Wrestler gets to the right weight - Anthony Sparks, Greenwood

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December 6, 2008

 

Wrestler gets to the right weight

 

Junior Anthony Sparks gains pounds and ground in his weight class

 

By Steve Brooks

Star correspondent

 

If Greenwood junior wrestler Anthony Sparks feels like he's strong enough to take on the world right now, no one could blame him.

 

A junior, Sparks weighs in at 103 pounds -- light by most standards, but 23 pounds heavier than he was as a freshman and eight pounds more than a year ago, when he spent the season wrestling in the Woodmen's 103-pound varsity slot. He didn't make it out of the sectional last season but is off to a strong 5-0 start this year.

 

"It really feels tremendous. I just feel so much stronger and so much faster," Sparks said. "I can go to tournaments, relax and just wrestle. I don't find myself thinking, 'I'm only 95 pounds. These guys are so much bigger than me.' "

 

Greenwood coach Mike Smitson feels that Sparks competing in a weight class typically inhabited by freshmen and sophomores can give his wrestler an advantage.

 

"The last couple years he's been (at) a 15- to 20-pound weight (disadvantage). Now he doesn't have that," Smitson said. "Now he can walk out on the mat with a weight pretty equal to his opponent."

 

Sparks agreed. "I've been at this weight class for three years. I know what it takes and know how kids wrestle," he said. "It's a huge difference for me. I feel like I have a lot of experience with this group."

 

There wasn't any miraculous weight gain during the offseason for Sparks. Rather, he followed a pretty simple regimen.

 

"I lifted a lot, and I focused on eating the right things," he said. "I ate healthy food, not a lot of junk, so I could work out and get stronger."

 

Sparks made his debut last weekend in the Bison Invitational at Benton Central. He was 5-0 with a pin, two technical falls and two major decisions.

 

"You could tell his summer preparation paid off," Smitson said. "You could see that he'd lifted and that he'd worked on technique. He's one step closer to becoming a better wrestler."

 

Sparks didn't place in the top six in the sectional this year. He plans on doing much better this time.

 

"Of course getting out of the sectional for the first time is the big goal," he said. "I know there are some tough kids in my sectional, but I feel like this could me my year."