Senior Anton Vazhinskiy weighs 218 lbs, squats 385 lbs and can bench press 350 lbs. But for some bizarre reason I decided to wrestle him in a good ol’ fashion Torch challenge.
Contrary to my previous challenge of kicking a 30-yard field goal, I regretted my decision to partake in this contest as soon as I proposed the idea to my fellow sports editors. My confidence especially plummeted when I walked into the small, secluded wrestling gym next to the CPA and stood face-to-face with the 6 foot 1 inch Vazhinskiy, who was already drenched in sweat from practice. Nevertheless, I continued, determined to at least live to tell the story.
Upon arriving at the scene, I requested that Head Coach Jason Erwinski give me a warm-up that was similar to that of a varsity warm-up so that I could properly prepare for the beat-down I was about to receive. Erwinski told me about the team’s typical practice routine, which includes but is not limited to somersaults, cartwheels, bear crawls and army crawls. At first I thought I was about to be the butt end of a prank, but soon came to the realization that being able to maneuver my body while wrestling is just as important as strength and physicality.
After finishing the warm-up, I was already out of breath and a bit dizzy from the cartwheels and somersaults—a feeling I’d expect most wrestlers understand. Erwinski proceeded to teach me a number of basic wrestling moves including a shot and a takedown, which involves kneeling on the ground and attempting to pick up your opponent and slam him or her downward. However, when asked to practice on Vazhinskiy, I couldn’t even pick him up, let alone move him. Though I was complimented by Erwinski on my form and told that I looked good for a first-timer, I knew the actual match was not going to be pretty.
I was right.
As soon as the whistle blew to commence the challenge, Vazhinskiy went to work, wrapping one arm around my head and the other around my leg. He picked me up effortlessly and threw me to the ground with authority, almost as if he forgot I was only a 164-lb journalist with no wrestling background except fighting my friends back in junior high for “fun.”
I spent the rest of the match on the ground, underneath Vazhinskiy. Every time I made an attempt to stand up, which is known as an escape, my leg would be grabbed and twisted, and I would be thrown back to the mat again. After 43.2 seconds of this, I flailed to my back, letting the sweaty torso of Vazhinskiy collapse on me resulting in a pin. I had lost.
Even though I lasted less than a minute before being pinned, my newly found appreciation for the sport of wrestling will last a lifetime. Or at least until the soreness in my neck ceases.