Once introduced to wrestling, it was
love at first pin for Salem's Gross

  It didn't take long for Colin "Jimmy" Gross to bond to the rugged, demanding sport of wrestling. Within days of trying out the sports in middle school, he became addicted to everything the sport offers: one-on-one combat, a high degree of self-discipline, strategy and the pushing on when your body is battling crippling fatigue.

  Gross, who notched 30 wins for the Salem wrestling team as a junior, is primed for a huge senior season. The captain sat down to talk with PlymouthCantonSports.com's Ed Wright after practice one day last week.

ED WRIGHT: How did you get introduced to wrestling?

JIMMY GROSS: I started wrestling late in my eighth-grade year. My dad had wrestled and my uncle had wrestled, so they kind of encouraged me to try it. Once I tried it, I loved it. I loved the movement and the fact that it's one-on-one.

EW: Do you play any other sports?

JG: I played football. I started on the offensive and defensive lines, but then I had to keep my weight down, so I didn't grow as much, so I moved to linebacker.

EW: What's the toughest part about the sport in opinion?

JG: Just the day-to-day grind that goes with the sport. We practice before school at 5:30 a.m., then we go to school, then we have practice after school. We go hard at practice, which takes a toll on your body. Despite all this, I love it.

EW: What are some of your favorite foods you have to stay away from during wrestling season?

JG: The hamburgers, the fast food, the candy bars, the Slurpees. Pretty much all that stuff is put away for the winter. I don't like the taste of celery, but I have to eat it about every day to keep my weight down.

EW: What's your mindset when you step on the mat?

JG: It's kind of violent. My mindset is I'm going to work this guy as hard as I can. I want to break him down mentally and physically. I'm going to beat on him, take him down, let him up, take him down again; grind him and grind him, make him feel that I'm so much better than him.

EW: What do you like about this year's team?

JG: We have a lot of young kids who have a lot of potential; a lot of little kids who have wrestled before even though they're freshmen. Only a couple of our new guys have never wrestled. "I like that because it means our team is going to get better and better because even the young guys know how to wrestle.

EW: What's been the highlight of your career so far?

JG: I just go out there and treat every match like it's the last one I'll ever have. When I was younger, it was kind of nerve-racking for me on the mat because your out there by yourself and everybody is watching you. But I went to the J. Robinson Wrestling Camp this past summer and they put me into a whole new mindset. I go out for blood now.

EW: If you had to try to convince an eighth-grader to try wrestling, what would you tell him?

JG: I'd tell him there is no other sport other than boxing or mixed martial arts where you really physically get to fight somebody. It's a fight. You're fighting for position, you're fighting for takedowns, all that stuff. Unlike football, it's all you out there. There's no one else to blame.

  Ed Wright can be reached at info@plymouthcantonsports.com or (734) 453-1980.