Bazan’s Dedication Leads to 100+ Wins
January 25, 2018
It was the first tournament of the season and senior Max Bazan had just won his first match. After finishing his junior season with a total of 99 wins, he was able to record his 100th win in his high school career. Most wrestlers are lucky to end their senior season with roughly 90 wins or less. In order to reach 100 wins by the end of the season, the wrestlers must be rigorous all four years of high school.
Bazan has been wrestling for most of his life but didn’t take it seriously until middle school. His current record is 24-5 for the season, with 123 wins throughout his entire career. Bazan’s hard work and determination have been built over years of dedication and practice.
“I started working a lot harder [in middle school] so that’s when I started to get better,” Bazan said. “This is a tough sport and if you want to be good at it it’s not going to happen overnight. You have to practice every single day.”
After wrestling practice, it isn’t uncommon to find Bazan putting in extra time working out. Especially on Fridays, when Bazan chooses to run for an extra 30 minutes to prepare for his tournaments.
“You have to feel your body; you can’t go home after practice and eat a bunch of candy because then your body won’t perform how you want it to,” Bazan explained. “If you go home and you eat the right carbs and proteins- cutting weight is super tough- and if you eat right it won’t affect you that much on Saturday.”
Being successful in wrestling takes a lot of effort. Not only physical preparation but mental preparation as well.
“You have to be mentally tough to do this, I think being good is 80% mental,” Bazan explained. “You could be a really good wrestler but if you have a bad attitude then you’re going to go out there and get beat every time. As long as you have a good attitude, you’re going to be more successful.”
Bazan credits wrestling coach Robert Laster, and his father, assistant wrestling coach Rick Bazan with helping him stay focused and motivated.
“In practice, whenever [Coach Laster] gets mad at us he always gives us a speech about how you always have to take advantage of the day,” Bazan said. “My dad has had a big part in it as well, … he always keeps me in check. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do this by myself.”
“Wrestling isn’t life or death,” Bazan explained. As a senior, he tries to balance being a team leader while not taking the sport too seriously. At this point, he is just thankful for his opportunities to compete and to learn from his peers and coaches.
“I’ve learned that I have to enjoy every single day,” Bazan said. “When I’m cutting weight and I can’t eat that much, it makes me a lot more grateful for everything that I have had.”
Bazan’s main goal has always been to win a state championship, but he hasn’t let that get in the way of enjoying his time on the team. Bazan sees the importance of having fun and learning from his experiences.
“When I’m 40 years old the first place medals aren’t going to mean anything to me,” Bazan said. “What is going to mean something to me are the lessons I have learned here on the high school wrestling team.”
