As one of the few three-sport athletes at Harriton, Connor Wortley has thrived both on the fields as an athlete but also on the sidelines as the manager of the football team and in the classroom as part of the International Baccalaureate program. A captain for cross country, wrestling and crew, Connor has had a very successful high school career. Of the three though, wrestling appears to be his favorite, “The type of attitude and mindset of the kids who do wrestling are unique to the sport. You form bonds with the people that you practice with; two of my best friends are other wrestling captains. I don’t think that really occurs in other sports, at least in high school”
When you pass Connor in the halls he might not stand out as the wrestling type, seeing as he contradicts most stereotypes with his light weight and small frame, but he is in fact one of the school’s best. Along with fellow captains Elliot Levy, Haddon Corbett and Zack Geaneotes, Connor is hoping that the team will be able to send multiple wrestlers deep into the tough state playoff tournaments. The playoff system involves a series of tournaments, starting with sectionals, then the best 5 or more in each individual weight class advance to districts, then states and possibly even nationals. Pennsylvania is one of the toughest wrestling states in the nation and typically there is a USA vs. Pennsylvania national tournament. To Connor, wrestling is not just a sport, its an outlet. “I’m a very physical person, I didn’t used to be. Back when I was in elementary school I used to be the tiny little nerdy kid and I still am the little nerdy kid. But its an outlet for all the stresses I have. I’m an athlete-student, and a student-athlete. So wrestling is the most physical sport you can get and because of that if I have a rough day I can take that out at practice or in a match.” Connor said. Wrestling has also taught Connor a few things, “I would not be as disciplined or as patient or as mature if not for the sport of wrestling”.
Wrestling is one of those stereotyped sports, where people believe that wrestlers use anorexia to lose weight, but Connor believes that its those wrestlers who give the sport a bad name. “Its not anorexia. You need to find a purpose in what you’re doing. And so if you find a purpose and that purpose is to get to the weight you want to be at. The whole reason for getting to that lighter weight is so that you can wrestle kids smaller than you.” Connor said. The wrestling associations have rules and restrictions in place so that all weight loss is done safely and so people can maintain their lighter weight healthily. In the end, wrestlers typically end up with more muscle mass and less fat. Though he may seem to be purely an athlete, Connor is also a happy member of the International Baccalaureate program, one of the most rigorous curriculums offered at Harriton.
The IB program has become almost a way of life for Connor as it has completely changed his vision on school and hard work. “The thing that people fail to see is that if you’re able to get past the idea that junior year and senior year are difficult, school implies work. And if you’re complaining about every single test or project you get, you shouldn’t be in school” Connor said. He plans to take that motto with him on to college, where he hopes to go to one of the top 10% of rowing schools so he can continue his successful crew career. He is looking at school such as Syracuse and USC, which are in the top 10% of rowing schools. Wherever Connor ends up going to college, he will be able to succeed thanks to the lessons he has learned from both wrestling and IB.