Mac Andrews, a 16-year-old junior at Wellington High School, is back home after a once-in-a-lifetime trip. For two weeks in late October, Andrews traveled to Manama, Bahrain, to participate in the International School Sport Federation World Games Gymnasiade.
For Andrews, who is an accomplished wrestler at Wellington High School, it was as much a cultural experience as it was an athletic competition.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Andrews, who was joined by thousands of athletes from 71 countries competing in 20 different sports.
He was one of more than 60 members of a U.S. wrestling team, featuring boys and girls, who competed in Bahrain. He was only one of two boys chosen from Florida. There were also four girls on the team from Florida. Overall, the trip lasted two full weeks.
Prior to the 18-hour flight to Bahrain, Andrews and the U.S. wrestling team participated in a two-day camp in Chicago.
Soon after arrival in Bahrain, the athletes attended an opening ceremony. They also enjoyed a cultural day where they learned about the daily lives of the athletes from other nations. All the athletes also went sightseeing in the markets and visited local attractions.
According to Andrews, the American wrestlers also practiced with many of the other top-notch wrestlers in attendance.
Andrews competed in a two-day wrestling competition. It was one day of freestyle wrestling, and one day of Greco-style wrestling. Andrews went 1-1 in both styles.
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