Q&A with Bishop Manogue senior wrestler Ryan Rutherford
RENO, Nev. — A Q&A with Bishop Manogue Catholic High School wrestler Ryan Rutherford.
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Ryan Rutherford: I no longer have any goals in the sport of wrestling. I am finished with my wrestling career. My last goal was to win Regionals and State. I succeeded in those goals.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Rutherford: There were many challenges but the biggest one was to keep the drive to keep going. Wrestling is a very hard sport physically and mentally. Lots of people have the same goal (winning State) and they all work very hard to achieve that. At the end of the day, only one person per weight class gets their hand raised. This goal of mine is what gave me my drive. I hate losing and I love winning. I wanted to prove to myself that I was the best.
What was the best advice you were ever given?聽
Rutherford: The best advice includes: 鈥淧ain is weakness leaving the body.鈥� 鈥淲e鈥檙e just putting hay in the barn.鈥� 鈥淣o mind.鈥� 鈥淛ust go out there and have fun.鈥�
What do you love about your sport?
Rutherford: I love winning because I worked very hard and getting your hand raised was the reward.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Rutherford: I usually just warm-up, stretch, and visualize what I am going to do. I always had a plan going into each match.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Rutherford: I like to do things outside including mountain-biking, hiking, skiing, dirt-biking, golfing, etc. I also like to do Muay Thai and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Rutherford: Everyone makes each other better. If you are selfish and focus only on yourself, you and your team will suffer. Always remember, 鈥淚ron sharpens iron.鈥�
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Rutherford: It would be, 鈥淣o mind.鈥� This means that when you are competing, don鈥檛 think about what you are doing/going to do. The point of practice is to sharpen your skills to the point where what you are doing is all based on reaction. When you think about what you are doing, you are slow.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Rutherford: I have made a mistake in almost every single one of my matches. Whether it is thinking too much, doing a technique wrong, etc. You can鈥檛 let that get to your head and bring you down. Do what you know how to do and do it with intensity.
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