'Arduous' Preparation Propels Glenview Wrestler To State Tourney
GLENVIEW, IL — For the third straight season, Glenview wrestler Daniel Myint had qualified to compete in the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation state championship. An eighth-grader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Myint says he’s been working extra hard to win this weekend (March 8-9) in Rockford following a fourth-place finish two years ago and an exit in the consolation rounds last year.
“I have been undergoing arduous preparation both weightlifting and drilling wrestling technique and I have always been trying my best,” Myint tells Patch. “These past few weeks, I have been wrestling very well. I haven’t lost a match in a while, and had won my revenge matches on kids I have lost to in the past. I have shown other people why I am a top contender to win the state title, even though some had overlooked me previously.”
Wrestling began early for Myint, who was encouraged by his father, Mike Myint, to give it a shot when he was in kindergarten.
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“He thought that it was a great sport to teach discipline, hard-work, and resilience from failure,” Daniel Myint said.
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Wrestling at 102 pounds, Myint has been on quite a role this winter. He’s coming off first-place wins in both the North Chicago regionals (held at Glenbrook South) and last weekend in the sectional round. Myint, who wrestles for the Arlington Cardinals Wrestling Club (based in Arlington Heights), will be joined by his teammates at the state tournament following a team win at sectionals for coach Jerry Poro.
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“This season is special because I have a strong chance of winning this year and it is my last middle school state championship,” Myint said. “I have gone to many national tournaments in preparation for this one. I have worked hard all year. This final year of grade school, I hope I can win state.”
With eyes on team and individual accolades this weekend, Myint is hoping his experiences from the last two state tournaments help him this time around.
“Unfortunately, last year in the consolation rounds I lost to a national champion, which ended my run for the podium,” Myint said. “This upcoming weekend, I am bracketed to wrestle that same competitor in my second round, and I am preparing for a better result. If I get past him, most of the remaining competitors I have defeated before.”
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