Pierre Jean is one of the most talented, hard working wrestlers at Springbrook High School. He began his wrestling journey as a freshman, four years ago, when he decided to keep a friend company by joining the team with him. Going into his freshman year, Jean didn’t speak a lot of English, he mostly talked to other Hatians at Springbrook until he met his now close friend, Jean Mehul. Mehul convinced Jean to join the wrestling team with him. His first year trying out for the team was rough, being only a beginner, he was put on the Junior Varsity team. He had a hard time at matches, in order for the coaches to be able to communicate with him, they had to speak a little Creole. He was first put on Varsity his sophomore year and has been ever since. Since the first day tried out for the wrestling team, Jean has loved wrestling and has pushed himself to become the outstanding wrestler he is.

Although wrestling is an individual sport, Jean said his teammates helped him become a better wrestler than he could have on his own.

“They push me to work harder and to practice each move so I can do them correctly during my matches.” Not only are they supportive in the wrestling room but also in his everyday life. “My teammates help me in a lot of ways. They help me with my homework so I can learn English and be eligible for the season.”

After graduating high school, Jean is going to continue wrestling for his school and wants the opportunity to be able to wrestle in the Olympics one day.

“All of our coaches motivate me because they believe that I can be a great wrestler and they push me to get to that next level.” Jean said. “They also help me keep my head up after a loss.”

During the summer, Jean finds different ways to stay active and in shape. He has wrestled at summer league as well as goes to wrestling practices at the University of Maryland in order to keep his wrestling skills in tact.

Correction: March 12, 2020

The original version of this article misplaced question marks in the third paragraph and mistakenly referred to Jean Mehul by his first name, not his last name. All errors have been corrected in the current version of the article.