Team sports like basketball and football fill stadiums across the nation. But in Iowa, one sport reigns supreme: wrestling<\/span><\/h5>\n

Words by Tucker Jacob<\/em>
\nAudio by Mason Mauro and Austin Garner<\/em><\/p>\n

All eyes are on the mats. The voices of screaming fans, cheerleaders and coaches fill the air. An overwhelming atmosphere on the arena floor captivates the attention of thousands.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a cacophony of sound\u2014and it\u2019s not surprising at all. Fans from all over the state travel in packs to support not just a team, but individual athletes. Coaches from both sides fire instructions at their wrestlers. Cheerleaders pound their fists into the mat and chant their school\u2019s fight song. And the actual wrestling: quick and intense. With every move the crowd responds victoriously.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wrestling is one of America\u2019s niche sports\u2014more popular in some regions than others. Football and basketball dominate national headlines and airwaves, but in the state of Iowa, wrestling reigns.<\/p>\n

The passion for wrestling blankets the state from river to river. The high-school season culminates with the state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on the second-to-last weekend of February.<\/p>\n

The wrestlers are capable of pulling enough people to fill the 17,000-seat arena. Crowds this large are normal for an NCAA tournament basketball game but seem unheard of for a one-on-one amateur competition. So why the big deal?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a family thing\u2014everybody\u2019s together,\u201d says Gary Steffen, an assistant wrestling coach at Crestwood High School in Cresco, Iowa. \u201cYou get those same kids, the dads and their kids and then when they grow up they have their kids. It just keeps going. It\u2019s a culture in Iowa.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n[aesop_audio src=”http:\/\/urban-plains.com\/2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/WrestlingAudioStoryFinal_MAL_AWC_JI_AWC.mp3″ loop=”off” viewstart=”off” viewend=”off” hidden=”off”]\n

Entire generations are represented\u2014from grandparents who competed to parents watching their own children grapple. \u201cI wasn\u2019t very good at it,\u201d says Greg Ervin, who watches his nephew wrestle for Pleasant Valley High School. \u201cHe\u2019s had some broken bones, a meniscus tear. He\u2019s tough.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

That toughness extends to the collegiate level. The University of Iowa and Iowa State University have <\/span>two of the most successful NCAA wrestling programs in the nation<\/span><\/a>, holding a combined total of 31 national championships.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a tradition, being such a big deal here,\u201d says Humboldt High School wrestler Joey Busse.<\/p>\n

Just like corn or caucuses, wrestling is an Iowa mainstay\u2014one that requires an intense level of mental strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be out there,\u201d Busse says. \u201cYou hurt your ankle, you hurt your hand\u2014you\u2019re going finish out that match. Basketball players, people like that, they might sit out for a little bit, but in wrestling there are no timeouts. There\u2019s no sitting out. You\u2019ve got to go out and finish the match.\u201d<\/p>\n

That toughness even shows up before the match when some wrestlers repeatedly hit themselves in the head to get their adrenaline going. On the mat, focus and determination are clearly written on the faces of the young athletes as they prepare for competition.<\/p>\n

The match begins, moves are made, and electric excitement fills the air. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible every year,\u201d says Kyle Norris, athletic trainer at Iowa Lakes Community College. \u201dIt\u2019s full all the way around, the traffic, the parking. It\u2019s just insane.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, a pin, followed by tears of frustration and those of joy. It\u2019s a thin line between the two\u2014made thinner by the passion within Iowa\u2019s trademark sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team sports like basketball and football fill stadiums across the nation. But in Iowa, one sport reigns supreme: wrestling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[4],"tags":[300,298,299,297],"yoast_head":"\n