With practices every day during the week and tournaments on the weekends, Ryan Murphy challenges himself to wrestling better. Murphy shares his experiences with wrestling coaches and things he plans to improve on this season.

Q: How many years have you been wrestling?

A: I have been a wrestler for five years now.

Q: What schools have you wrestled for?

A: I started wrestling at Spring View and have since participated in multiple clubs which helped prepare me for the Whitney High School wrestling program.

Q: Which coaches have inspired you?

A: The first coach I had, Coach Jay, inspired me to work hard no matter what, and he taught me to learn from my mistakes. Also, my coaches right now at Whitney continue to push me every day, and they support me throughout my season.

Q: How has your season been?

A: So far, my season is going well but, there is always room for improvement.

Q: What are your strengths?

A: My strengths is that I always give 100 percent, I always try my best and I can walk away knowing I put in my all.

Q: What are your weaknesses?

A: There are definitely some technical aspects of wrestling that I should work on, especially my speed and flexibility. Before practice I stretch from head to toe to help with my flexibility.

Q: How to you plan to improve for next match?

A: Coach Parker is always telling us to wrestle “fast and mean” so I guess I plan to wrestle faster and meaner for my next match. By that, I mean my moves need to be faster and also more aggressive, always in the rules.

Q: Although wrestling is more of an individual sport, how do you work together as a team?

A: One of my wrestling idols, Carl Sanderson, said, “Wrestlers compete as individuals, yet the sport builds camaraderie like no other.” Throughout my experiences while wrestling, I’ve observed the bonds that were created through this sport and how this team is as a whole.

Q: Is there anything else you want the readers to know?

A: I guess just that it is so important to be a good person not only in wrestling, but in life. In wrestling, despite the competitiveness, I always find a way to be a good sport and always be kind to by opponents and I try to apply those same standards to life.

by EMC COWLES