A new sports season has started for La Jolla High students which means Vikings will get to experience a whole new season of winter sports. These sports include basketball, soccer, women’s water polo, and wrestling. 

On December 13th and 14th, the El Cajon Invitational is taking place. Hopefully, La Jolla will be able to take home a win. Meets are a big part of the sport and they let our school showcase their skills. 

“At the meets we have wrestlers compete school vs school, where the varsity wrestlers go against each other and try to win points for their team,” Varsity Wrestler Zeke Pearl said. In a typical match, two opponents start standing and use various methods to get the other on the ground. The match ends when someone’s back touches the mat and a point goes to their team. Whichever team has the most pins by the end wins. 

“We also have weekend tournaments where you enter against people in your weight class and try to win,” Pearl said. Weight classes exist to keep a large wrestler from dominating a smaller wrestler.

When practicing for these meets, athletes meet in the wrestling room to spar with each other to practice different techniques and moves. 

“Practice usually looks like a lot of people wrestling with each other or doing warm-ups. The coaches watch to make sure nobody gets hurt and teach us different moves,” Wrestler Alex Von Mueller said.