Wrestling Co-Captain George Ryckman ’24 began his wrestling career in middle school and has since moved his talents over to the mats at Andover. Although he is currently injured, throughout his captainship, Ryckman has used his knowledge of the sport from nearly five years of experience, and his competitive nature to lead the team at Andover.
From a sibling rivalry-induced activity, to mandatory participation in middle school, to being Co-Captain of the Andover Wrestling, Ryckman’s relationship with the sport has certainly developed over the years.
Ryckman said, “I was born into a family of two brothers, so wrestling has just always been a mandatory part of my lifestyle. Whenever it came to any competition, it usually ended in some form of wrestling. My middle school had a team where everybody was mandated to participate in wrestling. I tried it out and then I started wrestling at the varsity level with that team. That brought me here.”
Tasha Bohorad ’26 spoke on Ryckman’s ability to connect with all wrestlers. She touched on his enthusiasm to help newer wrestlers learn about the sport and his willingness to be a part of drills.
“George is a really present leader of the team. I think it helps that he can drill with anyone. Whenever one of the coaches needs someone to demonstrate a move on, he’ll step in. He’s really active in participating. If you need to learn a move, you can ask him how to do it, and he’ll teach you step by step. His form is good, so he is an excellent example for wrestling technique,” said Bohorad.
His knowledge of the sport additionally helps in his ability to lead the team. Ethan Principal ’24 highlighted how Ryckman uses his experiences in the sport to help other wrestlers.
Principal said, “Last week I had a tough match against a kid who liked to do leg-riding, and George is very familiar with that kind of situation. I asked him for some help after practice, and he stayed maybe ten to 20 minutes after helping me learn counters and how to do them. From that, I’ve been trying to implement the strategies he taught me into my more recent matches.”
In such a competitive sport, it is important to be led by someone who understands the value of competitiveness. Principal brought up Ryckman’s ability to push his teammates to their limit while also generating a positive team culture.
“It takes mental strength as well as physical, but you got to want to win. George knows that, and he’s been instilling those principles into newer wrestlers. He has done a great job in creating a team mentality of wanting to win and being willing to put in the work on and off the mat to do that. He genuinely wants us to want to be better. He leaves everything on the mat and will go straight into hyping up the team no matter if he won or lost,” said Principal.
Another aspect of Ryckman’s leadership is his willingness to help others. Bohorad praised his willingness to help out wrestlers outside of practice.
Bohorad said, “There’s [a] wrestling club a little bit before the season. George and [Co-Captain] Sakina [Cotton ’24] lead [the] wrestling club and although they did not have to be there, they let wrestlers have a space to learn new moves before the season. I was interested in learning a particular move [and] I asked George for help, and he ran the move on me and then taught me how to do it. I know he does that for everyone on the team.”
Ryckman has big goals for the season and hopes to bring his team with him. He is excited to get over his injury and finish his season on the mat.
Ryckman said, “Currently I’m injured with a deviated septum. So, it is a little bit tough to say currently what my aspirations are. I do hope to see us wipe Exeter again this weekend like we did last time. Most importantly, I want our team to do well, and I hope to see my teammates and friends do well in their [matches]. Mostly, I hope I get to get back on the mat even with this deviated septum and keep wrestling for my last season.”
