LOOKING AHEAD: Sophomore wrestler Matthew Burgess is now free to participate in athletics after doctors found a tumor in his liver in 2008. After it was surgically removed, Burgess was relieved. “I felt normal. I felt like a real kid, being able to do everything. I couldn’t have anything with contact (before),” Burgess said.
By KEVIN MOBLEY – Junior Copy Editor (ODYSSEY Newsmagazine)
After being diagnosed with a benign tumor in his liver in 2008, sophomore Matthew Burgess was cleared to play contact sports after a successful surgery in January and secured a spot on the Clarke Central High School varsity wrestling team this winter, a sport he had never participated in prior to varsity tryouts. Burgess reflects on his road to recovery, his new experiences on the varsity wrestling team and his goals for the future.
Kevin Mobley: What was the whole experience of doctors finding a tumor in your liver like and how long were you out for?
Matthew Burgess: They originally found it in 2008, around when I was in fourth or fifth grade. From then on, the doctor told me (I could play) no-contact sports, but not like football and wrestling. So I ended up playing baseball, and then last year in January around baseball season, that’s when we went up and I had surgery in Ohio.
KM: Was there ever any possibility of the tumor becoming cancerous or spreading?
MB: (The doctors) said it would never become cancer, but that it was growing.
KM: When did your situation change as far as playing sports?
MB: After the surgery, my doctor cleared me for anything I really wanted to do. I was really normal after that.
KM: What is it like being told that you could do anything athletically that you want to do again?
MB: I felt normal. I felt like a real kid, being able to do everything. I couldn’t have anything with contact (before). Sometimes I couldn’t wrestle with my dog–I have a big dog–and couldn’t even do that.
KM: What were the first couple of weeks of wrestling practice like with it being a completely new sport for you?
MB: The first couple of weeks we did conditioning. That was real hard; it almost made me want to quit, but I stayed with it. After that, it got easier.
KM: What was your first impression of head varsity wrestling coach Tim Stoudenmire?
MB: I kind of thought he was crazy. It’s not normal exercise (that we’re doing). It’s very different.
KM: What in particular was so hard about the conditioning?
MB: We did a lot of cardio and so it tires you out, but after you were tired, (Stoudenmire) still pushed you and tried to make you do more. It actually makes you a better athlete.
KM: What has the team chemistry been like this year?
MB: I feel like we’re all a pretty good team. We stick together. We don’t let anybody get picked on or singled out. We don’t talk about anybody. To be a successful team in general, I think you have to have good chemistry with your teammates.
KM: I know you also plan on trying out for baseball this year, what are some similarities and differences between baseball and wrestling?
MB: Wrestling is a lot tougher mentally and sometimes physically. If you get into a tough move, you’ve got to learn how to not give up, try your hardest and get out of that move. In baseball, I feel like that hardest things is hitting the ball because when they’re pitching 70, 80 miles per hour, you’ve got to have timing and hand-eye coordination.
KM: What are some advantages and disadvantages of being a two-sport athlete?
MB: The advantage is it teaches you how to be a better person in general in multi-tasking and being able to complete your work and be a good athlete. The disadvantage is sometimes you don’t get enough sleep, because sometimes you’ll go home and your body just hurts.
KM: Moving forward, what are your goals as a student-athlete here at CCHS?
MB: I strive to get to college, and to get into a real good college. That’s my main goal.
