Thanks to the wrestling community

[bocowrestling 14]

I never had any experience with wrestling prior to ten years ago when my sons started in the sport.  Although there were plenty of things to dislike about the sport (getting up at 5 a.m.; sitting in a gym for 14 hours; endless delays while coaches lounged in the hospitality room; ring worm; hungry nights), it was a truly amazing experience.  

I would like to thank all of the wonderful coaches  that coached my sons, as well as the coaches on the other teams that showed great kindness for my children.  I will always appreciate Coach Randy Miller, Kevin Case, Pat Wilkinson, Brian Sivenski, Eric and Rick Dingus, Johnny Stout, Benji French as well as all of the other guys who came in to help our team get better.  I also appreciate the guys who worked with my kids on the offseason.  Woodford County coaches always welcomed my kids just like their own.  They were also welcomed at Harrison County and Scott County too.  There are so many great coaches that I got to know along the way, I wish I could name them all.  

Another thing I loved about the sport was they relationships the boys developed with the wrestlers on their team, and the wrestlers on the other teams.  At the State Tournament every year, I saw competitors vying for precious state medals laughing and warming up together before they wrestled, and then hugging each other after the match and while waiting on their medals.  I have been around sports my entire life, and there is no other sport where a group of guys tries to break each other in half, and then hang out eating nachos together and laughing. (Particularly heavyweights!  Those are the happiest hugriest people I have ever had the pleasure to know.)  After one of the favorites to win the tournament in my son's weight class was beaten in the quarters, I was telling my son how he was rooting for him in the semis.  Class and character!

I got to know many parents of children during my experiences with this sport.  From best friends to acquaintances that I will never forget, I made many relationships that changed my life.  I was touched time and time again when a parent from some random school would ask me about how my son was doing in college, or would comment about my sons character.    

A few other people I would like to thank are the refs and Ranger.  I know the referees take abuse every week from coaches, parents and occasionally ill behaved competitors, but I always felt like they worked hard to maintain the integrity of the sport and to ensure the safety of the competitors.  I would also like to thank Ranger, for his rankings.  Parents, kids and coaches (even though they deny it) wait anxiously for each release during the season of the ranking updates.  There are few kids on the mat that don't know their ranking or don't covet a ranking.  

Finally, I loved to watch the way the sport changed so many young men, including my own sons.  I watched them get stronger, fitter, tougher and smarter.  I saw them set goals and achieve them.  My sons developed a confidence in themselves that they would not have developed in other sports.  There was no quarterback to throw a pass, or a linebacker to make a trackle.  These kids grew because there was no one between their back and the mat, besides themselves.  

I cannot express my gratitude enough for everyone who made my time a great experience for my family and I.  I will do everything I can to continue to encourage the growth of the sport.  My son's last match was yesterday, and I already offered to buy a friends' preschool son a pair of wrestling shoes if she would put him in the sport.

 

Thank you all!

 

[Nike Man 292]

And that is what it is all about. Greatest sport on Earth. 

[Granby 29]

Absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Right down to the "  I already offered to buy a friends' preschool son a pair of wrestling shoes if she would put him in the sport" 

I feel the same way LOL 

[justaref 37]

20 minutes ago, Granby said:

Absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Right down to the "  I already offered to buy a friends' preschool son a pair of wrestling shoes if she would put him in the sport" 

I feel the same way LOL 

I plead with all the parents of young children that I know to get them into wrestling early. Easier said than done, everyone thinks their kid has a good jumper in KY. 

[Ranger123 43]

Boco you said a lot there. Kids like yours and parents like you are exactly why I put in the extra time I do.  Great people all around. I still fondly remember those days when you drove all the way to Campbell county on a week night for team Ky workouts. Luckily Dutch was there to roll with the big boys and keep me from getting killed. Great times that we will all always remember. This sport creates a lot of them. 

[Raiders Wrestling 62]

ii

I first want to say congrats to you dad and your sons. I too started as a dad so impressed with the way wrestling changed kids for the better I started working more and more to help. You touched on all the reasons it is the Greatest Sport for any age. Thanks for your words and time. 

[JCB 2]

Not sure it could be said any better then bocowrestling said it in his post.  I want to second, my thanks to all the Kentucky Wrestling Community and how this sport help to develop my child(young man) in to a strong good person.  I will miss the great time spend with many good people.