Athlete of the Week — Tyler Walker

This season, the West Ashley High School Wrestling Team welcomes back junior Tyler Walker for his third season. Walker started with the team two years ago when the wrestling coaches reached out and encouraged him to give it a try. “Tyler Walker is everything a coach could want in a student athlete. He excels in the classroom and on the wrestling mat. He is very respectful and has a great personality. He is a pleasure to have in class and on the West Ashley wrestling team,” says wrestling Head Coach William Wineberg.
Wrestling isn’t the only sport Walker plays at WAHS; he is also the free safety on the varsity football team. Even though he likes playing football, he enjoys wrestling even more. “My favorite is wrestling. It’s something new and I’ve always played football,” says Walker. He enjoys the one-on-one competition in wrestling more than the team effort involved in football. When asked how he felt about being named West Of’s Athlete of the Week, Walker said, “It gives me something to be motivated by and work toward.”
Walker has been fierce on the mat so far this season with a current personal record of 3-1. He defeated his Bishop England opponent 8-1 and his Academic Magnet opponent 2-1 by pinning him in the 2nd period of the match.
The wrestling team practices 2 hours a day, 4 days a week. Walker credits his success to the drills his team runs during practice. “We always go all out at practice,” says Walker, and this also helps during matches. In the weight room, during practices, and in the off-season, Walker has been a great role model for the underclassmen. “He is a leader, working with new wrestlers in practice to help them progress as quickly as possible. Tyler’s dedication and desire is unmatched; he works in the weight room year round and attends camps to become a great wrestler,” says Coach Wineberg.
In order to wrestle, Walker has had to sacrifice free time with his friends, but he doesn’t complain. Giving up that time allowed him to assist his team in making the playoffs last year, which he says was one of his greatest wrestling achievements. On the other hand, one of his biggest challenges is maintaining his weight class during the season. When he struggles with maintaining weight or when he faces a tough opponent, he remembers the advice that he was given when he was younger: If you practice hard and stay focused, good things will happen.
In addition to wrestling and football, Walker enjoys fishing and being an active member of the WAHS chapter of National Honor Society. He is not sure what field of study he will pursue when graduates in the spring of 2017, but he hopes to wrestle competitively in college. If he doesn’t get to wrestle in college, he plans to join the Marines.