A father's story about his wrestling son

[kdsmith27 14]

A father's story about his wrestling son by Greg Mercer

 

"Dad, I'm going to go out for wrestling," my son said five years ago.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Wrestling is the hardest sport there is."

At the time, I found it hard to reconcile my 13-year-old's laid-back personality with what I thought I knew about wrestling. Of course, what I knew about the sport was confined to what I had seen during Saturday afternoon televised exhibitions between characters like Haystack Calhoun, the Andersen Brothers and, of course, Rick "the nature boy" Flair. I learned quickly, however, to appreciate the beauty of amateur wrestling, which can best be described as a balance between raw strength and athletic agility. Because there are 14 separate weight classifications (beginning at 103 pounds), and since you compete against others weighing the same, wrestling allows young men too small for football or too short for basketball to engage in a sport where size isn't the determining factor. But the most intriguing aspect about wrestling is that while it is a team sport, in each match you are alone against your opponent. There is no one to pass the ball to, no one to block for you, you can't call time-out and get advice from a coach. A difficult match draws on every ounce of mental, emotional and physical energy the wrestler possesses. Alone, out there on the mat, there is nowhere to hide. There is something profoundly elegant about this. Wrestling teaches self-reliance and accountability unlike any of the stick and ball sports of my youth. So despite my initial concerns (or maybe because of them) my son began wrestling in the eight grade. The coach immediately told him not to expect to win a match for a couple years as he would be competing against bigger, stronger wrestlers with much more experience. Of course, being a contrarian, my son placed third in his very first tournament and was awarded a bronze medal that hangs in his room to this day.

I recall two things from that very first tournament. My first memory is of intense pain (mine, not my son). A month prior to the tournament, I had a hernia repaired and I was skeptical about sitting on a hard bench for several hours, but the coach assured me my son would lose in the first round and we would home in no more than an hour

[tc125 0]

this hits very close to home. i know what its like to lose those tough matches in the last second. you feel terrible for ever, i cant even imagine what your son was feeling losing the state championship like that. i applaud your son and have very much respect for him for not throwing a fit, and being respectful. thank your son for me for showing everyone what wrestling is all about, and what it takes to be a champion on the inside.