bharmon01 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Is it just me, or this not the most unforgiving sport? I have coached other sports but wrestling is different for some reason. My high school coach told me I would remember the losses more than I would ever remember the wins. He was so right! The loses always comeback every time I go for a run. I wake up thinking about them. It just wears me out. For some reason I can't let them go. Losing hurts worse than winning feels good, but why so much more in wrestling? I don't know why a lose in wrestling sticks with me more than any other sport I have coached. I hate losing period, but I just can't keep from going back to the wrestling loses. I guess its just all the time invested in preparing, the hopes and dreams invested in this sport. To watch a kid pour his heart into this sport and his dream and then see it come to an end is just devastating Damn I hate this sport, while at he same time I love it. I hate the demons of losing, they tear your heart out. Every time you win your reborn, every time you lose you die a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthernIndianaWrestling Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Very very true Coach Harmon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclelouie Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Is it just me, or this not the most unforgiving sport? I have coached other sports but wrestling is different for some reason. My high school coach told me I would remember the losses more than I would ever remember the wins. He was so right! The loses always comeback every time I go for a run. I wake up thinking about them. It just wears me out. For some reason I can't let them go. Losing hurts worse than winning feels good, but why so much more in wrestling? I don't know why a lose in wrestling sticks with me more than any other sport I have coached. I hate losing period, but I just can't keep from going back to the wrestling loses. I guess its just all the time invested in preparing, the hopes and dreams invested in this sport. To watch a kid pour his heart into this sport and his dream and then see it come to an end is just devastating Damn I hate this sport, while at he same time I love it. I hate the demons of losing, they tear your heart out. Every time you win your reborn, every time you lose you die a little. Coach Harmon I just have to say, that I follow this board pretty regularly looking for signs of integrity in this great sport and often times find a lack there of. You are a breath of fresh air for Indiana High School Wrestling and bring honor to your coaching ranks. I hope to see you around for years to come. What you do for kids is not measurable. What many coaches do not realize is that it is not only 4 years of a kids life that you are affecting.From the many post that I have read of yours, I believe that you are committed to this belief and that many kids have been the benefit of your teaching. You have my vote as a great coach. LOU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WC182Dad Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Is it just me, or this not the most unforgiving sport? I have coached other sports but wrestling is different for some reason. My high school coach told me I would remember the losses more than I would ever remember the wins. He was so right! The loses always comeback every time I go for a run. I wake up thinking about them. It just wears me out. For some reason I can't let them go. Losing hurts worse than winning feels good, but why so much more in wrestling? I don't know why a lose in wrestling sticks with me more than any other sport I have coached. I hate losing period, but I just can't keep from going back to the wrestling loses. I guess its just all the time invested in preparing, the hopes and dreams invested in this sport. To watch a kid pour his heart into this sport and his dream and then see it come to an end is just devastating Damn I hate this sport, while at he same time I love it. I hate the demons of losing, they tear your heart out. Every time you win your reborn, every time you lose you die a little. Very true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frigginhurts Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 so true...its hard to expain but you are right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatChick76 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Coach Harmon, I think you are so right. As a mom of a three-sporter I can tell you, no overthrown ball, dropped pass, or strike out compares to losing a wrestling match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaj Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 +1 coach!! This sport SUCKS at times like this. Its both the greatest thing ever and the worst thing ever at the same time. We jump from mat to mat in the state tournament. In THIS match an underclasmen qualifies for another week and its a great feeling, then 5 minutes later a senior in the next weight class up has his season/career end on a heartbreaking loss and his dreams are shattered. It all makes up what is the sport of wrestling. We tell our kids...you know there is no media hype, no press, you do this for the love of the sport, for the personal growth and the quiet confidence that your doing something 99% of other kids aren't interested in or willing to do. Its too hard for most kids. When you walk down the halls at school, give your teammates a silent nod and know that you are both part of a special fraternity of tough people. And when they start feeling sorry for themselves, we tell them, hey don't be a victim. You know the rules. Wrestling is unfair, its as tough as it gets. Cruel things happen to good kids....its a tough sport, but YOU PICKED IT. You signed on for the job. I deal with it by knowing that after 4 years of wrestling, those who "finish the journey" are going to be more prepared to be successful in life than many others who never put themselves through it. There are a few kids from Evansville area that my heart bleeds for today...they are feeling a terrible pain. They deserved better. But they are going to be very successful people in the overall scheme of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHS_Wrestling Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Love this post. It is nice to hear something that is so positive for a change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleB Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 This is awesome Coach Harmon, so very true! This quote belongs on a shirt: I hate the demons of losing, they tear your heart out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBolt Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Is it just me, or this not the most unforgiving sport? I have coached other sports but wrestling is different for some reason. My high school coach told me I would remember the losses more than I would ever remember the wins. He was so right! The loses always comeback every time I go for a run. I wake up thinking about them. It just wears me out. For some reason I can't let them go. Losing hurts worse than winning feels good, but why so much more in wrestling? I don't know why a lose in wrestling sticks with me more than any other sport I have coached. I hate losing period, but I just can't keep from going back to the wrestling loses. I guess its just all the time invested in preparing, the hopes and dreams invested in this sport. To watch a kid pour his heart into this sport and his dream and then see it come to an end is just devastating Damn I hate this sport, while at he same time I love it. I hate the demons of losing, they tear your heart out. Every time you win your reborn, every time you lose you die a little. As you have taught so many over the years, Wrestling IS Life. And Coach you have taught many of us more than you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justdo^it135 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 This is incredibly true. I personally believe it all comes down to the amount of preparation. When you have put in all the work. When you have spent every day of every offseason since you were 8 years old in the wrestling room. When you wake up at 4am everyday to get you morning lift and run in before school. When you leave school after practice and you get in another workout before you go to bed. When you have been across the state and country every single weekend attending any tournament you can for quality competition. When you have planned all your meals weeks in advance. When you have given every fragment of effort possibly expendable by a human being to your sport and then you put in more; Not just when the coaches are watching but every shot, stand-up, sprawl, lap, burpee, pull up, Push up and every single second of the day. Then at the very center of your core and soul you know that beyond any doubt you DESERVE VICTORY. It is very hard to accept a loss when you deserved victory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjax Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Great post. I think to most wrestlers, the agony of defeat far outweighs the satisfaction of victory. When you're done with your career, whether it be coaching or competing, or both, you'll be able to put things into perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chet fan1 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Thx for this post! Right on target and with perfect timing. What better time of year to remind our young men out there that their frustrations and disappointments are just as real for each and every one of us who have ever taken up the challenge to compete in this sport. Best response I can come up with is that the reason it hurts so much more is because its all on us. I have always loved wrestling, from elementary through a great high school career and what I can only sum up as a mediocre college career I have loved the idea that I was the only one to blame for the outcome of matches. (Win or lose) Yes, you get the annomily of a refs call changing circumstances, but 99% of the time it comes down to what we put into ahead of time. I was always a multisport athlete, even in college, and wrestling remains the one sport I have had the pleasure to compete in that was so individually driven. I am a full 15 years removed from my college career now and I still remember a match from December of my freshman year of high school. (the last time i was pinned) No matter how great a season was I am and will always be frustrated and disappointed with the memories of losses. The good news is, and i cannot stress it enough to kids i have coached, I and they are better for having done this. Learning the value of hard work. Understanding what sacrafice really is. Learning to lose, AND TO WIN, with some class. Life lessons better learned in wrestling than anywhere else in the world, at least for me. Thanks for being a man of class yourself coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrestleMan Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Thanks to everyone of you for the great posts. It really hits home after a tough weekend. Many wrestlers saw their dreams end and many will not fulfill their dreams this weekend. To some there is next year, but to many this will be the end of their careers. Thank you for letting them know they are not alone in their pain. Thank you also for pointing out the lessons they have learned because they competed in this great sport. The hard work, dedication and sacrifice these young men have given to the sport will only help them in their future endeavors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droe32 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 i am derek roes dad and these coments are all so very true,i remember my loss my senior yr more then my state championship win my junior yr. derek took a ot. loss at s.s. being ranked 6th-from the 1 pt.loss at state last year on fri. - starting that monday that kid lifted and worked out every day---had a great season and all came crashing down with 1 loss at the wrong time.i told him i dont have the answers,but that u will receive more heartaches in life and i think wrestling will help prepare u for that. its just so crazy that i have missed 2 days of work,cant eat -over one fricking wrestling match! it seems to be so much harder on a parent then it was ever on me when i was on the mat. i am saying this with a sad heart, but i have vowed to never talk another kid into wrestling.the highs and lows are to great.JOIN THE BAND! tell me, am i crazy or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2boys64 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Well Mr. Roe, you are are NOT crazy. My oldest sons senior year ended Friday night on a controversial no take down call. He spent all that year ranked in the top 5, and sat Saturday watching people place as high as 4th, that he'd beaten everytime he faced them. It was the worst feeling imaginable. To this day he says he he'll be haunted by that the rest of his life. I still feel sad for him. The emotional toll this sport puts on the kid AND the parents is UNREAL! There is a silver lining though, he is a D1 wrestler and relishes the fact he didnt even place when he's beating state champions from IL, NC, Mich, OH etc. My problem is he has a younger brother. Dad dont know if he can go through it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fwrestler Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 The posts on this topic hit home for a lot of people. I was a 3x semi-state qualifier, 2x ticket-rounder and never made it over the hump. Still bothers me, and I think about the losses a lot more than the wins. I've often heard it said that no one ends a season without regrets but the guy standing on top of the podium at the end, and that's one of the toughest things about the sport. But I wouldn't take back my experiences in wrestling for anything, and I think you'd be crazy to discourage someone from wrestling because of the fear of failure. Its the most difficult sport there is, but also the most rewarding, and as time goes on you do gain perspective and appreciate what it meant to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUBjj171 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Coach harmon, you are correct. I remember losing my match against Matt Powless like I am watching a tape of the match but those losses can be motivation not to "lose" elsewhere in life. And I hope you realize how much you do effect your wrestlers. You've had quite the effect on me and my goals. I'm not sure that I would've gotten into medical this year if wasn't for staying focused and pushing myself like you taught me. William Gaylord Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1gold Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Nice ... Couldnt have said it any better ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rey mysterio Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I agree it's hard not thinkin of the bad matches. Can't help but remember bein up 8-0 in the second semi finals at semi state he year. Got neck whipped for five and up 11-7 wit 7 seconds left deer in a headlights get thrown in a headlock and lose 12-11 at the buzzer :/ most likely woulda placed at state if woulda won. The one that hurt most tho night before and morning of semi state senior year got food poisonin from my own school.was up all night and all morning pukin and diarrhea every ten minutes. Lost 7 pounds that I didn't hav to lose was under 5 % body fat but I had to go out and try it was my senior year. I was honestly probably 40% if that still managed to win my first one by like six in my second took the kid straight down to his back if only I coulda held him there. 5-5 and give up late reversal and jus can't get up lose by two :/ I was heart broke kid that beat me got second kid who won I had already beat 3 times 8-0! I was ranked fourth and the draw the kid got who won our semi state was the best ever. He lost 2nd round in triple overtime at state so i kno I woulda beat that kid and bam semi finals and who knows way coulda happenedonly loss was to Brooks and he told me if u wouldn took bottom u might a beat me I couldn't take u down ha. He beat me 11-4 but cus he turned me 3 times. Top four was my dream and it wad reality but didn't happen the odds I got food poison night before horrible luck. Haunts me to this day way could hav been.... After that hung em up so ya I feel everyone who ever jus had bad luck cus it sucks when u work so hard and put everythin into it and ya u sorta remember the good matches but it's true u remember the bad ones forever:/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awood1 Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 It's really pretty simple...it's just YOU! Coach, mom, priest...no one is out there but you! YOUR time, YOUR work, YOUR sacrifice, YOUR humiliation..it's all you. You are alone unlike any other sport. There are several stories that blame coincidence, the draw, the ref, but none of the changes when they grab the wrist of your opponent and raise it to the sky. The ONLY person standing there is YOU. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rey mysterio Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 No crap but u can't help somethin outta ur hands jus like Cody Phillips said and eat happened to him, u can't help if u get badly injured, sick, food poisoned. IFC way u say u can't help things like that period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No One Famous Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Great post Coach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Miller Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We have a sign above our wrestling room door as our athletes enter, "Those who stay will become Champions". Coach Miller Lafayette Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chet fan1 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 couldn't agree more coach miller! If you stay, you will be a champion on one way or another. AMEN! Just wish more would stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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