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Cam High’s wrestling team hosted matches and an outdoor practice behind the gym on Thursday, Nov. 9, to celebrate the start of the wrestling season and promote the team. The wrestling team wanted to exhibit that wrestling is an inclusive sport, open to all who want to work hard.

A week before this event, coach Ronald Wilson desired something different from the usual daily practice, so his solution was to expose the team to a different environment. “[Coach Wilson] wanted to show [students] what [wrestlers] do in wrestling because a lot of people don’t want to join [since] they don’t know what it [entails], so [coach Wilson] just wanted to promote [the sport and team],” said Emily Ruiz, junior.

Some wrestlers preferred practicing inside the gym for a more difficult workout in order to burn calories for the upcoming wrestling season. Others preferred the outside air and the change in surroundings. “The difference of practicing outside is [that] it’s not as hot as in the wrestling room [so] it’s easier to breath since the air is constantly circulating, unlike the wrestling room where it’s all trapped,” said second year wrestler Shane Santos, sophomore.

The next day, a practice called “Midnight Madness” ran from 12:01 to 1:30 a.m. in the wrestling room. Midnight Madness occurs every year and brings team members closer together. After practice, wrestlers, family, and friends headed to Denny’s to spend time with one another outside of practice.

“I feel as if [Midnight Madness] is more of a night for bonding [than anything]. This year was [the] second one [I attended], and I just felt my bonds with teammates get even stronger. Overall, it was draining, but a fun night because after the practice we went to Denny’s to eat as a team at about [two] in the morning,” said sophomore Enrique Cázares, a wrestler at Cam High for two years now.

Coach Wilson was proud of all wrestlers for working so hard in preparation. “[The team] is progressing well and we are looking forward to a great season,” said coach Wilson. The wrestling team has their first competition on Dec. 2, located in Thousand Oaks.