Photo courtesy of Ethan Gjelvik
Ethan Gjelvik celebrates his victory after pinning down his opponent.
Ethan Gjelvik
Ethan Gjelvik lives for the feeling of pinning his opponent. After the whistle blows, he does whatever it takes to put himself in a position to win. With only one year of wrestling under his belt, Gjelvik has already fallen in love with the sport.
“As soon as I first started I fell in love with it,” Gjelvik, with 16 pins wrestling in the 160 pound weight class, said. “The feeling of almost gratitude after winning is the best part. You feel better than [the opponent]. You feel accomplished. You feel like you’ve done what you went out to do and you’ve completed your task.”
Wrestling has proven to be a huge learning experience for Gjelvik. Away from the mat, he explains wrestling has shown him work ethic and more about himself.
“Wrestling has taught me to work harder and to be a better person,” Gjelvik said. “You have to always work harder because someone else is wanting the job just as much as you are.”
Although at its core wrestling is an individual sport, Gjelvik has taken time to build bonds with his other teammates. From there, he said he has formed a new understanding and appreciation for others around him.
“I have built strong relationships with everyone on the team and with my coach as well,” Gjelvik said. “It has made me respect people more because of the same things they go through.”
Although only having wrestled for a year, Gjelvik knows he wants to continue wrestling. His newly acquired love and passion for the sport is too much for him to give up already.
“I am fine with anything outside of high school as long as I get to keep [wrestling],” Gjelvik said. “It would be fun to do something I love just a little bit longer.”
