Jump to content

1,000th Post Take 2


Y2CJ41

Recommended Posts

This is my second 1,000th post in about a year?s time, so either I post a lot or?. well I post a lot.  First off, I want to say thank you to all the members and even the lurkers of the site.  It has been a HUGE hit and I have received too many comments to even begin to count.  I cannot believe this site is about a month and a half old and how fast it has grown.  I want to thank all of the moderators, rankings people and writers that help to contribute to this site.  I definitely could not take on this task by myself. 

 

To say I am going to top last year?s 1,000th post would be tough to do, so I?m not even going to try to.  I am simply going to repost the story and hope that as the season ends that everyone remembers the real reason we are in this sport and that is to mold young men into great human beings.

 

Without further ado, my 1st 1,000th post dated Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:41 pm

I have been thinking about this post for a couple weeks. At first I thought about some great class wrestling statistic to blow all the haters out of the water? but that has been done before. Then I thought about some super pick?em game, but again? been there done that and it really gets old beating AJ every time. Then I thought about some super bracket system with all the brackets from regional and semi-state and for icing on the cake throw in some sectional and conference brackets? already did that too! Then I thought of a story with pictures of a trip? again that has been done.

 

There are other things I could comment on, like TripleB?s 2028 gold medalist Sofia. Speaking of future state, national and Olympic champions, I could congratulate Garrett?s head coach Luke Fielden on the birth of ?Joey? Fielden that will hit a fireman?s on the doctor in the very near future. It could also be a preview of the next Roadrunner Wrestling Club t-shirt that will hit the shelves very soon.

 

But, sadly this post will not do any of those things above. Instead, I will tell you a little story of the reason I coach wrestling.

 

Just a little background on my short coaching career, I have coached the at the high school level for four years now. In those four years, the teams I have coached have won at least a share of a conference crown for three of those years. I have also coached six of the seven state qualifiers in my school?s history. It?s pretty neat to look back and see that since I came back to Garrett the program has had its best years ever. Whether it is because of me or not, I have no clue, but it has been quite a fun experience to say the least.

 

Now with all that being said, obviously I could say the reason I coach is for those championships or (free) trips to state, but in reality, its just icing on the cake. Not every kid will have the opportunity to go to state, but I hope every kid has the opportunity to learn something from this great sport. It has helped me become the person I am today and if I didn?t wrestle, I have no clue where I would be today.

 

We have this young gentleman this year that is a first year wrestler. He wrestles 103lbs and started the year weighing 85lbs. He doesn't have much to work with as practice partners as we don't have a 112lber and everyone he wrestles is 30+lbs heavier. The kid has stuck it out so far this year, working hard and having a great attitude. He was really quiet the first month and I swear I didn't hear him speak more than three words that first month of the season. He has "come out of his shell" lately and been quite an addition to the team. This kid is as skinny as a rail, with a red afro. How can you not like a kid like this?

 

Well, as the season has progressed, we have wrestled him some varsity and some junior varsity to get experience and hopefully come away with that ever-elusive first "real" win. That brings me to last Saturday at a super dual we hosted. One of our matches he wrestled against a kid he wrestled earlier in the year and got pinned, but at the time the score was like 10-15 in favor of the other kid.

 

He knows before the match he is getting a rematch with the kid that we know is probably his best chance for a win this year. We as coaches and the team know the same thing. If this kid is going to get a "real" win this year, it?s going to be this match.

 

Well, he goes out to the mat with a fire in his belly, maybe he's confident or maybe its the hot dog he ate for lunch. He gets the first takedown right off the bat. Our whole team is on their feet cheering him on. Next he goes for his move, the half nelson. Not exactly "his" move, but he can run it if he gets it.

 

The next thing I remember is the referee calling the pin!!! Our crowd, kids, coaches, EVERYONE reacted as if we won the state championship! I have NEVER seen a kid with a bigger smile on his face than him after that match. I have had kids qualify for state, win championships at conference and other levels, but NEVER has a kid been that happy with winning a wrestling match.

 

At times I look back and wonder about the time, the heart ache, the gray hairs, the loss of hairs, etc that coaching has contributed to and wonder why I do this. This example... it is the one reason why I coach.

 

The trips to state are fun, but making a difference in a kid's life... that means far more.

 

Here is the video from the match:

http://www.flocasts.org/flowrestling/flowrestlr/videos.php?a=video_show&show=&vid=19255

 

Go ahead and scout him if you want!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.