I realize what I had actually gotten myself into as I sit on the mats that I had grown to know so well. I would have to endure, another time, another six minutes of incredible brutality. As I sat there eating my sandwich that I had prepared the night before, I think about how my team, and more importantly, how I would do in my wrestling match later that night. I had dedicated the last several months to this sport by watching my weight and practicing several hours after school and on the weekends. My last match had taken a lot out of me, and giving my neck a burning pain for the next couple of days whenever I moved my head. Nevertheless, I still managed to win my match despite my neck that had been twisted around like a bottle cap. Wrestling matches are very intense and winning is worth the effort.
             Our team captain yells at us to start warming up, and we slowly stood and start to make our way out of the gym unhurriedly. The room was dark and murky, the lights were low, and as my team walked into the shadows, I joined them. The captains started to jog around the room to get their blood flowing, and gradually, like lemmings, followed their example. On the walls of the gym are names and portraits of the legends that had wrestled before our time. The looks on their faces were filled with the rage of a savage beast and yet they were also filled with joy of their complete dominance in the sport. "Be aggressive! I want to see you be aggressive and smart out there! I don't want to see anyone give up!" my coach barks at the team. He continues his motivational bellows, but gets drowned out when the loud speakers ask every one to rise for the national anthem. The song plays and I cringe while the school's aged speakers crackle as if they are about to break. The wrestling is ready to begin.
             The first man up to wrestle was Chester, a tall, scrawny, weak kid who reminded me more
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