Being one of the top 50 in the state and a two-time League CIF Champion, Senior Micheal Cantor has put in the work to earn an admirable title and rank on the UC Wrestling Team. With the new season now in full swing, he is ready to continue getting takedown after takedown, once again proving his place at the top.
When Cantor was just twelve years old, he was inspired to start wrestling. He said, “I put in a lot of work that year and had a lot of support around me, with people who showed me what to do and what not to do and that helped me become a better wrestler.”
“The person who got me into wrestling was my dad, who was the coach at the time. He really got me into wrestling at a young age. That motivated me to do as much as I could and led to me being adamant on wanting to succeed,” said Cantor.
Cantor has had to work for his rank and mentioned that strength, both mentally and physically, is needed. He said, “Working hard was definitely a main goal for me in wrestling. In my opinion, wrestling is more mentally taxing than any other sport. When out on the mat, you aren’t with your team. It’s just you against your opponent. Because you are in such a direct confrontation where your own performance is the only thing that matters, it’s important to stay strong, especially during a match.”
Cantor said, “Trying to keep your personal life off of the mat — meaning to not let whatever is going on in your personal life be brought out during a match — is important. Being distracted or nervous doesn’t help, so being calm and ready is necessary during the match to better prepare yourself.”
Wrestlers have their good days and bad days, and Cantor has had his fair share of both. He said, “My matches in general, when I do well, go smoothly. But from the ones that I have lost, I learn where to improve and use that for the next one.”
“To be best prepared for a match, you need to keep breathing, stay calm, and have the mentality of being ready. Not overthinking is another great skill to have, because once I start overthinking during a match is when I start to do bad, so it’s better to just go out there and do your best,” said Cantor.
Cantor said, “The sport has been difficult for me, because I’ve had to cut weight and wrestling is very physically demanding, so I have to prepare myself each and every day while training so I can get better.”
Sophomore Roberto Monge said, “I have known him for three years. I used to come down to this high school in eighth grade and he would usually stay and practice and show me moves while I was training. We’re now training partners and we usually spar together,” Monge said.
“He holds people accountable for what they do and if they get in trouble or miss a run he will usually tell them to make it up. I can’t see the team without him because of all of the impact he has and how much of a leader he is for us. We especially see this during tournaments where he is very hard working when it comes to cutting weight and competing in matches,” said Monge.
One big moment in Cantor’s life was winning the title of CIF Champion. He stated, “I was so blown away with getting the award, because it’s just such an exciting moment to be around my team while winning. It made me super happy to receive that award and to carry that title.”
As for future goals, Cantor said, “My goal for my final year is to go to state, and how I’m going to achieve that is to really focus and get better each time with my matches. Knowing how I’ll improve with each one will help me.”
Most athletes have their personal reasons as to why they should keep trying. The love and support that Cantor has around him keeps him going in wrestling, which has let him shine in high school, achieving greatness while representing his team.