McCluer North High School - Polaris Yearbook (Florissant, MO)

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174 At 2:15, most of us looked forward to a quick trip home, a snack, and a few hours of relaxation. This was not so for mem- bers of the wrestling team. After six hours of tests, lectures, and studying, the wrestling Stars had 21 2 hours of practice to look forward to. The team began doing stretches at 2:30 to prepare their muscles for the daily work-out. For warm-up and conditioning, they ran up and down stairs and around the school. To improve coordination and balance, time was spent on spin drills and skills were also developed by “live” wres- tling and practicing moves. A daily Looking for a quick pin, Kevin Mabrey, sophomore, holds his contender on the mat. weight-lifting program was also included in the workout in order to build wrestlers’ strength. What gave these guys the drive to put themselves through this “self-punish- ment’? “Knowing it’s the only way to get the benefits of victory,” said Steve Sex- auer, junior. ‘It’s a way for me to prove to myself that | have the self-discipline to push to the limit,” said Jeff Mastrioanni, junior. “If you win, you get all the credit, but if you lose, the only person to blame is yourself.’’ Pat Jansen Conditioning was not the only demand- ing requirement the wrestlers faced. Maintaining weight also called for a lot of self-discipline. Sticking to three meals a day, omitting snacks, not eating at all, and working off calories at practice were a few techniques used to keep within weight restrictions. Losing 5 pounds a day was not an unusual happening at practice. The reward for all this hard work? Sometimes they won, sometimes, they lost, but either way, the satisfaction of knowing it was their best felt good. a EET At state competition, Pat Jansen, senior, awaits the starting signal from the referee, ready to bring his opponent down. Working for a fall, Fred Jones, senior, tries to out- maneuver his opponent.

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opponent. Hockey takes the puck It was 9:15, Friday night, December (0, 1982. McCluer North fans had piled into the stands at Delwood Ice-Skating Rink, psyched up for the game against Hazel- wood Central and ready to win! Hazelwood Central skated out first and the boos began immediately. M N waited until they had stopped before skating out. Then, as Stuart Glenn, senior and captain of the team, stepped out onto the ice, the cheers rose above the boos. The two teams skated around for almost five minutes, taking shots at the goal. Waiting to regain the puck from the referee after a foul are Tony Bozzi, junior, and his Webster Groves Then, they got together for the face-off. While the captains of both teams waited in the center of the rink for the whistle to blow, McCluer North’s Jeff Crowder, ju- nior, Joe LaPorta, senior, Eric Wuelling, senior, and Mike Scharic, junior, skated into their positions and got ready to overcome their opponents. “| think we have the best team since ’74-75”’ and we hope to do as well as they did.”’ - Dave Carpen- ter. fhe whistle was blown, and Stuart Glenn took the puck. The team headed for the goal to score the first point. Within the first fifteen minutes of the game, McCluer North scored three points, and went on to win the game 12-0. This was an average game for the MN Hockey team in 1982-83. Some of the games had closer scores, but most all of them were won, always with McCluer North fans cheering them on. About to score a second goal in their game against McCluer, Joe LaPorta, senior, with Eric Wuelling, junior, set up the play. Clear of any of his opponents, Eric Wuelling, junior, takes hold of the puck and heads for the goal. Hockey I73

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Preparing for his fiftieth straight win, Pat Jansen, senior, poses by a “Good Luck” banner. Watching his opponent’s every move, Carl Murray, junior, prepares to move in and bring him down. 1983 Wrestling Coach: Bob Blanner i McCluer 45 Belleville West 18 54 Granite City N. 8 43 Hazelwood West 24 58 Riverview Il 36 Hazelwood East 33 32 Ritenour 39 46 Hazelwood Central 17 44 Pattonville 25 St. Charles After a tough match, Jeff Mastrioanni, junior, is named the winner.