Wingspan: What inspired you to start wrestling?

Cook: “When they came to the middle school in eighth grade it looked fun but challenging at the same time.”

Wingspan: What keeps you motivated to stay in the sport?

Cook: “Bettering myself through my matches individually and performing well for my teammates so we can get team points to win as a team.”

Wingspan: What is the most difficult thing about wrestling?

Cook: “The most difficult part is either having discipline to maintain weight or keeping a good headspace so I can compete at a high level.”

Wingspan: What is the biggest benefit of being in the

Cook: “Having discipline in everything that you do from weight to nutrition to workouts etc.”

Wingspan: What’s it’s like being on the team?

Cook: “It’s like being a part of a really big family. We spend so much time together between practice, duals on Thursday, and tournaments so we get really close really quickly. On top of that, after tournaments, we usually all meet up somewhere to get food or just hang out. Because we are so close we can call each other out when needed and keep each other accountable during workouts. It’s also great being in a coed sport because we all work to better each other guys and girls as a whole.”

Wingspan: What pumps you up or motivates you before a match?

Cook: “Knowing how much work I put in each week and just being ready to go compete and prove myself motivates me  before each match.”

Wingspan: What is your pre-game ritual?

Cook: “I try to avoid looking at brackets of who I’m competing against so I don’t think I cannot try as hard or can slack off because of their record. I want to go into every match the same so I don’t look at who I’m wrestling and I only focus on myself and how I wrestle.”