Practicing Outside (Tyler Buckwalter)

This was the first time I had ever had the experience of wrestling outside on mats. It was a nice change from the hot, muggy wrestling room where we usually practice. The sun was shining and was a little draining, but at the same time, there was a nice breeze blowing, which made it comfortable. One other thing I really liked about wrestling outside was how soft the mats were. The sun made the mats really soft, and it was nice wrestling on them. Overall, I would say I enjoyed wrestling outdoors.

The environment of wrestling in the center of campus with people stopping to watch was pretty exciting. Wrestling, as a sport, has trouble getting a lot of publicity because a lot of people do not understand it. I feel that events like this are a great for our team and sport in general. I was surprised at how many people stopped to watch us, and the support we had from other administrators and coaches on campus. I saw a few basketball coaches, our athletic director, and even the president of the University made an appearance. It was a great overall event for our team. We just finished a great preseason of training, and I believe we will have an outstanding year as a team. Hopefully, more people, having seen a little of what Kent State wrestling is all about, will come support us throughout the season.