As fall sports begin to close their way out, winter sports are finding time and resources to get ready for their time in the sun. Closing in on the start of those seasons, Massimo Cugliari challenges himself during the off-season and fights to be a top contender on the mat for wrestling this year.

One major way winter sports seem to keep in shape is by doing a fall sport. Massimo has picked up cross-country to help him with wrestling in the winter.

“It helps keep in aerobic condition; I can’t directly connect wrestling and cross country, but I feel that aerobic conditioning from cross country makes conditioning for wrestling a ton easier,” Cugliari said.

Another way winter athletes seek to stay in shape is by doing things on their own. Doing things outside of what you’re told is an excellent way to stay in shape and be ahead of the game.

“I do some wrestling drills with my brother; I practice boxing after cross country; I just try to get my mind and body back into the swing of things and make that transition between running and wrestling much easier,” Cugliari said.

Someone who has no idea how to wrestle would struggle due to not knowing how to prepare and how to get into shape for the upcoming season, but Cugliari has been doing this for a while now, so he knows pretty well how these things work.

“I would start by keeping in touch with people I know who wrestle, showing interest in starting to wrestle and the preseason activities, and starting by showing up,” Cugliari said. “I would ask around and see what things I could do on my own to begin shaping myself to be ready for the season.”

The wrestling team has been putting together their own practices to get on the mat with some of the regular-season guys before the season officially starts.

“Me and the team do regular practices together,” Cugliari said. “Obviously, it’s at a much slower pace and much more laid-back than a regular practice. It’s more focused on relearning the movements, not getting back into shape to start the season off on fire.”

While making sure to take things slow before the season begins, it is also important to make sure you are prepared for it, both physically and mentally.

“Train hard, train even harder, and train more yet,” Cugliari said. Your confidence, strength, and all other aspects will exceed any opponent you may ever face.”