Section B·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, March 12, 1999
Sport of the Week
New wrestling club reaching goals
Seven grapplers competing at nationals
By Matt Tait
mtait@kansan.com
Kansas sportswriter
Joe Wetter, Marysville senior, uses a shoulder lock on Brent Clingingsmith, Hays freshman. Wetter and Cling- ingsmith are members of the KU club wrestling team. The team will compete today and tomorrow in the National Wrestling Club Tournament in Dallas. Photos by Augustus Anthony Piazza/KANSAN
T two years ago the wrestling club did not exist. Last year, three of the squad's members competed at the national tournament.And
this year all seven of the members who went to the regional tournament qualified for the national tournament.
"We're expanding and that was our goal in the beginning, to take as many to nationals as possible," said co-president Joe Wetter, Marvsville senior.
Based on the team's performance in the regional competition in late February, it appears Wetter has reached his goal.
The team left yesterday morning for Dallas for this weekend's national competition and took with it a desire to win, but mostly to have fun.
o have fun.
"Winning is fun — If I didn't win it wouldn't be as much fun, but it's a much more relaxed atmosphere," said Francisco Chacon. Liberal sophomore. "There's no pressure to win and no pressure to cut weight."
Several of the team's 15 members said that they had wrestled in high school and that being in the wrestling club was not as stressful and strictly regulated as other highly competitive events.
One of the differences between high school and collegiate varsity is that the weight classes are flexible.
Wichita sophomore, said, "Weight classes can make wrestling horrible. Here we can have fun and do our best and then go out and have a big steak after the match."
Despite the relaxed nature, club members take wrestling matches very seriously. Sean Bates, co-president and Newton
take wrestling majors at Sean Bates, co-president and Newton
Net the
wrestlers warm up before the wrestling starts.
practices on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 9:30 to 11 p.m., but Tra said that several members did a lot of conditioning on their own as well.
Wetter said that being in "wrestling" shape was completely different from being in general shape.
"The only way to get in shape for wrestling is by wrestling." Wetter said.
A few members of the team were recruited to wrestle at the collegiate level but decided to attend the University for educational purposes.
One of those was Chacon, who wants to go to medical school. But he said when he learned there was a wrestling club at the University, it was a dream come true.
For the officers and core members of the young club, qualifying seven wrestlers for nationals was also a dream come true.
Edited by Jason Pearce
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