Washeck Devoted to Wrestling

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Staff photo by Elisabeth Jones
Staff photo by Elisabeth Jones

Andrew Washeck, senior, is a Leesville varsity wrestler devoted to his sport.

“Wrestling is great,” said Washeck. “It takes discipline, but I enjoy it.”

As a wrestler, Washeck must go to practices every day from 2:30 to 5:30 as well as training in the weight room every Tuesday and Thursday.

Washeck works out at a gym on his own time as well. “You have to stay consistent,” said Washeck.

For many Leesville wrestlers, the training does not end at school. Wrestlers must constantly manage their weight to either maintain or move up or down in weight class.

Many wrestlers must lose weight in unhealthy ways. Before the CAP-7 tournament of his sophomore year, Washeck had to lose twelve pounds in two days.

“It was hard. I didn’t eat or drink, I wore tons of sweats and worked out like crazy in the mat room,” said Washeck of his weight loss.

One method of losing weight is running in what is called a “plastic suit,” which resembles a trash bag wrapped against the skin.

At the moment, however, Washeck is trying to gain weight. At 182 pounds, he must gain seven pounds to reach a goal of 189 pounds.

In order to get to their desired weight, wrestlers try to eat a lot the day of the match. “As you can imagine, gaining weight is not as hard as losing it,” said Washeck.

Surprisingly, weight management is not the hardest thing about wrestling for Washeck.

“Learning from a defeat is the most difficult aspect of the sport,” said Washeck.  “It can be frustrating and difficult especially if you have to forfeit.”

At a match against Leesville on December 16, Washeck proved that hard work pays off when he pinned Broughton’s Zach Dougher in one minute and thirty seconds.

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