The wrestling team welcomes Coach Laurita back to the mats. photo by Anja Oss
TJ wrestling is in for a big year, ready to excel and work towards numerous titles.
With the winter sports season off to a start, winter athletes are prepared for the successful season ahead of them. In the wrestling team’s case, they are also preparing for the return of their former coach, Michael Laurita, after a two-year absence.
Laurita has worked in Denver Public Schools for 26 years as a math, science, and physical education teacher, and as a Dean of Students for the past eight years at TJ. “Mrs. Morris-Sherer was very determined to have me coach again. We discussed it and last spring, I told her that if the current coach did not return, I would return as head coach,” Laurita explained. He hopes to return the team to its former glory by “winning League titles, qualifying wrestlers for State, and placing wrestlers at State.”
With a new coach and many new freshmen joining the team, practice is going to be critical in order to meet Laurita’s goals for the season and beyond. Wrestlers are required to attend practice Monday through Saturday. The wrestlers won’t get better if they don’t show up to practice or give their all in matches. “We will be learning by fire. Kids will have to step up and get better,” said Laurita. There is only so much a coach can do, because it is up to the wrestlers themselves to put in the effort to improve in the sport. “Laurita is a tough coach that knows what he’s doing. He knows the technique and commits a lot of his time to the team,” explained senior wrestler Thomas Reiva.
Teamwork is an important factor, especially for the new recruits. Though athletes are alone on the mat, the teamwork and collaboration before their matches is what drives them. Upperclassmen can give advice to help the new wrestlers be the best they can be. As with all sports, wrestlers are expected to be students first. “They will be expected to do well on the mat and in the classroom,” Laurita said. To be able to compete, the students will need to obtain good grades and maintain them. If students have one failing grade, they are ineligible until it has been resolved. Though it’s tough balancing both school and sports, Laurita is confident that the wrestlers will be able to pull it off.
In the past, TJ Wrestling has won numerous titles, multiple with Laurita as the coach, and sent countless wrestlers to State. They won the Denver Prep League championship every year from 2008-2013. Laurita hopes that this year will be better than ever before with even more titles. “I want to get the team back on track,” Laurita said. The wrestling team’s first goal is to have as many wins at Local and League meets as possible. They then hope to take the League title, and from there send as many wrestlers as they can to State. “Wrestling makes me stronger mentally and physically; it taught me to never give up, and to never be intimidated. Give your 100% and nothing less, just like in other sports,” Reiva explained. The team has a big season ahead of them, and with hard work and dedication, they should be a force to be reckoned with this year.
