As the winter sports season begins, the Townsend Harris Varsity Wrestling team shared their aspirations for the upcoming months. The team currently holds a record of 1-1, with a recent loss to Maspeth High School.
The 2024 season has come with many changes for the team, as a result of new PSAL regulations. In previous years, the team competed in the blended league, where boys and girls could compete in a wrestling dual meet with their own set of rules. However, due to only a few teams signing up for this program, the PSAL has officially disbanded it. “This being the case, we are now wrestling in the boys’ league, but it allows girls to still have the opportunity to wrestle in practices, tournaments, and select matches,” said the team’s coach, Matthew Curiale.
Despite the adjustment, the team is optimistic about the upcoming season. Captain and junior Ana Montán looks forward to having “new learning experiences,” “learning more moves,” and holding practices with outside-of-school coaches who have improved her skills on the mat. Sophomore Annahi Guaman, a first-year wrestler, is looking forward to “making new friends” and “learning new moves.” Senior Edison Fang is looking forward to “competing in tournaments.”
Edison hopes for the team to “stay on a PSAL winning streak” and make it to playoffs this season. However, Ana’s goal for the team is to combat their fear on the mat. “Of course we want to win as many individual matches…and team games, but if you show to the coaches and the captains that you are putting in the effort and learning from your mistakes, we are proud. We want our wrestlers to show up and be dedicated,” Ana said.
The wrestlers are also holding themselves accountable by setting personal goals. First-year wrestler Jason He, a sophomore, wants to manage his time wisely. “To be on the wrestling team, you have to sacrifice a lot of time and commit to improving yourself every practice,” Jason said. Similarly, another first-year wrestler, junior Jingxin Huang, wants to keep practicing, never give up, and hopefully, perform with their best ability during matches.
Coach Curiale, who has been wrestling coach at THHS for the past five years, believes that the team “must show some grit in order to be successful.” He said, “wrestling is one of the toughest sports out there. It requires you to be willing to work hard and practice every day while keeping your weight on point for the set weight classes.” He said he also enjoys watching the wrestlers have fun and enjoy each other’s company. “Every practice and every match is a learning experience,” he said. Whether it’s a new move, strategy or new way to build endurance, progress can be documented, and this is what makes wrestling such a rewarding experience for the student athlete and myself.”
