“It definitely catches eyes, whether you’re really interested or not,” senior wrestler Brady Pruett said. “[When] seeing guys roll around on the mat out in the grass field, you’re like, ‘What’s going on there?’”
Grapple on the Green is going on. Since 2016, Penn wrestling has held this annual event to integrate wrestling with the Penn community, with this year’s event held at Shoemaker Green. With the University’s support, Penn wrestling took its practice out in the open for everyone to see, and it was certainly eye-catching. Red and blue on the green field lay front and center of where all things athletics happen on campus. There was no ball, no net, no drinks, no desserts — just teams of wrestlers in red and blue sparring on the mat.
“We’re an indoor sport … so we’re like, ‘Hey, what the heck? Why don’t we try and bring this outside somewhere, have a little fun?’” coach Matt Valenti said.
The event featured pairs of wrestlers sparring with each other, with half the pairs sparring from 3-4 p.m. and the rest in the next hour. With knees bent, torsos leaning forward, and heads up just enough to look at their opponent, the wrestlers’ arms lunged forward as the bell rang. Then, the moment ended as they untangled themselves and smiled, laughed, said a few words, and clapped one another on the back.
“Because it’s grass, it’s a little more uneven,” Pruett said. “So I will say, there’s time where you might step, you might fall over. … I wouldn’t say it hurts any less though.”
The atmosphere was one of ease and low stakes. Teammates sat around blue Gatorade bottles and talked, jammed to music, or scrolled on their phones. Coaches watched from the fringes of the mat, occasionally giving advice between spars but mostly hanging out with the team. The blue skies and warm sun added to the cheer.
“Such a nice day,” junior wrestler Sean Seefeldt added, throwing his arms wide. “Most of the time, we’re trapped inside rooms, all compact, you’re really tucked away from the outside world. So it was nice to be out here sharing some sunlight with my teammates, getting to display some wrestling for the people to see.”
After going through practice that same day in the morning, during which the team did more intense, “live” wrestling, Grapple on the Green was an opportunity for the team to practice with creativity.
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“We’re mostly letting them take control today,” Valenti said.
“[It] was more just like free-going, on your own, use your own imagination, creativity, like working what you want … so guys were more excited to work on this today,” Seefeldt said.
And people did stop by to watch. University Vice President and Chief of Staff Mike Citro, who was a wrestler himself, joined the growing crowd of faculty and students. But perhaps the most special guests were boys from the nonprofit organization Beat the Streets Philadelphia. Many members on the wrestling team volunteer with the organization, mentoring elementary, middle, and high school students in academics and wrestling. The students came onto the field and greeted the coaches and players, adding more community to the cheerful afternoon.
“It’s just great seeing those guys,” Pruett said. “We love seeing them as much as they love seeing us. You develop close relationships with them, and they become your friends. It’s great. It’s awesome.”
The greatest thing the team can offer these hopeful young wrestlers is the attitude, or the “existing culture,” as Pruett said.
What is that culture? “Gratitude,” Pruett said. “I think everyone on the team is just very understanding of how grateful they should be for all these opportunities that we’ve been given. And you know, how can you be upset when you’re blessed with all these different things and these facilities, these benefits that we have at this amazing institution?”
Seefeldt also kept repeating how “blessed” he felt to be a part of the team, enjoying fun events like Grapple on the Green as much as the intense competitions they look forward to. This year, the team set a goal for every teammate to “get their personal best, then the team’s going to achieve a personal best. So it’s pretty simple,” he said.
“It’s pretty inspiring to hear them say that, and I think our whole team’s bought in on that concept, and we’re excited to go out there and show the country what we think we can do on a national level,” Valenti said.
Grapple on the Green invited Penn students to the sport of wrestling, but more importantly, to the spirit of gratitude held by the wrestling team.
“I’ve been on thousands of teams since [I was] a little kid, both in wrestling and millions of other sports, but really no other team has been like this one and I am truly grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to be here,” Pruett said.
