Pin It To Win It

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Wrestling is a sport that tests the participants endurance, strength, flexibility, and strategy. Head coach Mr. Andrew Hammond has a plethora of experience and love for the sport.

Coach Hammond had been an assistant coach for five years before being a head coach. “It has really taught me to build relationships and talk to each one differently based on their personality,” Hammond said. He also stated that naturally making relationships with the students is easier than forcing to get to know them. When they accomplish something they feel the need to tell you since you are their coach.
Coach Hammond is a Psychology teacher alongside being a Coach too. “I love helping students succeed in wrestling. It means the world to me, but I also like to help students think about their lives and also what they want to do in it. We have a study hall where students have to work on homework. I wish to help students succeed in life as they
do wrestling,” Hammond said.
Coach Hammond is also an Alumni from Holt. He wrestled here from 2004-2008 and loved every minute. “I always liked how the coaches pushed you to the maximum limit in your division. When I started coaching, I tried to start teaching life lessons when kids mess up or always don’t achieve what they expect as my coaches did for me,” Hammond said.
This year, Coach Hammond has many new additions to the wrestling world, including a much larger girls division and new talent. “I want kids to compete at their highest level this season and really challenge themselves. One thing we teach is there is always someone better than you and in order to become better, you have to wrestle
people better than you. We always encourage kids to do the best they can but never think you are the best because there is always someone better,” Hammond said.
Coach Hammond always make sure his team is most prepared they can be for a meet. “We train at every practice. These kids know the weight room is their best friend. We often use the term ‘pain is weakness leaving the body’ and our students go by that. Kids tell me all the time that there sore and their hurt and I ask if they wanna sit. They
answer with no coach because pain just means I’m getting stronger,” Hammond said.
At the end of the day, coaches and wrestlers enjoy the sport even through the pain and strains they continue to wrestle because they know they love it. When watching it, it might look like kids are just rolling around and bending peoples’ arms backwards. But to them, it could be everything from a stress release, a lifestyle, and an escape. Even when they want to fall down and break or give up and quit they don’t. They will continue until their body breaks because that is what this sport means to them.