Hungry for competition

A quick warning to any high school wrestler about to read this story: Stop now.

You will become hungry, saddened and, possibly, maniacal.

This is entirely about what you cannot have.

Pizza. Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Kentucky Fried anything. Cheeseburgers. Panda Express orange chicken.

In an age when drastically cutting weight is not only frowned upon, but illegal, the onus is entirely on a 14- to 17-year-old to resist the peer pressure. Time was, a high school wrestler could eat like a pig, then cut 10 pounds in a day, all to get under the limit.

But in 1997, when three collegiate wrestlers died after extreme weight-loss activities, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, preventative measures were put in place. Rules revised in 2002 and mandated in 2006 include hydration level management (not to exceed 1.025), body-fat minimums (7 percent for males) and a weekly weight loss not to exceed 1.5 percent.

"It used to be, there were no regulations," Spring Valley coach Fred Meyer said. "Kids would just do whatever they wanted to cut weight. Now there's all types of tests.

"This is the way it should be. It teaches the kids to sacrifice eating junk food or everything in sight. It teaches them discipline."

Added Coronado coach Bob Clements about his high school days, more than 20 years ago: "We wore plastic bags. Did all kinds of stuff. It was unethical, but we were uneducated. Sometimes I didn't eat for two days and my eyes would turn black or purple. On the third day, you feel like you hate life."

Instead of such drastic measures, today's high school wrestlers have strict diet plans and coaches are more mindful of nutrition decisions.

Not that the kids don't dream.

"I am looking forward to that Double-Double from In-N-Out," said Green Valley freshman Stephen Berta, who wrestles at 135 pounds. "Oh, man. And that buffet at Sunset Station. That's exactly what I'm looking toward."

Berta's eyes light up, his mouth waters and he smiles brightly when just discussing his favorite foods. During wrestling season, they are but a dream, a far-off bacon, er, beacon. Like so many of his brethren, Berta has committed himself to a healthy lifestyle.

He typically weighs himself five times a day, the scale having become more of a temporary nuisance than an outright nemesis. After a couple of years in the sport, making weight just becomes part of the gig.

"When they start off, yeah it's a step, it's a hurdle," Green Valley coach Jon Ferry said. "By the time they're juniors and seniors, and they've been seasoned around the sport, it becomes a part of the game. It's not the opponent."

Some local wrestlers still have some crazy stories. Green Valley senior Wesley Goldbaum once spent a four-hour bus ride to a wrestling camp wrapped in a sleeping bag.

"But the worst thing I've heard is Epsom salt baths," Goldbaum said. "You get it almost too hot to be in the water and then you pour in Epsom salt, which soaks the water out of you. Then you're in there for a half hour. You can lose five pounds in a half hour."

That isn't the norm, though.

Practices are still grueling, two hours of nonstop movement resulting in as much as a 5- or 6-pound weight loss. However, most local wrestlers know how much they have to be mindful of nutrition.

Still, when the school cafeteria peddles french fries by the barrel, that bland sandwich can't be too appetizing.

Coronado senior Sean Carrington has an answer.

"In the end, after you eat something, it doesn't matter what you just ate," Carrington said. "Your stomach's full, you're comfortable. I can eat a tuna fish sandwich, and I'll hate it. But when I'm done, I imagined I ate something else.

" 'Ah, man, that was a great cheeseburger.' "

Contact reporter Jon Gold at jgold@reviewjournal.com or (702) 380-4587.