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SM South News

the student news source of shawnee mission south

SM South News

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Pursuing Pabst

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It’s finally his turn, the moment he’s been thinking about all day with undivided attention. Excitement, enjoyment, and a twinge of nervousness surge through senior JW Pabst. But those feelings dissolve as he steps onto the mat, facing his next faceless opponent. He zones out the crowd, his teammates, his coach, and his own feelings to focus on the task at hand: winning.

Pabst started wrestling in the second grade, when his best friend invited him to come to practice. Ever since he started showing up to those practices, his life has been filled with intermittent wrestling. He started off high school in the 130 lb weight class and is in 145 for his senior year. He achieved his 100th win this year, and he has also gone to state his sophomore and junior years. Coach Rios described him as “good all around,” “a bonus in many ways,” and “a very strong wrestler.” “In the beginning it was a big deal, but after a while it starts to wear on your body. But I do still enjoy it,” Pabst said. His teammates and coach believe that Pabst is a crucial component to the team. His drive and dedication are evident and contagious among the other wrestlers.

“He’s a great wrestler, he brings in points, and he’s motivating. He wants to see the good of the team,” senior Brandon Jenkins said.

The significance of the physical training aspect of wrestling is enormous. Pabst has to constantly condition and improve on techniques, as well as work on cutting weight. It gets even more difficult during two day tournaments.

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“Two-day tournaments are hard,” Pabst said. “You can’t eat a lot, and you get really tired.”

Pabst brings a unique and inspiring attitude and mood not only to the varsity team, but to the younger wrestlers as well. According to Rios he is a good leader, and provides leadership both verbally and through his example to his fellow wrestlers on the varsity, JV, and freshman teams.

“He can be funny, but he knows when to buckle down and get things done,” Jenkins said.

His varsity teammates acknowledge that he has a different attitude when it comes to meets and tournaments. He balances his feelings and actions between practices and meets, putting himself in the state of mind required to do well in whatever situation he is in.

“He’s serious when it comes to the different atmosphere at meets; he stays focused,” senior Clay Pearce said.

Everyone seems confident in JW’s wrestling abilities, which earned him his way into state finals this year, and that if he wanted to he could pursue wrestling at higher levels. Pearce and Jenkins both believe that he could wrestle in college if he desired too, and that their teammates as well as Coach Rios share the same opinion. JW himself is not so sure, however.

“If I get any scholarships, than yeah, I would wrestle in college, but otherwise probably not,” Pabst said.

Though he has enjoyed it for the 11 years that he has played, he feels that after high school he may want to settle down and give himself a much-deserved break.

However, Rios is still optimistic about the possibilities of Pabst’s future wrestling.

“Oh yeah, if he wants to, then yes I would say that he has the ability to wrestle at the next level,” Rios said.

 

By /Luke Holland

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Pursuing Pabst