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Norman's Thane Ross – Character Counts presented by INTEGRIS Norman Express Care
- Updated: January 28, 2018
Written by John Tranchina
As a senior, Thane Ross has taken on more of a leadership role for the Norman wrestling team, and his commitment and determination has been paying off not only in his ability to positively influence his teammates, but also in his own performance.
After going 14-17 last year, including an 0-2 mark at the Class 6A West Regional tournament, Ross has exceeded expectations this season, taking a significant step forward with a 23-6 record through late January.
“I think my season overall is going pretty good,” Ross said. “At the beginning of the year, even over the summer, I didn’t expect to be as good as I have been or even get to the point where I have.”
Ross has been wrestling at either 126 or 132 pounds this year, and notes that managing his food intake is the least difficult part of maintaining his weight during the season.
“It’s more about what I drink, because the water that I consume puts more weight on me than the food, or even the fruit,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with keeping my weight down with food, it’s with drinking a lot of water and Gatorade.”
As for becoming more of a team leader this year, it’s a role that Ross finds really rewarding.
“I took on the role of team leader over the summer after our seniors last year graduated. I kind of tried to pick up that role,” he said. “It’s something I like doing. It lets me vocalize myself and it lets me really show the knowledge that I have.
“Right now, there’s a freshman on the team that never wrestled a day in his life at the beginning of the year. I talked to him a little bit, and he kind of looked up to me because I vocalized myself in the room. He stuck with me and I’ve shown him a lot of stuff, a lot of the basics, some little more advanced moves, and from the first day of wrestling to today, he’s improved so much, and I like to think it’s because of my leadership to him.”
“Thane has always been a good leader in the room and always sees the best in everyone,” added Norman coach Cory Wilson.
