ICYMI – Senator Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania) penned an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about lessons we can learn from the sport of wrestling about America. Senator McCormick was the co-captain of the Army wrestling team while a cadet at West Point, and he will be attending the NCAA Wrestling National Championship tomorrow night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, with President Trump.
America’s best college wrestlers will square off this weekend in Philadelphia at the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships. You’ll find me in the front row cheering them on alongside President Trump.
I grew up wrestling across Pennsylvania, from Shikellamy to Shickshinny and from Selinsgrove to Schuylkill Haven. In those hot, crowded arenas, generations of wrestlers have faced the ultimate test: six minutes on the mat with nowhere to hide. As wrestling legend Dan Gable famously said, “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”
Wrestling is more than just a sport. Every season, packed auditoriums of spectators watch excellence emerge from years of hard, often lonely, work. They see young people engaged in the brutality and beauty of competition. They see ferocity tempered by sportsmanship and respect. They see the values that made America great.
The first value is hard work. On Saturday, Pennsylvania State University’s wrestling team will defend one of the greatest dynasties in college sports history. Under Coach Cael Sanderson, they’ve won 11 of the past 13 national titles. Such sustained excellence requires hard work, every day.
Similarly, the American experiment isn’t self-sustaining, nor is American strength predestined. Our nation has big problems. We’ve begun to turn the corner, but it will take dutiful commitment to keep it going.
The second value is courage. It’s easy to criticize from the bleachers, but as Theodore Roosevelt said, “It’s not the critic who counts.” Wrestlers have to summon the courage to step into the arena. This next generation of Americans must show similar courage in public life to lead the country.
Third is the capacity to overcome adversity. When a match reaches the final period, it becomes a test of character and grit: the strength found within. Spencer Lee, who grew up in Pennsylvania, tore his ACL during the 2019 NCAA wrestling championships. He still won the title. Two years later, he tore his other ACL yet won the title again.
My greatest lessons haven’t come from success but from overcoming setbacks. We can’t all show the grit of Mr. Lee, but we must try. Such perseverance is what it will take to get America back on track. The U.S. has shown remarkable resilience throughout its short history. It can and will do so again.
Saturday will be a celebration of sportsmanship and respect. Wrestlers will dig deep to dominate their opponents. But when the whistle blows, each will stand, shake hands and walk off the mat. Those of us in politics could learn from them.
Hard work, courage, resilience and respect are on display every time wrestlers step on the mat. As long as these wrestling virtues are in our nation’s bloodstream, America’s future will be bright.
Mr. McCormick, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and was the co-captain of the Army wrestling team while a cadet at West Point.