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Missouri Wrestlers Push Cars, Limits
COLUMBIA — If you’ve ever complained about the climb to your seat in row 70 of Memorial Stadium, don’t tell the Missouri wrestling team.
The 40 men of the Tiger squad trudge to the stadium once a week during preseason, which began last Monday, for their Wednesday stadium run. For at least 10 minutes, the ring of tennis shoes against metal bleachers and the grunts of overexertion and encouragement echo through the stands, drowning out the football team’s practice on the field below.
The weekly ritual is not the only element of the grueling preseason training that tests the team’s strength and willpower; the eight hours a week of practice that the NCAA permits before regular workouts begin are devoted to pushing the team’s physical and mental limits.
“They’re going to get to the point during this training where they’re going to wonder if they can go anymore,” Missouri coach Brian Smith said. “And they’re going to realize that they can. Wrestling does that to you.”
