In my opinion, "fun" is defined by what you value. For some kids, the only fun they have in this sport is when they get their hand raised. But what happens if all the sudden you're not winning as often, or things aren't as easy as they once were? I've seen a number of great high school wrestlers struggle to succeed at the next level, and they typically stop having "fun". Most guys struggle early on in a college wrestling room. The jump from high school to college is difficult, and it usually involves a big dip in how often you're hand is raised. If wrestling is only fun when you're winning, you will probably be miserable at the next level.

Yes, winning is fun. There is no better feeling in the world than getting your hand raised in victory. The question is, did you have fun doing what it took to make that victory possible? If you have fun during the process of getting better, putting in the time & training to make gains, building lifelong friendships based off of shared experience (and suffering), and learning the lessons that the sport has to offer, then the world of college wrestling is where you belong. If you find these things fun, and place more value on them instead of just getting your hand raised, then wrestling has found it's way into your bones and has shaped you as a person. These type of individuals are more likely to last in college because they've fallen in love with the process, and are having fun. Also, in the end these individuals find themselves getting their hand raised more often. Icing on the cake!

Coach Klein is right, Coach Sanderson and the Penn State wrestlers always seem to be having fun. It's my guess that this is a result of Cael and his staff recruiting guys with a very similar definition of "fun".