UCLA club wrestling earns battle scars in competitions

The original version of this article contained multiple errors and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.

Along UCLA club wrestler Maarten Deschaumes’ leg lies a near foot-long red bruise, a few centimeters wide. Below it, another blemish, though much smaller in size, follows. Many more bruises and cuts scatter his body.

The morning after this night’s practice is sure to add even more of those minor wounds to his body. That much he knows – and welcomes.

“(The bruises and cuts) just mean … you put it all on the mat,” Deschaumes, a first-year economics student, said after Thursday’s practice. “If you don’t wake up with bruises and you’re not sore, then you didn’t go all the way.”

Even the simplest of wrestling matches – a battle of wills by many accounts – often leaves the members of the UCLA wrestling team somewhat worn and battered. It’s the nature of the sport, a testament to the physicality of it all.

The Bruins’ first significant club wrestling tournament of the year – held Sunday in the John Wooden Center’s Blue Room – showed nothing less.

Twice, there was bloodshed among wrestlers – a gash above the eye and a bloody nose. The former required three staples on-site. Ice packs were used in plenty to combat other minor injuries.

In between, the occasional thud of a body slamming to the padded floor below could be heard bringing “Ohs” and groans from the room’s 15 or so spectators.

“You’re basically fighting with a guy, but it’s a controlled environment. It’s very respectful,” said Youssef Aref, a first-year biochemistry student and member of the club.

The physicality of the sport rarely fades in any single wrestling match, regardless of whether it’s in a meet or simply a practice.

In each match, two wrestlers come together face-to-face and shake hands. Then, after some back-and-forth toe dancing between the competitors, one lurches forward, taking the plunge to effectively begin the war.

A series of grappling, tussling and maneuvering for the upper hand follows, and ultimately brings the pair to the floor, where more of the same takes place. Legs can wrap around torsos, or arms can dig into chests or even hands can be used to shove heads to the floor; any form of leverage a wrestler can use to gain the advantage, he or she does.

“Every muscle in your body is used – your fingertips are used, your fingers are used and then it goes to your hands. Then, your wrist and then your forearms are used. Then it goes to your core, and (so on),” said Tyler Benavides, a third-year psychology student and the club’s president. “It’s one full body of muscles sprinting against another full body of muscles sprinting against you.”

Eventually, a pin is called or the two-minute clock buzzer sounds to end the match; the savagery within each wrestler is contained again. After all, the sport is “humans in their most basic animalistic form” as Deschaumes fittingly described it in passing conversation earlier in the week.

“You’re showing the opponent you’re better than him. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I just beat you, what are you going to do about it? Nothing, ’cause I already beat you,’” said Cesar Pacheco, a first-year psychobiology student and club member.

It’s a theme often pervading many sports, one competitor relishes. But on the mats, perhaps that feeling is most powerful.

After over two hours of such wrestling on Sunday, many of the club’s members sat exhausted on the mats, sweat soaking much of their bodies. The countless matches had taken their toll. Yet some Bruin wrestlers continued to sign up for more exhibition matches even after the official meet had ended, much to the disdain of the on-hand first-aid staff.

For some of the club’s members, the activity is a release from the stress of their personal lives; for others it’s a form of discipline and dedication.

For all, though, the war on the mats is a hobby, and a fun one at that. The bruises Monday morning will tell them that much. Because in the end, those wounds are battle scars.

Correction: Maarten Deschaumes’ name was misspelled.