Off the Mats: Wrestlers' Struggle of Cutting Weight

By Joe Stair

It’s 5:30 a.m., and Danny Quinn is tired, hungry — but undeniably excited for the wrestling duel scheduled later that day. Despite the layers he’d worn in the warm O’Dea High School gym the previous day, sweating out as much water weight as he could, he still wakes up a few pounds over. He’d gone to bed on an empty stomach after skipping dinner, a familiar sacrifice for wrestlers chasing their target number on the scale. 

With weigh-ins set for later in the day, Quinn needs breakfast to keep enough energy to continue cutting. After eating, he and several teammates head to “the pit,” the steep back stairwell at O’Dea, to run stairs in hopes of shedding the remaining pounds. By the end of the grueling workout, Quinn is just one pound away from making weight. 

This is the harsh, often unseen reality of combat sports: cutting weight. The balancing act between school, family, and athletics becomes even more difficult when athletes are expected to shed several pounds overnight — a process that leaves them exhausted, irritable, and hungry. To outsiders, it might seem extreme or uncommon. But for the entire O’Dea wrestling team, this is daily life. 

One of the biggest challenges the team faces this season is replacing last year’s large senior class. Fourteen weight classes need reliable athletes, and that means many wrestlers must cut — sometimes in seemingly staggering amounts — to fill the gaps. 

“One of our biggest problems this year is filling the spots the seniors left,” Quinn said. “With that comes a lot of people who will need to cut weight.” 

The strain of weight-cutting doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Schoolwork still piles up. Family obligations don’t disappear. Even the simplest tasks feel harder when your body is depleted. Which raises the question: why do wrestlers put themselves through it? 

In combat sports, the answer is often strategic. Cutting weight allows athletes to compete in a lower weight class, where they may have a size or strength advantage. A wrestler who naturally walks around at 160 pounds might find the 160-pound class far tougher than the 140-pound class — and so the grueling weight cut begins. However, the biggest goal is always to win. 

“I think winning in wrestling is one of the best feelings I’ve had in my life,” Quinn said. “You put so much work into one moment, and when it finally pays off, you reap the rewards.” 

Finally, it’s time. Weigh-ins are complete — the first battle of the day is over. Rehydrated, fueled, and re-energized, Danny Quinn steps onto the mat and locks eyes with his next opponent, ready for the match\ that weight-cutting helped put him in position to win.