THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 13, 1995 TAG: 9501110112
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
JOEY GUTH eats like a rabbit.
That's not to say that the Great Bridge wrestler has a small appetite or picks at his meals. Guth, like any growing boy, has been known to scarf down his fair share of food.
What Guth has in common with Thumper and Bugs Bunny is a love for lettuce and all things natural. As unlikely as it may seem for a former fast-food junkie, Guth has renounced his meat-eating instinct and embraced a more healthy lifestyle as a vegetarian.
``He's the only one on the team,'' said Wildcats head coach Steve Martin. ``Not too many Americans are vegetarians - they like their red meat.''
Guth's revelation began simply enough. Last year as a junior he wrestled for Great Bridge in the 189 weight class, but being 4-5 pounds underweight meant most of his opponents had a size advantage during the matches.
``I used to get big for football, so I had a lot of body fat I needed to get rid of,'' Guth said. ``I had already decided to cut weight down to 171 when I decided to become a vegetarian.''
Although Guth completely eliminated meat, poultry and fish from his diet, dairy products are still on the menu. In the beginning, he devised his vegetarian diet by himself, something that concerned his parents.
``The only thing that worried me was he might not be going about it the right way,'' said Guth's mother, Ruby. ``Other than that, I was all for it.''
After visiting a nutritionist to ``make sure I wasn't going to die,'' Guth committed himself to slimming down to 171. Pasta became his food of choice. The fruits and vegetables he grew up liking became a vital part of his diet.
Besides being healthier, Guth's switch to a meat-free existence had another benefit.
``My mom liked it because she didn't have to cook for me anymore,'' he said. ``I handle everything myself, and I've got my own little space on the shelves.''
For most people, such a drastic change of lifestyle would be difficult to maintain. Not so for Guth.
``When he makes up his mind to do something, he does it,'' said Ruby Guth. ``And I know he's well-balanced. He goes to GNC buying his vitamins and supplements, and he's done a lot of reading about (vegetarianism) on his own. He's been very, very intelligent about this decision.''
Cutting weight down to 171, where Guth is ranked third among area wrestlers, wasn't the only change he made during the summer between his junior and senior years. Guth also decided to give up football.
``I figured with the wrestling team so good I'd get better exposure,'' said Guth, who suited up for the Wildcats at linebacker. ``Wrestling is the toughest sport on the face of the earth.''
It's even tougher if you happen to wrestle for Great Bridge, which will put a No. 22 national ranking on the line Saturday in the Virginia Duals at Hampton Coliseum. Because of the school's history of success, Wildcat wrestlers are, by definition, inherently exposed to great expectations. As perennial state champions, Great Bridge is the No. 1 target for every individual and team in South Hampton Roads.
The pressure doesn't come just from the outside. It also comes from within. Those who wrestle for Great Bridge have an inordinate amount of pride in carrying on the tradition, and Martin's program doesn't turn out champions by using smoke and mirrors.
``Steve expects a lot from us, even though he doesn't come right out and tell you,'' said Guth. ``It's kind of understood. Everyone knows what they have to do to be successful.''
Although Guth's name probably isn't the first that springs to mind when people talk about Great Bridge wrestling, Martin calls him a ``technically sound'' power wrestler who wears down opponents. Guth is interested in wrestling after high school, but his college choices (which include Virginia Tech, James Madison, Radford and Virginia Commonwealth) are being made primarily with academics in mind.
``He's got the potential to wrestle in college, sure. But he's got to get a little bit stronger,'' said Martin. ``He has a very good work ethic, and he's very dedicated with what he does. But a lot depends on how well he does this year.'' ILLUSTRATION: File photo
After becoming a vegetarian, Joey Guth now wrestles at 171 pounds
for Great Bridge.
VIRGINIA DUALS SCHEDULE
[For a copy of the schedule, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB