East County Athlete of the Week: Tristan Sheffield

Tristan Sheffield has stormed onto the wrestling scene at Lakewood Ranch High. In his first season with the Mustangs, the freshman has posted a 28-3 record, as of Feb. 16, in the 150-pound weight class. The FHSAA individual bracketed tournament (IBT) begins at the district level Feb. 16-23 for boys. Sheffield is the East County Athlete of the Week.

What has your experience been like joining this team?

The season has been awesome. The team has been great — the coaches and the teammates. We've had a lot of teamwork and pushing each other in practice to get to where we are now.

How have you improved as a wrestler from the beginning of the season to now?

It was just realizing what I wanted by the end of the season, like what my goal was. I started out not knowing what I wanted to do. I had to take a break and find out what I really wanted from this. And ever since I had that, I've had the drive to improve myself and dedicate myself to the sport to get what I want in the end.

When and why did you start wrestling?

I've been wrestling since (Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Alabama). I was bouncing between sports, not really knowing what I wanted to do, but I had a couple buddies who did the sport. I was like, "I might as well try it," and I went to some practices with them. It was history from there.

Why have you chosen to stick with the sport?

It's great for a lot of reasons. You get to build connections with a lot of your friends, like practice partners. It does great things for your body — you can really see differences there. And it just pushes me, because I don't want to lose. I want to be the best I can be.

When you're not on the mat, how do you spend your free time?

I go for walks, I go to the gym and I play some video games on occasion. My favorites are Rocket League, Fortnite and Minecraft.

What's one quote or piece of advice that always motivates you?

Really, the thing that motivates me the most is my dad (Brad Sheffield) — he's always there for me — and my mom (Brooke Sheffield). I've been doing this for a while, and they've also dedicated a lot of their time to me. That's what really motivates me to get after it.

If you could meet any professional athlete, who would it be and why?

My favorite wrestler has always been Spencer Lee from (Iowa men's wrestling). I have met him before. I was in seventh grade, and I was going to a camp at Iowa over the summer with some of my friends. I got his signature on my shoes and stuff. It was pretty cool.

Finish this sentence. Tristan Sheffield is...

Unbreakable.