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Sports

Fort Lee Wrestlers Frustrated by Winter's Wrath

The Bridgemen are now entering their third consecutive week without a match thanks to one storm after another.

The harsh winter has affected many sports teams in the Northeast this year, but chances are those student athletes don’t have the same bizarre story as the Fort Lee wrestling team.

Coach Alex Almeyda and the Bridgemen have been hindered by the record-breaking snowfall all season long, and remarkably have not faced an opponent in almost three weeks.

“The snow has been killing us,” said a bewildered coach Almeyda. “We’re wrestling the snow that’s for sure.”

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The Bridgemen last competed in a varsity wrestling match on Jan. 19 on the road against Northern Valley/Demarest. Since then Fort Lee has been postponed from facing Leonia last week due to snow and Tenafly on Wednesday with the most recent storm.

“I used to love the snow,” said junior wrestler Demir Radoncic. “But now that it interferes with wrestling, [the snow] is balancing out. There has to be a limit.”

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And it’s not just matches that are being set back by the snow. Fort Lee is also missing out on practices as well. When the high school is closed, so is the gym, which sets the wrestlers even further behind. As the basketball teams can re-locate to the Fort Lee Community Center, the Bridgemen wrestlers are searching for new ways to stay in shape.

“I [have] to call my boys to make sure their weight is down, and go out for a run,” the head coach said. “If you can’t go out for a run, then go for a shovel, shovel someone’s driveway. Basically work out in someone’s garage, work out in your basement, and stay motivated. It’s tough.”

Senior Anatoliy Alkazov has taken it upon himself to help out the younger wrestlers during this unusual, lengthy break by trying to stay on schedule.

“The best thing to do to get better at wrestling is wrestle, but if you can’t do that, then you have to do the second best thing, which is running and lifting,” Alkazov said. The senior has even helped set up team exercises on snow days where the wrestlers will run as soon as the streets are clear enough to do so.

Coach Almeyda has also been trying to keep his team prepared whether he is able to see them or not. If it is a call to see if they are making weight or just to see how they are doing, Almeyda wants to get his team ready for whenever their next match may be.

 “I’m just trying to keep my head in the season,” said Demir Radoncic, who just wants to get back to the matches. “It is still wrestling season, and you still have to stay devoted.”

The Bridgemen practiced against each other at the high school on Wednesday night for an upcoming match on Saturday against Becton, Clifton and Ridgefield Park.

But even that is in danger of being postponed by snow.

“I’m praying that I don’t get snow on Saturday,” a laughing coach Almeyda said. “Then we hear something [for snow] on Tuesday. I wrestle on Wednesday. We can’t catch a break.”

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