"The 2020 Senior Perspectives is the 15th in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of teams at Harvard have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Harvard."
Hunter Ladnier
Hometown: Rocky River, Ohio
Concentration: Economics
House Affiliation: Pforzheimer
Coming in as a freshman you often hear from your Deans that the Harvard experience is not confined to that of the classroom; the Harvard experience is in the people around you. That is, the transformative experience that is synonymous with four years at Harvard is not found exclusively in the solving of a complex equation, but rather, it is in the surrounding of oneself with some of the most ambitious and curious individuals on this planet. As a senior, reflecting back upon my journey - the defeats, the dragons slain and the lessons learned - it is immediately apparent the truth in those words and how lucky I have been to be surrounded by my teammates on the wrestling team and to have had my Harvard experience defined by being a member of that team. It is hard to imagine who I would be without the lessons, challenges and self-discovery that occurred every day from 3pm-5pm in the Malkin Athletic Center. Though it has decidedly resulted in some of my highest highs and lowest lows, being a student athlete at Harvard has instilled in me a value & relationship-oriented foundation that I hope to continue to build upon in the coming years.
Wrestling, at its most surface level glimpse, displays a battle of two wills, isolated on a roughly 40ft diameter resilite mat, in a feat of the modern-day gladiatorial condition. For me though, as a member of the Harvard wrestling team, my experience has proven to be anything but that of an "individual sport". How could it be? Every time I stepped foot on the mat I did so with the blood, sweat, love and tears of my teammates. Every time I scaled the stadium I did so with the resolve and understanding that I was but a piece of a puzzle that was much larger than myself. My teammates and coaches have challenged me and demanded from me a certain level of excellence, that on my own, I might not have expected, and for that I am forever grateful.
One of the many Coach Weiss phrases that has stuck with me to this day is, "Every day is March". I think athletes, and humans in general, think of greatness as an isolated event, that you have to be great in some time period in the future, in the case of wrestling, March. But why can't everyday be March? And if it can be, does it not redefine the very essence of what greatness is? Throughout my time at Harvard, Coach Weiss has challenged us to pursue greatness not just in March but each and every day, and not just greatness in wrestling, but greatness in all aspects of life.
These past four years have unequivocally shown me that being a Harvard wrestler is not about just scaling a mountain, it is not about a herculean four-year journey that ultimately comes to an end, but rather, it is about the relationships built, the memories made and the lessons learned, and those, I am confident, will last a lifetime. I am unsure what challenges I will face in the future in my life post-wrestling, but one thing I do know is after going through this program I feel I am prepared to overcome any obstacle in my path, and if I fail and fall to my knees, I know that I have brothers around me that will be there to pick me back up.
