Skipping Tip Tuesday this week.  Still trying to determine if readers of the blog really care for it or not.  So today I bring you wrestling.  Specifically the match against rivals Lakota West and Lakota East.  The crowd started filtering in during the Freshmen & JV matches.  Surprisingly those matches both finished at the same time and within an hour of starting.  During the almost hour break I got to catch up with another photographer I had not seen for awhile.  The Varsity match was full of tension, with the meet decision coming down to the last wrestlers.  The crowd was supporting each of their wrestlers.  A pin by the East wrestler while down on points won the meet.  All the images are available through the Game Images link above.  Here are a few of my favorites from the night.

Face meet knee.

The East womens basketball team stopped to watch after practice.

Warming up for his match.

The GMC High School Wrestling Tournament was held last Saturday at Oak Hills High School.  I really admire the parents for attending these day long tournaments.  There is constantly action going on but having to wait for your athlete to take the mat, watch them and then wait for their next match has be tiring in a way.  I do know that I was worn out at the end and that gym floors are not made for sitting, kneeing and squatting on for that length of time.  But enough about any of my discomfort, I was not the one wrestling.  Wrestlers are very flexible yet strong.  Here are a few images to prove that:

Not sure I could untwist and straighten up from that.

Checking with the coach during his match.

Try touching your own knee to your head and see if you can move after that.

All images are available through the Game Proofs link above.

You know Lakota West vs Lakota East is a big rivalry when there are probably four times as many fans as normal for wrestling.  And the pep band showed up as well for the Varsity matches.  I imagine all the teams appreciate the extra support.  Here are a few of my favorite images from the matches.  All available through the Game Proofs link above.

Photographing wrestling causes me to turn and twist my body more than any other sport.  And I am not even the one exerting the most effort.  I love getting down on the floor and getting mat level images.  The contortions happen because they do not stay in the center of the mat and then you also have to get around the ref.  You know you have the perfect angle when all the sudden the ref appears in your view.  Which then means I am trying to move myself quickly to a new angle but without getting in the way of anyone watching the match.  But what I do is not even close to the wrestlers.  I am constantly amazed by their flexibility and strength.  Plus the fans are great and there are very unique instructions being shouted out.  Below are a few of my favorites from the night.  All images are available through the Game Proofs link above.

Little nose adjustment.

Prepping for his match.

Looking for the pin.

A rescheduled event because of some snow and ice.  The location got moved from East to West because of gym conflicts.  I cannot even imagine what the athletic offices have gone through because of events being postponed because of weather.  Shuffling my schedule was one thing but trying to coordinate with another school and find free gym time could not have been any fun.

Only the Freshmen and Varsity team wrestled.  More fans than normal showed up because of the match-up between the two schools.  Here are some images from the evening:

The ref getting down to watch the positioning and award points.

If only all the wrestlers would face the lighted scoreboard.  Extra light is nice.

Waiting for a ruling on the use of injury time.