CHESAPEAKE, Va. — “That’s the great thing about wrestling, it’s an individual sport and you determine your own destiny,” said Great Bridge Wrestling coach Steve Martin. And he’s done just that guiding the Wildcats to 14 of the program's 22 state titles.
But determining your own destiny isn’t always a linear process as one of Martin’s wrestlers says.
“I started out going to big tournaments all over the place and I would go like 0-10 or 1-9,” explained Caleb Neal. “I just wasn’t sure if it was for me.”
Then, Caleb decided to take a simpler approach.
“I used to get really stressed out before matches but then I just focused on having fun and scoring points and not worrying about losing.”
And Neal’s wrestling career started peaking at just the right time. In his first two years with the Wildcats, Caleb won back-to-back state titles. His freshman year championship, he said, was a turning point in his wrestling career.
“That first one especially, I really didn’t expect to win. I was an underdog,” he recalled.
“He upset a guy who was pretty highly ranked,” said Martin.
Now as a junior, Caleb is en route to clinching a third straight title after recently notching his 100th career win.
“It’s kind of weird to think just because I don’t even remember wrestling 100 matches,” he shared.
From doubting himself early on to now dominating on the mat, Caleb is controlling his own destiny and after every match, he’s destined to be doing one thing.
“I go to Mexican after almost every single match, it’s just always been my go-to.”
