After years of working to get stronger, to get more fit, to excel in the classroom and stay disciplined, Michael Mahuika said a tentative, but relatively sure goodbye to his competitive wrestling career.

Over the last four years, Mahuika has become a renowned athlete at WHS and throughout the league with both his dedication to greatness in football and wrestling. Being recognized for his play on both defense and offense, at linebacker and running back respectively, as well as placing 5th in the Washington State 4A high school wrestling tournament, Mahuika has earned the utmost respect from coaches and fellow athletes alike.

Mahuika says there is a lot that sets wrestling apart from other sports.

“People don’t realize that it doesn’t matter how strong you are, how long you’ve wrestled, or even how good your technique is—one small mistake can put you on your back and end the match in seconds. You have to stay extremely focused and minimize mistakes. Wrestling allows for fewer comebacks than sports like football. One mistake can completely decide the outcome.”

Wrestling, being such a demanding sport, requires immense amounts of motivation, whether it be in cutting weight, staying in the gym, maintaining good grades, and then doing it all again the next day.

“The biggest challenge is getting enough sleep so I can stay focused during the day for school and church. Luckily, there’s no practice on Sundays, so I can go to church without stress. Still, staying focused in school can be tough during the season,” said Mahuika.“ [To stay motivated] I think about the postseason—placing at districts or state to make all the hard work worth it and to show that I’ve improved. I just imagine myself reaching that point of success.”

Mike attributed many things to his success this year including his daily wrestling partner, John Gutzwiler, fellow senior wrestler who also competes in multiple sports at the high school and competed at the state level for wrestling.

“Having a practice partner is huge. My practice partner every day was John Gutzwiler, and we pushed and motivated each other constantly,” Mahuika said.

“My coaches also played a big role by pushing us to work hard, even when I didn’t always agree with the workouts. They always had the goal of helping us improve. And my parents supported me throughout everything and kept me motivated,” he continued.

When asked about his plans looking to the future and whether he would look to compete at the college level Mahuika said, “I don’t plan on wrestling in college, but coaching at the high school level would be really fun. A lot of success in high school sports depends on the coach, and I think I have skills that could help athletes improve and reach the next level.”

Mahuika will look forward to spending less time wrestling and getting back in the gym for personal gains as well as spending time on other hobbies and interests that he couldn’t find time for during wrestling season.