Wrestling’s origins can be traced back over 15,000 years ago to cave drawings in France. Wrestling became a professional sport in 1830 and since then many forms of wrestling have been introduced and the sport continues to grow.
Buffalo High School has held wrestling as a sport for over 50 years. Buffalo has produced eight State Champions and countless State Qualifiers and Place Winners.
Every wrestler faces challenges just like any sport. Skin diseases and injuries can plague any wrestlers career. In wrestling skin diseases are just as common as broken ankles in basketball or concussions in football.
“Skin issues always have been and always will be a part of our sport,” said former Head Wrestling Coach Jason Maurer. “They oftentimes can be a very frustrating aspect of the sport. Someone could be undefeated going into the State Tournament and not be able to wrestle if they come up with a skin issue. The big thing is making sure mats are clean, showering, and wearing clean clothes. Prevention is key.”
Skin diseases are part of the sport and if a wrestler gets a diseases he or she becomes absent from the sport for a certain period of time, just like an injury would do to an athlete in any other sport. The only way to spread skin diseases is through contact, whether from direct skin to skin contact or if something has developed on the mat. This is why it is so important for the wrestler to sit out if they are affected with a skin disease, so the problem is quickly controlled and conquered before it can spread.
Buffalo High School, like all schools that participate in wrestling, have had to deal with skin diseases. Over the years diseases like pityriasis rosea, ringworm, impetigo, herpes, molescum contagiosum, staph infection, and others have occurred in the program. Most of these diseases can be easily dealt with with a trip to the doctor and a prescribed cream or pill and do not affect an individual outside of wrestling.
“We haven’t had many skin issues. I attribute that to the preventions we take to thwart off skin conditions,” said Maurer. “We have purchased wipes, mandate showering, do skin checks regularly, and clean our mats before every practice.”
Even with the added risk for a possible skin issue, many wrestlers believe it isn’t anything to worry about.
“To not do something you enjoy because of a small possibility of some negative outcome just seems foolish to me,” said Sophomore Jacob Scherber. “What it really all comes down to is that skin diseases aren’t the disgusting disorders that our culture portrays them as. They are just a simple and easily treatable inconvenience that is not all that different from any other sports injury.”
