Students generally view the trip home for Christmas break as the light at the end of the finals week tunnel.

But for student-athletes, the tunnel tends to lead to practice and competition over winter break, with a short trip home in between.

And when some athletes head home to family dinners and gatherings, they have to avoid the enticing spread on the dinner table–especially wrestlers, who must maintain a specific weight to qualify for their respective weight class.

Mike Przekaza, a redshirt freshman on the wrestling team, calls Goffstown, New Hampshire home. He only travels home two to four times a year, and he said he is grateful for the little time that he gets to head north, especially around the holidays.

“We’re expected to maintain our weight and diet, just like any other given day,” Przekaza said.

Even over break, a wrestler’s daily meals fall under strict guidelines. For breakfast, Przekaza has a packet of oatmeal and a light salad for lunch.

Dinner isn’t all that different either, except for the protein of an egg or piece of chicken alongside salad and Gatorade.

But after years of wrestling experience through high school and into college, missing out on the hams, casseroles and pies doesn’t faze Przekaza.

“I’m always having to watch my weight around holidays, so it’s not that big of a challenge anymore. For some other people, it’s different, they have to try,” Przekaza said. “You have to be disciplined, especially in this sport where weight is always a big factor.”

Przekaza and his teammates generally won’t make exceptions for big holiday feasts, but sometimes he lets the little things slide.

“It is Christmas after all, so I treat myself a little bit to something small, like Christmas candies,” Przekaza said. “I’ll just have a piece, or two…or three.”

Diet isn’t the only thing the wrestling team has to maintain over break. Practice and workouts also take place during the holiday season. The practice schedule depends on the competition schedule.

“On a normal break for winter, we practice a couple of times a week,” Przekaza said. “If we’re preparing for a tournament, it varies, often depending on how much we need to increase our weight.”

The team is escaping the final day of Dead Week as they travel west for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational today and Saturday.

The Pack will also see action at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro Dec. 28 and 29. Because of the matches over break, the team will be practicing hard through the holidays.

“Over break, we have two-a-days, workouts and drilling. Most of the time, we’ll just push really hard for an hour, drill for half an hour and go live for the other half,” Przekaza said.

During the year, some of the team members go home nearly every free weekend, while others, like Przekaza, make the trip home only three or four times. But everyone will get some time home for the holidays, with trips ranging from a few days to just over a week.

But Przekaza doesn’t envy the mass of students that get to spend upwards of three weeks at home. He said the long breaks are more than tolerable, even though everyone is away.

“I feel like I still get a break. There’s not anyone around, you have a chance to relax and regain your composure,” Przekaza said. “I don’t think it’s all that bad not going home, you can recuperate and recharge your batteries.”

Przekaza is “really into schoolwork” and finds balancing athletics and high grades to be a tough challenge at times, so even though his winter break is more than cut in half, he welcomes the time away from the books.