Birmingham

Ranked Seaholm wrestler hopes for big season

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Donna Agusti Birmingham Seaholm senior Tim List is ranked in the state and hoping to finish as a state placer. Photo by Donna Agusti Birmingham Seaholm senior Tim List is ranked in the state and hoping to finish as a state placer.

BIRMINGHAM — The nervous feeling in his stomach usually starts in the morning, knowing that the hours before his match later that evening have begun to count down.

For Birmingham Seaholm wrestler Tim List, this is the worst part. He’ll do his best throughout the day to keep his mind distracted and to erase the “what ifs.”

“The biggest thing I want to do is not know who I’m wrestling. I try not to worry about any of that, because that will get to you,” he said during a break from practice Nov. 29.

As the match nears and List begins loosening up, the stress intensifies.

Then, something thing happens.

“Before the match, I’ll have nerves like no other, but it’s weird, as soon as you get on the mat, it all goes away,” he said.

That’s when List’s athleticism, instinct and sheer will takes over, and more times than not, ends with him earning a victory.

List finished 37-12 last season and as a state qualifier at 135 pounds. He also won the Oakland Activities Association Blue-White tournament.

This season, Seaholm has moved into the White from the Blue, but List will again wrestle 135 while being bumped up on occasion to 140.

Nerves and all, coach Neil Tuomi has high expectations for the senior.

“He’s just a great athlete. He can be a great, great wrestler if things come together,” he said. “Wrestling is all about heart; it can take him a long way. He has all the tools.”

List is ranked No. 7 in the state at 140 pounds, according to www.michigangrappler.com. 

He played running back during the fall and helped lead the Maples to an OAA Blue championship. He said it’s a “grind” going straight into another sport that requires six days a week of hard work, but it’s worth it.

“It feels good, because you know you did it yourself,” he said. “There’s a different feeling in wrestling, because you went out there and you physically beat the other person.”

His goal is to place in the state, which he was one win away from doing last season. But even if he doesn’t, he’s proud of what he’s already accomplished.

“A lot of times seniors think, ‘I have to make it to states. I have to make it to states.’ There is a little less pressure on me, because I’ve already made it. This year is just going out and wrestling.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062. Follow Christian on Twitter.