Tomasz Mazur, who recently won Connecticut State Open Champion at 170 pounds and is heading to the New England Championship, has been wrestling since first grade. The Westword sat down with him to discuss his wrestling career and what the sport means to him.
The Westword: What does wrestling mean to you?
Tomasz Mazur: Wrestling is a way to fill up my extra time and keep me distracted. It is also a way for me to build my work ethic, which I think is something everyone should do. Wrestling is one of the most important things to me.
TW: How long have you been wrestling?
TM: I started in first grade, so about 12 years ago. I first started with Stamford Youth Wrestling.
TW: What made you start?
TM: My dad introduced it to me when I was in first grade. My older brother who is six years older than me wrestled his whole life and started at that age, so my dad encouraged me to try it out too. Little did I know I would grow to love it.
TW: What do you normally eat during the season?
TM: It really depends on how much I am trying to cut for that specific season. For example, this year I was not trying to cut really at all, so I was able to eat a pretty normal diet. [It] pretty much just consists of fewer carbs and more protein.
TW: How often do you practice?
TM: I practice at least once a day for around three hours, and sometimes even twice a day for an additional two hours.
TW: What do you do for practice?
TM: We start off with a normal warm-up to get our heart rate up, then go over some wrestling moves and things we can improve on. We also take that time to go over things we could have done better in the meet. Then we do some live-wrestling against each other.
TW: What is your favorite thing about the sport?
TM: My favorite thing is the one-on-one competition it gives you; it shows that you cannot blame anyone but yourself for your loss. But I also like how with that [individuality] it also comes with a team aspect that usually encourages me to dominate my opponent. It is a very competitive sport which I love, and everything you do in your match is on you.
TW: What is your main drive to continue wrestling?
TM: My main drive to continue wrestling is to reach my limits, to see exactly how far I can go with my talent and hard work. I hope to pursue and continue this passion as well.
