Being the Parent of a High School Wrestler
I am proud to be the mom of a wrestler. I so admire the tenacity, team spirit, drive, intelligence, capabilities and determination of our wrestlers. And over time, I learned a few things to help keep my wrestler healthy and safe.
Hygiene
Being careful with hygiene will help prevent the spread of infection. The coaches and team work hard to take keep the mats clean. Here are a few things you can do and encourage your wrestler to do:
Personal hygiene-Wrestlers should shower after every practice and meet-Many of the wrestlers are firm believers in washing hair and body with Selsun Blue. I've talked with several physicians and they've said this is a reasonable thing to do to reduce the risk of fungal infections. Give your wrestler a small bottle of hand gel (like Purell) and encourage them to use it before and after wrestling-it will help keep them from getting sick and spreading their own germs to other wrestlers.
Clothing-all clothes should be washed after every practice-singlets and warmups should be washed after every meet and tournament. Remember to wash head gear and knee pads at least weekly and even shoes from time to time. My son felt that stinky knee pads gave him an advantage but I had to overrule that tactic!
Towels, sheets, etc. -wash towels at least weekly, sheets should be washed weekly.
Does this sound like a lot of laundry? Well it is-but it really can make a difference. Kids with skin infections are not allowed to wrestle. This can be painfully disappointing.
Injury prevention
Insist that your wrestler wear head gear. My son had cauliflower ear as a junior because of inconsistently wearing head gear during practice. Strongly consider knee pads for one or both knees. Ask your wrestler how they are doing and attend to injuries. Make sure they know how to appropriately ice an injury and the importance of icing right away. Wearing safety gear, taking time to stretch, warm-up, cool down and working on flexibility will all help to prevent injuries.
Food
Many wrestlers have to watch their weight. The coaches are supportive of them wrestling at a weight they can reasonably maintain. Each year, a physician checks every wrestler at school and gives information on the minimum weight they can wrestle at. Try to give your wrestler every opportunity to eat food that’s good for them. My son is one a healthy eater thanks in part to learning about nutrition while wrestling. Try to send healthy snacks and lunch for tournaments-things like apples and bananas, fruit leather, peanut butter or turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, pasta with parmesan cheese, scrambled eggs and wheat toast, instant oatmeal, whole wheat bagels and cream cheese, baby carrots. A power bar and a drink like Gatorade are good to always have. Dinner could include rice or pasta, salad with oil and vinegar dressing, cooked vegetables, baked chicken or fish. Have snacks on hand like cut up fruit and veggies, popcorn and baked rice cakes. Talk to your wrestler if they are skipping a lot of meals. They need the food for energy!
Compiled by Tizzy Harbaugh, Nathan Hale team mom-2003-2006
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