With wrestling season starting up again, it’s not uncommon to see the boys of Rolla High School changing eating habits to drop weight.

                In order to wrestle someone who would be easier to defeat, competitors are drastically altering the way they eat and exercise.

                “I drop my weight to obviously wrestle lower weight classes. It’s much easier to wrestle a kid who is six pounds or so lighter,” junior Sam Leach said.

                Some take a healthier approach to losing the weight, while the methods of some are extreme and dangerous.

“I plan to first drop 5 or so pounds and make the 126 pound weight class. And if I can, I would like to go all the way to 120 pounds. I’m losing it all by restricting my diet, cutting out unhealthy foods, and eating more vegetables. I also do conditioning outside of practice, which helps burn the fat,” Leach said.

Though the boys slim down for wrestling season, it doesn’t appear to be something they are being made to do. It only serves for their own benefits of winning against someone lighter than they are.

“There are no real pressures outside yourself to lose the weight. No one but yourself is ‘forcing’ you to lose it,” Leach said.

Motivation is a key element when doing something that will help one accomplish his goals, like dropping weight for wrestling. Having a strong support system is helpful to many people trying to watch their weight.

“My family is very supportive of me. They encourage me to go run and workout, even when I’m sore or don’t feel like it. I really appreciate it. My friends on the other hand, well, I’m not sure. All I ever hear is ‘That’s unhealthy, you’ll hurt yourself’. Yes, I know it’s unhealthy, but it’s a necessary step to achieve my goal,” Leach said.