For High School Wrestlers

"High school wrestlers are, many times, at the top of the class of new SEAL members.

So the SEALs recruiting team, a mix of current and former SEALs, are here to talk with kids who might think the group is for them. Why wrestlers? Rorke Denver, a west-coast based SEAL, says it’s because wrestlers rely on technique and toughness. Physical strength only gets a wrestler so far. And if you can survive wrestling practice, you have a shot at becoming a SEAL.

“Commitment to that training and wanting to see that through even when things get tough - these are elements of wrestling and fundamental elements to get through being a frogman and becoming a SEAL,” says Denver

Because of that high school wrestlers become SEALs at a faster rate than other high school athletes, but you can’t look at a wrestler and say he will make a good SEAL.

“If you are a linebacker coming in here at 250 pounds or a 140 pound wrestler you are running the same course, you are carrying the same boat, you are carrying the same logs, you are hitting the same water,” says Capt. Adam Curtis. “You are hitting the same test marks and the same spots.”

The SEALs brought submarines, hummers, and an interactive trailer for kids to look at, and it might have worked. We spotted Joe Welford checking the agreement out and as of now, he’s leaning on joining up, partially because of what her found out today.

“It’s amazing the instruments they have and the stories they have to tell so I’d really like to join.”

http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-seal-wrestling-recruitment,0,3126586.story

interesting…i would venture a guess, that wrestlers probably train the hardest of any high school athlete, and that’s why they’re part of the group that does the best.

btw, a good book on the culture of high school wrestling is 4 Days to Glory by Mark kreidler