On the mat with Lake Orion HS wrestler Cavan McIntyre
LAKE ORION, Mich. — One the biggest challenges Cavan McIntyre, a senior Dragon grappler for the Lake Orion High School Boys’ Wrestling team, has faced is being able to stay disciplined both mentally and physically.
“When I get tired at the end of the season it seems so easy to just take a day off or to reach for the fast food,” McIntyre said. “But I have to stay disciplined and keep on the right course.”
Part of keeping on that right course, also means readjusting himself mentally during a match as well.
“There’s been many times, too often to count, where I’ve started a match poorly and ended the first period down a point or two,” McIntyre said. “The best way I’ve handled it is by taking a few deep breaths in between periods, re-centering myself, and getting back to the basics and what I do best.
“The best advice I was ever given dealt with natural talent and work ethic,” he added. “‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’”
And as bad as McIntyre wants to win every match, one thing he’s learned from Dragons’ Head Coach Jeff Smart, is that winning and losing isn’t the most important thing.
“The most important thing is going out there and competing,” explained McIntyre. “If you simply wrestle your hardest and compete, more often than not things will work out in your favor, and if they don’t, you can walk off the mat with your head high knowing that you did the best that you could.”
As far as goals go, McIntyre’s number one goal has been to qualify for the state tournament.
“It’s a goal I’ve been working towards ever since the sixth grade,” he said.
So how does McIntyre prepare for an upcoming meet? Simple carbs and music of course!
“The night before a meet, I always eat a big bowl of pasta or mac n’ cheese,” he said. “And the morning of the meet I only listen to music that keeps me calm, cool, and collected.”
Outside of wrestling, McIntyre enjoys playing guitar, fishing and being outdoors.
McIntyre, who has been wrestling for seven years, says he loves the camaraderie of the sport.
“It sounds crazy, since wrestling is largely an individual sport,” he said. “But the relationships I’ve formed with the other guys in the wrestling room are ones I know I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
“Being a member of a team has taught me that I’m always a part of something bigger than myself,” he added. “Even when it seems like I’m all alone, I still have a whole network of people behind me that I can fall back on.”
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