Captain Gabriel Rubin (12) maneuvered his arm around his opponent’s shoulders and pin them against the mat as the referee circled the two to confirm the fall. A horn blew to signify the end of the match that saw Rubin capture Westview’s lone win in the team’s loss to Mt. Carmel, 78-5, Dec. 10.
Going into the meet, Rubin said he tried to lose weight by fasting and going in the sauna to go down a weight class, but even though the cut began to take a toll on his body and he had to break his fast, he still decided to compete after switching with another teammate in a different weight class.
“I was supposed to go down 10 pounds, and cutting weight is very hard,” Rubin said. “I woke up that same morning 175 [pounds], went in the sauna for two hours and came out 165. And then I started feeling really bad, so I decided, I can’t do this. But luckily, I was able to switch to some kid that was lighter than me, so I was able to wrestle at 175.”
Rubin said he went into his round hoping to perform well despite the fact that all of his teammates before him had lost. The stands were also filled with parents and students from Mt. Carmel, which Rubin found intimidating.
“It’s a lot about mindset,” Rubin said. “It’s hard to go in [with] a neutral mindset or a positive mindset when your whole team is losing. When you looked at the crowd, it was an ocean of red—it was almost intimidating to Westview even before we went out there, because you’re looking at [the crowd] and it’s all Mt. Carmel people, but you [still] have to go out there and perform your best.”
Rubin was able to pin his opponent in under a minute, earning Westview six points. He said his strategy was to start the match with quick and assertive attacks to catch his opponent off guard which helped him win before the three rounds finished.
“Tactic-wise, I’m very aggressive,” Rubin said. “I didn’t go up the whole three periods because I pinned [my opponent] in under a minute and I was pumped with adrenaline. I don’t wait for them to drill on me and as soon as I get the opportunity, I go for it. If it works, it works; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. But, I train hard and I know what I’m doing, so 99% of the time it does work.”
Rubin said that his individual performance was a testament to his hard work both in and outside of practice.
“Overall, as a school, we didn’t do well, but what I love about wrestling is that it’s an individual sport,” Rubin said. “So if I do my conditioning on the side, go to the gym, and go hard with my partner in practice, then I can go out there and put on a show and beat the kid that I’m wrestling.”
Going into future meets, Rubin said he will continue working hard beyond practice. He hopes to be prepared by not only working on his technique in practice, but also developing his stamina through long runs.
“It’s a lot of preparation; going to the gym and going for runs,” Rubin said. “I’m [working on] getting my cardio up because that means [I can] drill harder every time. Every time that I’m out there [on the mat] my cardio gets a little better. It’s like a snowball effect—if my cardio is better, I can drill harder, and then my cardio keeps getting better and so on and so forth.”
Despite Westview’s loss, Rubin said he believes that the team still has the chance to perform well in the future. He said that continuing to train consistently will help him and his teammates gain strength, and he hopes that the team will take their loss as a way to improve.
“Physical strength plays a big part in the sport,” Rubin said. “It’s still early in the season, so it’s about getting your gas tank up, your conditioning up, and lifting outside of practice. It’s always a learning experience.”
