Guidance through grappling

Guidance counsellor at the Corporate Area-based Haile Selassie High School, Jacqueline Bryan, estimates that the school's gender ratio is a little under three boys to each girl in the student body of approximately 800.

The high concentration of testosterone is even more significant when Bryan points out the communities close to the school where the majority of the students live. Among them are the tough inner-city communities of Seaview Gardens, Riverton City, Majesty Gardens, Delacree Park, and, of course, Payne Avenue where the school is situated.

"They are filled with a lot of anger because of the violence they have been exposed to in their communities," Bryan said. In addition to that, "most of them are from single mother families. There is no father figure".

positive male role models

According to Bryan, with many men involved in wrestling, the youths can be exposed to positive male role models.

Bryan is obviously enthused about the prospect of wrestling being introduced at Haile Selassie High, although one afternoon of throws, thrills and spills does not a programme make. Left to her, boxing would also be on the cards for the school.

She has had experiences with two young men which have bolstered her belief in the therapeutic values of pugilism.

One student was close to a cousin who was murdered. "He was angry, to the point of not being able to concentrate in class," Bryan said. She took him to a boxing gym on South Camp Road, where the student was suited up and turned loose on the punching bag.

channelling anger

"I said whoever you are upset at, see the bag as them and push the bag instead of them. He was able to get rid of the anger," Bryan said.

The student was 16 years old at the time and, now at 18 he has graduated. The other student that used boxing as a release is still at Haile Selassie and is 17 years old.

"He felt that would have liked to get into boxing, based on the experience," Bryan said.

Wayne Duncan is also 17 years old and was one of the students participating in the wrestling demonstration. Initially, like other students, he thought it would have been like the entertainment-style wrestling he saw on television.

While he showed obvious enthusiasm and aptitude for wrestling, Duncan is already looking beyond the moments on the mat at Haile Selassie to using the sport, "to help uplift myself. It might be an opportunity".

Past student Dwayne Chambers takes a "mental, physical and spiritual" perspective on the sport that he was introduced to recently.

"It is very good to show more of yourself in every way," Chambers said. "When they were showing us a couple things about what we were supposed to do and not to do, I found that it was natural to us. I think it is a very good thing to introduce to high-school students."

And if Bryan has her way the full introduction would be sooner than later. "We are ready to start now, just that we need resources," she said.

"They have raw energy that needs to be tapped and channelled that is just bursting out of them," added Bryan.