Now that winter is here, wrestling season has sprung. Wrestling season begins shortly before Thanksgiving break and continues into early March.

With a six-days-a-week practice schedule, matches in the middle of the week, and tournaments on the weekend, the season is quite stacked and busy. Wrestlers must maintain a consistent weight throughout the season; this means cutting things from their normal diet, some days not eating at all, and some even resort to not drinking a lot of water due to “water weight”. Every ounce matters for weigh-ins. These behaviors can lead to an unhealthy view of food and eating disorders. Because most of their disordered eating is due to the pressures of wrestling and not the negative view of their body, it doesn’t meet the requirements to be classified as a textbook eating disorder. However, it is still disordered eating and not healthy for the body.

Jack Tofanelli, a Seneca Valley wrestler and senior, says, “Personally, my eating habits change slightly during the season. This is because I am in a weight class where my weight is normally at. Though, there are times, especially before a weigh-in where I do go extended periods without eating.” Even though his weight class is practically his normal weight, he still needs to not eat for extended periods to meet the exact weight for weigh-ins. Eating patterns can affect someone’s mental health, through dopamine patterns that are associated with food intake, which can lead to reinforcing disordered eating habits. This means even after the season, they could still find themselves doing these patterns. Due to his closeness in weight out of the season to his in-season weight class, Tofanelli doesn’t tend to have this issue. “My mental well-being is not affected by my eating habits during the season. As I said before, I am at a comfortable weight, so most of the time I can eat food regularly.” But not all wrestlers are as fortunate.

Not only does wrestling have effects on eating habits, but it also has effects on the mind. Due to the long season and frequencies of practices and competitions, and the fact that it occurs in the dark winter months, it could lead to some sadder moods. Tofanelli states, “The wrestling season is long, around 3 months if you include individuals. It’s a big commitment as you wrestle for six days a week for months straight. Because of that, I can sometimes get in a slump in the middle of the season.” Not having much time for friends and being in a physically demanding situation a lot of your time can be stressful, along with keeping up with schoolwork.

Injuries are not uncommon in the world of wrestling, from skin diseases to fractures, sprains, and bruises. This is due to the grueling physicality of the sport. Skin diseases are more likely to be spread on the mats because of sweat, spit, and blood that could be expelled during a match. Tofanelli explains, “There are many injuries and diseases that go around during the season. A lot of small injuries like on the wrist and hand, but also big ones like knee injuries. There are already a few people out with injuries now. Diseases like ringwork and impetigo are common but are less seen if we shower after practice. I have been healthy throughout my wrestling career, and I am fortunate to not miss much from the small injuries I have had over the years.”

While wrestling can be a demanding sport, it is a sport full of community, hard work, and accomplishments. Good luck to all Seneca Valley wrestlers during the 2023-2024 season.