Members of the Ohio wrestling team are taking a step back in time this weekend, rewinding to their childhoods by re-enacting a few typical family vacations.
Well … kind of.
The Bobcat grapplers will combine mom and pop’s favorite getaways this Sunday, when they take the mat in Virginia Tech’s Hokie Open.
They’ll be trekking through the countryside to get to Blacksburg, sending the team back into the good ol’ days where a couple of tents and a well-stocked icebox made for a good weekend away.
However, once the team rolls up to the stadium about 5:30 Sunday morning, they will be on their feet nonstop, reminiscent of a museum trip or big-city excursion.
Ohio coach Joel Greenlee likened the team’s journey to neither a camping trip nor a day on the town, instead describing it as the grind of a long day in the gym.
“We’ll get to the arena probably about an hour before weigh-ins, cut weight and make sure everything’s good, get a little bit to eat, and start wrestling,” Greenlee said of the long Sunday meet. “We’ll probably be wrestling from 8 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m.”
Once Ohio’s bus rolls into Blacksburg, the team of only six upperclassmen will have a firm idea of how to handle meet day. For the past two weeks, Greenlee has led his team through intrasquad scrimmages, prepping the young group for its first match of the season.
“When you’re in practice, the coaches are taking you through everything: ‘Hey, this is what we are going to drill, this is our warm up, this is our cool down.’ There, we’re going to have 30 guys wrestling and four, five, six guys wrestling at a time,” Greenlee said. “You have to be responsible for yourself a little bit. That’s what the green and white (and) Friday night matches do.”
Greenlee did not highlight any particular blockbuster matchups. Instead, he is anticipating a very well-rounded team effort, headed up by redshirt junior Gabe Ramos, junior Jake Wojcik and redshirt sophomore Jeremy Johnson, among others.
“I’m really looking forward to a lot of our young guys. I think they’re going to do well,” Greenlee said. “I’m most excited to see how (all) 35 of us wrestle.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
