Written by Dovi Halpern - Yeshiva Atlanta
My name is Dovi Halpern, and I placed 1st in the 103-pound weight class this year at the Wittenberg Tournament. I credit my winning first place to my coaches at Yeshiva Atlanta (one of whom is my father) for bumping me up to the 112 weight class for most of the year. There, I wrestled bigger and stronger opponents, but I still did fairly well, with four wins and two losses by the end of the season.

The first time that I was bumped up to 112 was at a quad-home match. Neither of the first two schools that we wrestled had a 103, so my coaches decided to bump me up to varsity 112. I was very nervous before the match, but I managed to clear my head and started to envision exactly what I would do when the whistle blew. When I went out onto the mat, I ended up completely decimating the guy, not allowing him to successfully do a single move against me. This win boosted my confidence in my wrestling tremendously, and I went on to be fairly successful at 112, though I only weighed 100 pounds.

I injured my wrist early in the season, but I was determined to not let this hold me back. Working hard at practice, as well as attending a summer wrestling camp helped me this year. I also credit my improving to trying to live up to my family's wrestling history. Both my uncle and my father went to state. My uncle placed first and my father placed second. They have both served as role models for me.