On Saturday, December 18th Columbus High's Wrestling Team is hosting and competing in the City-Wide Wrestling Championship.
Wrestling matches are structured by having wrestlers compete from one weight class to the next, sometimes by random selection, sometimes by starting with the lower weight classes.
"All the [high] schools in Columbus will be there except St. Anne Pacelli. The additions are Harris County, Chattahoochee County, and three schools from Alabama: Central, Smiths Station, and Russell County," reveals wrestling coach Namu Keys.
Saturday's match is the first step the wrestling team has to take in order to qualify for the State Championship.
"[There are] three tournaments that have you have to do before you go to state, and you have to win in those," says sophomore wrestler Tyler Ngyuen who is considered by his peers as a shoo-in for the state competition.
Those three tournaments are the upcoming city championship, then the Area Duals, then finally the Sectional Duals, the latter two being held in January.
Another sophomore who has been praised by other students for her wrestling prowess is Jasmine Jenkins-Bey, who joined wrestling because she "thought it would be an interesting challenge."
"I wanted to do a sport at CHS for four years, so I went out on a limb and decided to do something way out of the box," she explains.
Jenkins-Bey also reveals what keeps her motivated to participate in such a rigorous sport.
"I like the rush that I get when I improve. For example, if I have been practicing a particular move and I successfully execute it in a match, I get a great feeling."
"I also love the support I get from my teammates! They advocate for me when I can't do so myself and they truly want to see me do great," she adds.
The wrestling championship will be held in the gym and begins at 9 a.m.. Admission is $7.
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