Athlete of the Week: David Bow

JULIA TIERNAN/YH

Most seniors on varsity teams are expected to set an example, impart valuable knowledge to young players, and lead the squad. For wrestler David Bow, TD '99, these responsibilities are only the beginning.

Yale eliminated its varsity wrestling program in 1991 to meet Title IX requirements. Now a club sport, wrestling lacks the funds and access to facilities that varsity teams enjoy as a matter of course. As a result, the team's three seniors, Bow, James Gutierrez, CC '99, and Earl Lee, SM '99, must play several roles. They schedule meets, talk to other schools' coaches, organize practices, and recruit freshmen to join the team. Without a full-time coach--although Burt Water-man, the former varsity coach, still works part-time for the team--the seniors also must spend time instructing the less experienced wrestlers. "They take up a lot of our time," Bow said of these administrative and coaching duties.

Those responsibilities don't keep Bow from putting in plenty of time on the mat, though. "He's very hardworking," Kevin McGill, SY '02, said. "He leads by example. His work ethic shows me what I have to do to be the best." Bow's description of a typical day confirms McGill's impression. "I go to practice, I lift [weights], then I lift after dinner," he said. "Then I run--I do about 30 minutes of cardiovascular work."

Bow's teammates point to his fierce competitiveness. "He wrestles very hard," Gutierrez said. "Dave's definitely a key factor in our success." Haven Baker, BR '00, agreed. "He's a real competitor."

Bow's hard work has paid off. On Sat., Feb. 20, he and nine other Elis traveled to Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, Penn., to compete in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Northeastern Regionals. The NCWA is composed entirely of club programs, including many teams like Yale that lost their varsity status due to Title IX. On Saturday, every Bulldog qualified for nationals, set to be held in Dallas on the weekend of Fri., Mar. 12. Bow finished second in the 125-pound weight class. "I think I can beat him at nationals, though," Bow said of the winner, clearly unworried. Not that he has reason to be nervous. Last year at nationals, Bow took first place in his class.

Individual honors are not as important to Bow as the team, however. "Even though wrestling is an individual sport, I think about the team and getting the team points," Bow said. As a squad, Yale finished second out of 10 in the tournament.

Bow began wrestling in the fifth grade. His father started coaching him informally from the first time Bow stepped on a mat and continued to do so throughout high school. With his family in attendance at Valley Forge, Bow wanted to perform well. "My parents were there, and my brother just started [wrestling], so I wanted to look good in front of him," he said. The way Bow is wrestling, his brother has a lot of catching up to do.

--Joey Ax

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