Shoot, sprawl, duck under, and fight! The offensive and defensive sport of wrestling has instilled great respect in millions of different athletes. The athletes here don’t feel any different. Blue and White is a tradition at St. Charles High. Male athletes are trained for fourteen practices prior, whilst the females are trained up to 20 practices before. It’s also tradition to split the team into two separate teams. One team being titled ‘Old’ and the other “Baby,’ this was created to give the coaches a chance to show off old knowledge versus new knowledge. 

This event has some athletes excited every year. Like junior Camden Brown.

“Blue and White was just like any other little dual meet,” Brown said. “You go out there and try some new things and wrestle as hard as you can of course. Those matches are to see what you really need to work on and what doesn’t really work for you, but might for others.”

Other returners couldn’t share the same excitement of being on the mat. Charles Reid had the misfortune of straining his muscle prior to the event. Though the injury tried to hold him back, it didn’t stop him from cheering from the side line and helping coach other players before and after the matches. 

As of this year Reid is now a boys varsity captain. 

“Being able to show up for them and create an atmosphere where I can help them through anything in wrestling is a true goal for me.” Reid said. “Watching the previous captains from years prior has been a true inspiration for what and who I am today, I strive to be like them.”

Blue and White isn’t the only tradition being held. Sophomore Austin Thorne is a third generation wrestler. Throughout the years before him, his grandfather wrestled and coached which was passed down to Austin’s father. Jeff Thorne then became Assistant Principal and coached for a short amount of time. The love for the sport was then passed down to Austin and his siblings. This lineage has been recognized numerous times whether its names, facts, or figures on a board or to those who have helped pass on the love for the sport.
“It gives a lot more pressure. If it was just my siblings instead of my dad and grandpa it would be less stressful. But I love the pressure when I see my father and grandpa show up to watch me wrestle,” Thorne said. “It gives me more motivation to get the win.”