Tony Passetti '25 Recruiting Profile

Wrestling with the Mind  

Mankind's oldest and most basic form of recreational combat. It all started one Monday afternoon when I was in third grade. In the classroom, we had mailboxes. In my mailbox, there was a flier for the local wrestling team. The flier stood out because I have some family friends who are one to two years older than me. I was always the youngest of us, so I got picked on a lot. So you can imagine my excitement when I thought I would learn to be a pro wrestler and beat all my friends. I was confused when I got to the first practice; there was no wrestling ring, big arena, or elaborate costumes. There was just a mat on the floor, in a gym, and people with normal regular clothes. This was something different. I signed up for American Folkstyle Wrestling. I reluctantly went through the practice, and a flame lit inside me. I loved it. 

The pandemic cut my eighth-grade year short. So, I came into my first year of high school still thinking wrestling was the same. But I was wrong. The practice was longer and more complex than ever before. But something in me just wouldn't let me quit. I finished the first two years by placing second on the island and not placing at the state tournament both times. The summer of my junior year I would often find myself looking at the stars on the beach, thinking that something needed to change.  I couldn't be stressing about every little detail, or they would become more prominent. I needed to relax, have fun, and perform. 

My coach appointed me a team captain, and I came into my junior year guns blazing, winning most regular-season tournaments and putting me as the number one seed for the big island-wide tournament. I fought my way through the bracket and made it to finals. My opponent was my friend. Whom I had wrestled with throughout the season, and almost all of our matches were super close. I ran to the center of the mat for our season's final match when something was wrong with his corner. He had braces, and he had forgotten his mouthpiece. He could not find it in time and got disqualified. I won. I was the best on the island. But I didn't want to win this way. It didn't feel right. I went home after the biggest tournament of the regular season, feeling like I could have done more. I trained for the state tournament, believing I could win it all. I entered the tournament as the number four seed, knowing my training would pay off. I won all my matches, advancing to the semi-finals. The next day, I had the number one seed first. My coach told me I had him and was going to the finals. But I lost. But I didn't feel bad; I had put everything I knew into that match. The tournament is ongoing, and I could still get third, but I had to win my blood round match. My opponent was my good friend. This was a long-awaited match that had been cut short in the past. The match goes on, and I dominate. I won by seven points and made it to the third-place match. I did go on to lose that match, but I'm not done. I have one more year, and I will make it count.

 After countless hours in one of the most strenuous sports, I know nothing can or will stand in my way when I want to accomplish something. I won't give up when something goes wrong, especially in the future. All this has led me to believe I can take on another known challenge. Getting a college degree.  Regarding the degree, I want to challenge aerospace or electrical engineering and one-day work at NASA. When I would find myself looking at the stars and thinking about wrestling, I also found a love for astronomy and the cosmos. If I were awarded the scholarship, I would wish the scholarship committee to know that they picked someone who wouldn't give up and would do whatever it takes to prove their decision right.