By Blake Chadwick
Wichita North senior Thomas Shields enters his final season with one clear goal in mind and that is winning the 113 pound state championship.
Shields embraces the grind, often saying that if he’s not suffering, he’s not working hard enough. Now in his ninth year of wrestling, Shields attacks every practice with intention, focusing on improving every rep rather than stressing about weight.
Last season, Shields reached the podium with a sixth place finish at state, but he walked away unsatisfied. This year, the goal is to win a state championship. Beyond his individual ambitions, he hopes to see more Wichita North wrestlers climb the podium with him.
“I think getting my name into the state bracket is the easy part,” Shields said. “To place higher would mean working two times harder, especially at practice. To be a state champ means to work as hard if not harder than a state champ.”
Despite not wanting to wrestle in college, due to burnout and a desire to pursue a trade after graduation. Shields knows he has a lot in the tank to keep on leading.
“As a leader I’m definitely more of a ‘lead by example’ type,” Shields said. “I lead by doing the right thing and helping fellow teammates by example. I’m also pretty good at hyping teammates up and doing everything with high energy and loudly encouraging.”
Head coach Michael Copeland has nothing but praise for his senior leader.
“As a person, Tommy is one of the best kids you could ask to have in your room or on the football field,” Copeland said. “He’s a 3.0 student, he does the right things, and he’s extremely honest. As a wrestler and football player, he’s extremely competitive and has no quit in him. He’ll scrap with any one, he even tries to call me out sometimes in practice.”
