AOW: Christian Petry
By: Micheal Yang
As the end of the winter term approaches, Phillip Exeter’s Wrestling team will cap off their interestingly unique season. They have battled the remote period before returning to campus in February and had to accommodate pandemic regulations into practices. Senior captain Christian Petry, along with head coach Dave Hudson, kept the team motivated despite the new restrictions that came with wrestling.
Petry was introduced to the sport at a young age. “I started wrestling for a club in Danville, New Hampshire called Smitty's Wrestling Barn. I was already playing soccer and baseball, but my parents and I needed something for the winter. We decided I would try wrestling because my local high school was very good and even the middle school had a good team.” His passion for the sport only grew from there, and continued his wrestling career at Exeter.
Petry explained what first drew him to wrestling. “Baseball is my first love, but there is something about wrestling that draws me back to it time and time again. I find the competitive individualism of the sport to be extremely fascinating and the mental aspect is incredibly challenging and draining. To step out onto the mat against another person, just you and him, with only one person's hand raised at the end is an indescribable feeling, especially with hundreds watching your matches.”
Looking back on his time as captain, Petry commented on what it was like being appointed to the job this season, considering the challenges brought by pandemic conditions, “It certainly feels strange to be a captain of a team that didn't get the chance to compete this year.” Petry continued, “I am disappointed that I never got to walk out to the middle of the mat before a dual meet as captain, as it was something that I had been thinking about since prep year.”
Assistant head coach Bob Brown credited the Academy for their efforts to give athletes the season they deserved. “If not for the resources, hard work and creativity of this organization, PEA athletes may have been among the masses and forced to miss out. It was with that "gratitude" that our team came together each day. The team was excited to have the opportunity to practice and participate in a sport that we love. Wrestlers improve with what we refer to as ‘mat time’. I am confident that this season provided quality ‘mat time’.” Although the season was not optimal for the athletes, Petry and the team were grateful for the opportunity to keep participating in the sport they love.
Coach Hudson applauded the players mentioning, “Overall I felt the athletes made the best of the situation. Participation, effort, and energy made for a positive experience given our restrictions.”
Coach Brown explained the focus of the term, “It is important to recognize that although we have a few veteran members in our program, this was a relatively inexperienced group overall. With that said, we were able to slow things down and focus on strong, foundational technique and solid fundamentals concerning the sport. The absence of competition, travel and making weight on a regular basis also gave us a chance to focus on things that were beneficial to this young group of wrestlers.” Even with a relatively new team, everyone learned a lot under the leadership of their captain.
Petry talked about the leadership skills and experience he has gained this past season. “This was a different experience for me because I had to use my knowledge to help to teach new kids about the sport. It has taught me a lot about leadership, and I think that it is a skill that is helping me outside of Exeter.”
Lower teammate Liam Brown testified to Petry’s role as leader. “Christian has been dealt a bad hand with this season, but with the few weeks of wrestling we've been able to get, he has led by example and been hard-working and motivated on the mat.” Even with the various setbacks that the season provided, Petry rose to the challenge.
Prep teammate William Bernau expressed his admiration for Petry’s leadership, “There’s no doubt that the captain has had more on his plates this year in terms of leadership and responsibility. Still, he set an example for the rest of the room. He wrestles with no excuses and refuses to take his hands off of his drilling partner.”
Keeping the team motivated despite the less than optimal conditions was a challenge that Petry had to face. “When you don't have a match to look forward to you start to ask yourself why you are even there. My main way of keeping the team motivated is to keep everyone focused on the current task during practice and then to push my teammates to be their best when we do conditioning.” To avoid this burnout, Petry made it a personal goal to keep the team practicing with high spirits.
After returning in February, the team went to work right away. “Practice has been every weekday except Wednesday, with competition on Fridays (for these past couple weeks),” Brown said. “We warm up as a group with some running, stretching, and drilling. Then, we get with a designated partner(s) and begin practicing at the coach's direction,” Bernau added.
Lower teammate Nate Pulchalski testified. “Practices consisted of a drilling period, then transitioned into live wrestling with a partner. During drilling we practiced certain moves and positions, while live wrestling put us in a more realistic wrestling environment.” These different conditions did not stop the team from practicing all out.
Senior teammate Ozzy Gomez-Santana talked about Petry outside of wrestling. “He’s a fun loving guy who is insanely good at any competition he touches. It doesn’t matter if it’s C-Ball outside of Cilley or floor pong in the basement, christian strives to achieve. That competitive drive always translates to the mat and it’s amazing to see the years of hard work pay off when he can pin his opponent in record time. It’s also amazing to see that talent being transferred to the preps and lowers he wrestles during practice. I’m confident in what the underclassman can do in the following years because of him.”
Petry remarked on the loss of a former amazing wrestling coach. “Wrestling has meant a great deal to me throughout my life, and I am extremely grateful for all of the people that I have met along the journey. On behalf of the Phillips Exeter Wrestling Team, I want to honor one of those people, Coach Davis. This past winter the wrestling team, coaches, and alumni were shattered by the passing of Coach Davis. Coach Davis always brought a smile with him to practice, and he was the first guy to greet you when you walked into the wrestling room. I didn't get to wrestle this year, but if I never wrestle a competitive match again, I will walk away happy knowing he helped coach my last ever match. He meant so much to me and so many others and I know that both myself and my peers on the wrestling team miss him dearly. Thanks for everything coach, we will never forget what you meant to us.”
