In all sports, working one’s skills outside of their school season is just as important as during the season. Some people go for daily runs, some people go to the gym, but many NPHS wrestlers go to Project 8. Project 8 is a year-round wrestling club team that is utilized by many students at NPHS, many of whom join for the main purpose of preparing for the school season.
Jamie Price, sophomore, and wrestler since 8th grade, explains what a typical day at Project 8 looks like. “Typical practice starts with [doing] warm-ups, and then we’ll get our blood moving and start running around,” Price said. As they get closer to the end of practice, they begin to focus more on conditioning, cardio, and individualized drilling. Finally, they finish off their practice by wrestling each other.
For the most part, practice at Project 8 is similar to high school practices, except for the difference in coaches. “The Project 8 head coach is very different [from the high school boys varsity coach], so having that switch of different coaches, how they view things and how and what they teach is really good to get a broader subject view,” Price said.
Joline Smith, sophomore and beginner wrestler, has recently started training at Project 8 to help her prepare for her first season on the high school wrestling team. As a beginner, Smith has taken as many opportunities as possible to improve her wrestling skills. “I’m glad I went to the few [Project 8 practices] I could late in the summer because it has helped me prepare and become a better team member for the school,” Smith said.
Project 8 has given Smith a lot of opportunity to help her evolve as a wrestler. “It gives you so much extra practice and extra time to hone in on your skills and really sharpen what you know. It’s also just a great experience in general. There’s so many helpful people, and you can get a lot of one-on-one time with coaches,” Smith said.
Paige Moore, sophomore, has been wrestling since she was in eighth grade. Project 8 has not only helped Moore enhance her skills on the mat, but it has also exposed her to the experience of being on a team. “Your team is backing you up the entire way. If one of you is doing really well, you’re all doing well, and if one of you is messing up, the whole team’s there to support you. And Project 8 supports you if you’re doing well, or if you’re not as great,” Moore said.
Tyler Ruiz, owner and head coach of Project 8, finds wrestling to be the most impactful and meaningful sport that a student could participate in. “[Wrestling] teaches you a lot of life lessons that you don’t learn in other sports. It’s a one on one sport. So, the only person that has control of the outcome is you, and that’s the beauty of it,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz’s main purpose in creating Project 8 was to create a space where wrestlers could go to excel in their skills. “You get to see a lot of different wrestlers [that have] one central place to work [during] the off season. [It’s a place to work] on different techniques, getting stronger [and] faster. It’s just a great way to become more well rounded,” Ruiz said.
Many believe wrestling to be one of the hardest sports in high school. Project 8 provides wrestlers with the tools to keep up and maintain their skills. “[Wrestling] is something [that] takes an immense amount of mental and physical strength, where you really have to be able to push yourself [to be successful],” Price said.