FIGHTING FOR THE CRIMSON Being recruited to Harvard’s NCAA Division I wrestling program was just the peak of Cooper Ribman’s love for the combative sport.
More than anything—and this may sound weird, and it may be a cliche — despite how physical wrestling looks, I’d say it’s 80 to 85% mental. At some point it’s not about what you can physically do. It’s about what you know what to do.
It’s certainly a big commitment. There’s a lot of training, a lot of early mornings, a lot of late nights, but that’s never really been a question for me. I love wrestling, and especially doing it at a place like Harvard where I’m gonna have such great opportunities academically, I’m gonna be able to make such great connections. Going through the training, which I love anyway, has never really been the question.
TAKEDOWN In a local tournament during his junior year, Cooper Ribman demonstrates the flexibility and dynamism that wrestling encourages.
A lot of kids in Texas have trouble when they go outside of Texas [to wrestle] because they’re used to getting away with stuff just because they’re big and strong. When they wrestle somebody who’s a technical wrestler and knows exactly what they’re doing, that stuff doesn’t fly.
Interview Alam Alidina Photos Courtesy Cooper Ribman
ENDZONE — MAY 12, 2021 | 7
