapids is a retired freelance writer and photographer, grandmother of 30 and a multitude of their friends and team members. She participated in track, softball and basketball in high school. Sportswriting runs in her family. Her half brothers are former Gazette sportswriter Bob Hersom and recently retired Sioux City Journal sports editor Terry Hersom.

CEDAR RAPIDS — In a local high school gymnasium watching at mat side, two athletes engage in wrestling. One finds being caught up in a rather hypnotic experience.

It resonates with me this sport endured from early primitive physical struggles between humans which evolved over thousands of years. In its beginning it was engagement mostly to protect, survive or test strength among humans. Life itself often the prize to the winner.

What exists now is a respected sport all over the world using various styles, but all bringing success, defeat and knowledge to the participants and followers. Wrestling for competition was an addition to ancient Olympic Games circa 776 B.C. What I see is a connection to past civilizations who also were drawn to these contests of physical and mental skill over another human.

This is germane to life in this century.

As these participants engage in various holds and moves to dominate the match for a win, the observer is aware this is an opportunity to see why this sport survived.

Wrestlers are faced with destiny by what each alone is capable of processing mentally and physically during the match. Both wrestlers must get inside the head of their opponent. They sense the strength and weakness of another human within those few minutes and determine how to achieve dominance.

In the moments the wrestler is on the mat, the world around is surreal as if one is suspended in time. He acutely is aware of the rush of adrenaline, perspiration dripping in his eyes, dry mouth and his heartbeat pounding to the brain driving him on and on. Then one final surge of gut wrenching power and the wrestler is allowed to enter the real world once again. He finds he is either exiting the mat or standing with an arm held high as an exhausted winner. Cheers and applause seem muted to his ears.

Those who surround the wrestler following the match make him aware he was not alone on the mat as he is welcomed among the supportive members of his wrestling brotherhood.

He isn't so far removed from those wrestlers from the past generations. Tomorrow will dawn another day to test what kind of wrestler and man he is to become. It is a reflection of life not just a competition of an athletic endeavor. This is a wrestler.