#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 2-14-10
Happy Valentine’s Day! Although I don’t have a valentine today, I thought it would be a good day to reflect on something else I love (and hate): the sport of wrestling.
Yes, those parentheses aren’t a mistake. My relationship with the sport is very much a love/hate relationship. But as a teacher once told me, “something that means a lot to you is always worth loving and hating.”
I’ve been wrestling for almost eight years now, so it’s grown to be a consistent presence in my life. It’s been the source of many good memories and a few bad ones, as well. It’s taken me all over the country, from Iowa to Florida to New England, and it’s also the reason why I haven’t been able to go skiing for the past eight years.
There are many aspects of this sport that make it hard to love: losing weight, brutal practices and that soul-crushing feeling you get when you lose a match you know you could have won. Some losses are really hard to deal with. Once, after losing a match, I walked straight out of the gym and sat in the snow in my singlet for 10 minutes. Not a smart idea, but at the time it really didn’t matter. I was mad at everything: myself, my opponent, the referees, everything. I even said to myself, “I hate this sport.”
On the other hand, there are many aspects of this sport to love: the friendships, the competitions, the idea of being part of a team, and lastly, winning. Winning a wrestling match is probably the best thing about the sport. There are no words to describe the feeling you get at the end of a match when you are physically and mentally exhausted and the referee lifts up your hand, declaring you the winner. It has to be one of the best feelings in sports. It makes all the hard work worth it. It’s something to strive for and work for, and it’s been a big reason time and time again, I find myself on the wrestling mat.
I love wrestling, and although it may have a lot of aspects that I hate, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 1-31-10
A month ago it was the beginning of January. A month ago we had just rang in a new year and a new decade. A month ago we had just come back from a successful Florida outing eager to tackle the heart of our wrestling season: January.
During this month we saw a lot of injuries…too many injuries. During a few matches we couldn’t even line up a full squad.
We also wrestled A LOT. Bridgewater, Elizabethtown, Ithaca, Williams…we had a competition every weekend. Not only that, but we also faced a lot of quality competition. Some of our matches and tournaments were against Division I programs. In this regard, I would say that Gabe (Gleason) had the toughest month as he wrestled a nationally-ranked wrestler every weekend.
There were also a lot of encouraging signs. Matt (Magill), Jamie (Myers) and Sabino (Galassi) earned All-State honors, while Jamie capped off his month by beating a nationally-ranked wrestler.
This weekend is the UAA’s (University Athletic Association Championships), which next to NCAA qualifiers is our most important competition. If everyone wrestles to their potential, then there will only be good news coming out of Chicago on Saturday night.
After UAA’s we’ll have two weeks to prepare for our qualifiers to end our season in the best way possible.
I’m excited to see what February has in store for us.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 1-11-10
My Christmas this year can be summed up in one word: short. My Christmas itself was great, but the very next day we were due back at school for practice. Though it would have been nice to have a few more days off, we really had no choice. We had a tournament in Florida starting on the 28th.
The tournament was great. It offered us the opportunity to face some different competition, as many Midwest teams were in attendance. Wrestling against Midwest teams is always an interesting experience, as they are known for their particularly tough, gritty, in-your-face wrestling style.
The tournament was a two-day competition that allowed everyone to get plenty of wrestling in. It also provided for many NYU highlights, such as Kyle (Christensen) reaching the finals and Matt (Magill) pinning a returning national champion.
Coming back to New York was an adventure of its own, as we faced everything from plane malfunctions to weather delays. But, 14 hours and many lost bags later, we ended up in New York in time for New Year’s Eve.
So far this month of January has been practice intensive. Since classes haven’t started yet, we have little to schedule in our day besides practice, sleeping and writing blogs, meaning that we have two-a-days nearly everyday. Though it does make for long practices, it also gives us a chance to work on some aspects that are overlooked during regular practices such as technique work and lifting. Furthermore, it keeps us out of the cold.
Looking ahead, we have competitions every weekend of January. It’s our last month to get ready for the important stuff: UAA’s and National Qualifiers.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 12-9-09
Wrestling is known as an individual sport. Every match consists of only you vs. your opponent, and unlike the ‘wrestling’ that gets shown on TV there are no tag team matches. Not to mention that our nicknames aren’t nearly as cool as theirs.
Even though every match is individual, there still is a team format of competition. In dual meets every winning match gives a certain amount of points to the team. After all the weight classes have competed (10 matches) the team with the highest score wins. Even though you may be all alone in the center of the mat during the dual meet, you feel as though you are wrestling for something bigger and more important. The outcome of your match directly affects the team’s fate. Thus, if everyone wrestles well, the team will do well. If they don’t, the team won’t do well.
Last Friday, we wrestled our main rival Hunter College. The match didn’t start off very well for us and we struggled early in the lower weight classes. After seven matches we were trailing by 11 points. Not a good spot to be in. However, #Sabino Galassi# and #Jamie Myers# stepped up and won both their matches, leaving us trailing by only four points entering the last match. Then came our heavyweight Justin Murberg, who in just 58 seconds pinned his opponent and sealed the team victory. The cheer from our side of the bench definitely shook the very rafters when the ref called the pin.
This match demonstrated that even though it is at heart an individual sport, one cannot forgot the aspect of the team as well. When some of us struggle, there are others who step up so that we, as a team, can reach success.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 11-24-09
Out of all the weeks of the fall semester I have to say that this one is my favorite. It's only a three-day week, and with many teachers canceling their Wednesday classes it might as well be a two-day week.
More importantly, it gives everyone a chance go home, or at the very least take a break; something that I’m sure everyone on the team has been looking forward to. The last time we had multiple days off was the first week of October.
Even though we are on “break” for a few days, the thought of wrestling will never be too far away. As we all know from popular culture, wrestlers are notorious for losing weight and staying thin. Although there are many myths about that subject, it is partly true: we wrestle at assigned weight classes and we have to honor that. Doing so takes responsibility and sacrifice. So while the rest of our friends and families will be feasting on multiple courses, we’ll have to exercise some sort of restraint or go for a run before the big meal.
It is what it is.
However, Thanksgiving is about more than the meal itself. It’s also about seeing friends and relatives. For us wrestlers, it gives us a chance to catch up with our former teams, since nearly all high school teams practice the day after.
It’s always fun to go back to our old wrestling rooms to talk to our coaches, see our teammates and while we’re at it, get a workout in and beat up a couple of high school kids (on the mat of course).
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 11-17-09
With one tournament and four dual meets behind us, the season is officially underway. We opened up with a strong showing in Ithaca two weekends ago, where we placed fifth out of 10 teams and were only a few points behind the third- and four-place teams. We were actually third for a short period of time, but as with everything else in life—it’s not how you start but how you finish that matters.
Still, there were a lot of bright and encouraging results from the tournament. Gregg Martino, Matt Magill and Jamie Meyers all qualified for the finals, an accomplishment in itself at such a competitive tournament. Although they all came up empty a bit short, it was still a good way to open their seasons. I am sure this is only the first of many finals for each of them.
In addition, newcomer Sabino Galassi showed true class as he battled back from a tough semifinal loss through the wrestle-backs to take third place in the tournament. Other notable performers included Zac Fallah, Dave Rice, Steve Contino, and Justin Murberg who all reached the quarterfinals.
Following Ithaca and a tough week of practice we headed to the John Reese Duals at Wilkes University where we wrestled four dual meets. We finished the day 2-2 with mixed feelings about the experience. Everyone who wrestled was competitive and showed a lot of fight. However, crucial errors kept us from winning some matches. That being said, it was a good experience for everyone who participated as it gave us a way to evaluate what was working for us and what was not. Furthermore, three of the teams we faced were teams we will be facing again. So, even though the outcome was undesirable the first time, it is nice to know we will have another shot at beating them.
Speaking of familiar opponents, we will be facing another one on Thursday; the Lions of TCNJ (The College of New Jersey). Until then, it’s going to be practice, practice, practice, because as the saying goes “practice makes perfect”.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 11-3-09
I was planning on giving an update last week before our alumni match, but I couldn't’t really find the time. Not to worry, though, because the season is starting this week and the blog updates should be a lot more frequent!
It actually worked out in my favor that I didn't write an update before the alumni match last Friday. Being that the alumni match is wrestled against former friends and teammates, I was going to take this opportunity to do a little pre-match trash talkin’ to try and intimidate the alumni before stepping on the mat with them. Good thing I didn't. They won 15 out of 17 matches! Despite the lopsided result I can safely say that a great time was had by all who attended/participated.
On to more important things…
It’s finally time to take the training wheels off and wave pre-season goodbye. We’re slated to begin competition this weekend at the Ithaca Invitational. Though this tournament is trivial compared to the Metropolitan and National championships at the end of the season, it provides us a way to see where we stand as individuals and as a team. And, even though it’s early in the season, we still have high expectations as we’re returning six of our 10 starters from last year.
So, the ‘09-10 season is about to kick off. We’ve been awaiting it since September. I can hardly wait for that first whistle. It’s all wrestling from there.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 10-15-09
Pre-season has been in full swing for just about three weeks now, and this is what I have to say about it: I’m sore. Quite sore.
No amount of summer training can quite prepare you for the rigors of a two-hour wrestling practice. It can help out, but there’s still an adjustment to make once actual practice begins.
Over the past three weeks there has been no shortage of sprints, push-ups and whatever other creative exercises/workouts the coaches can come up with. From running laps around the roof track while carrying someone, to ‘plate workouts’; the coaches have been quite creative when it comes to getting us in shape.
In addition to preparing ourselves physically, we have spent a fair amount of time on learning (or re-learning) wrestling technique as well as drilling the moves we already know. Though it is still early, this is a very important time in the season. Once competitions start, we will no longer have weeks of uninterrupted practices. Therefore, it is important that we establish a good training base now, both physically and skill-wise, so that during competitions we will be able to focus on those things which will enable us to make greater strides towards success.
Until then, let the soreness continue: its all for the best.
#Clement Bommier# is a junior on the NYU wrestling team. Periodically throughout the season, he will share his thoughts in this space.
Written 9-29-09
Fall is upon us. The signs are growing more and more visible every day. The leaves will soon change colors. The warm days of summer are getting to be few and far between. Soon they’ll only be a distant memory. Football games dominate the airwaves and TV stations on weekends. And last but not least, Yankee fans are once again claiming that this year is the year that they will reclaim their dynasty. They tend to do that every year—and let me assure you, as a Yankee fan, I really do think this year is their year.
There will also be another sign of fall; though this one will be far less visible than the foliage. Down on the bottom level of Coles, the wrestling room will be buzzing with a lot more activity than usual; and I’m not talking about yoga. Nope. It’s wrestling season!
With the start of fall also comes the start of the wrestling season. Schools around the country will line up their teams and start their quest for a national championship, both team-wise and individually. For our seniors: Kyle (Christensen), Eliot (Smith), Michael (Cunningham), and Sean (Connors), this will be the final chapter in an odyssey; one that for some started as early as elementary school. Oh, how things have changed!
For our numerous cast of freshmen, this will hopefully be the beginning of a fruitful and productive four years, both on and off the mat. Though I can’t think of something meaningful to say for us sophomores and juniors, we matter, too. It’s our wrestling season as well. I hope it’ll be a great one for all.
So, ladies and gentlemen, stretch those necks, tape those shoelaces, strap on those headgears…it’s wrestling season!
