Wrestling is the oldest sport in the world, older than most of the nations on earth and almost as old as humankind itself. 
           
Today wrestling is practiced all around the world, in many different styles. It has been a staple of the American sports experience since the first Europeans arrived in the 1500s. The two most imposing figures in all of American history, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, were wrestlers of some reputation and skill.

Many educators promote sport as an ideal way of teaching the values and disciplines that help people succeed in life. Wrestling certainly has in proponents. Dennis Hastert rose from being a successful high school wrestling coach to being Speaker of the House of Representatives, third in line to the presidency. “The sport of wrestling is a tremendous builder of the values and characteristics which are needed to succeed in any walk of life,” Speaker Hastert said in 2000. “Much of what I have managed to achieve in life I owe directly to the years I spent in the wrestling room, as an athlete and a coach. Wrestling is a great educational tool.”

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