My blood, my sweat, and my tears have led me to this moment. I stand here, in the center of Oak Hill High School’s gymnasium. The hardwood floor, once a sanctuary for a whole other breed, is now being covered by the magnificent yet vile look of a wrestling mat. My foot finds its way to the line. My right hand moves away from my waist and comes up for the handshake. I peer into the darkness of the animal’s eyes. “Veni, Vidi, Vici.” I have come to the mat. I have seen my opponent. It is time to conquer.

BANG! The best lateral I have ever thrown to date. The whistle blows. Practice has once again come to an end and my teammates circle around me. All their eyes are peering at me. Each person with his/her own unique look but in some way all very similar; I have not yet grasped the entire meaning of being a team captain. We finish our stretches but coach has one last surprise for us. He wants us to practice our warm-up for home meets one last time before tomorrow. We start by running laps around the mat.

Rolling up and tying off the last mat–this puts an end to my third year of high school wrestling. Walking out of the room, I look back and already start to miss the smell of feet, sweat, and bleach. Slowly approaching the locker room, I hear the faint sounds of my teammates on the other side of that thick steel door. I walk inside. The sounds are only memories that will never be forgotten. My locker, which once contained a pair of shoes, some headgear, and a singlet now stands empty, and is nothing but a cold, hard, twisted hunk of steel. The water is hot now. I step into the shower.

My face is dripping. My body is wet. From head to toe I am covered in sweat. This is the time when we flip the switch from “silly” to “serious”. The music starts to play. I look back down the deep, dark, menacing hallway to see my team getting ready for the time of their lives. I can see the confidence in their eyes. We have become more than just a group of people. We are friends, we are teammates, but most of all we are family. Before I lead my team out the door I look at my coach. He gives me a good luck nod and shakes my hand.

I let go. I bring my arm back. I lower my stance. The whistle blows.