BClark

Pass

This is how you grow the sport. Huge duals like EMD vs PM. CP vs Portage. Cathedral vs CE and stream it for those who can’t make it. 
I love that it was on a Friday night! Think there should be more Friday night duals. 
Thanks for putting on a great show for wrestling fans. 

This is how you grow the sport. Huge duals like EMD vs PM. CP vs Portage. Cathedral vs CE and stream it for those who can’t make it. 
I love that it was on a Friday night! Think there should be more Friday night duals. 
Thanks for putting on a great show for wrestling fans. 

This is how you grow the sport. Huge duals like EMD vs PM. CP vs Portage. Cathedral vs CE and stream it for those who can’t make it. 
I love that it was on a Friday night! Think there should be more Friday night duals. 
Thanks for putting on a great show for wrestling fans. 

This is how you grow the sport. Huge duals like EMD vs PM. CP vs Portage. Cathedral vs CE and stream it for those who can’t make it. 
I love that it was on a Friday night! Think there should be more Friday night duals. 
Thanks for putting on a great show for wrestling fans. 

As we started this season, I reached out to some former wrestlers for words to provide to the guys who think the sport isn't for them. These were guys who weren't "wrestling first" guys. These were guys who either had to be talked into being on the team, were there specifically to prep for football, chose not to wrestle one year, etc. This particular reply stood out, and I thought the Gorilla community might enjoy it. For the record, this is from a 2013 graduate. This particular wrestler was a one time sectional champion and did not qualify for semi-state. Somehow I find that makes his words more powerful...not from a top-dog guy. From a guy who was grinding every day just getting what he could out of the sport. Almost better than this longer version is the text he sent me later when I thanked him - "It's simple though, mentally, wrestling makes all other high school sports easier."
 
The Struggle is REAL:
Wrestling at first glance seems like it’s mostly physical. I wrestled for four years and didn’t understand what it was doing for my mental development yet, so regretfully I took a year off. After a year away, luckily I enjoyed what it did for me enough physically to come back to the mat for another three years. I wish someone could snap their fingers, tell you that your hard work will be worth it, and you will just believe it.   Sorry, too bad it’s harder than that.   At first glance, it’s doesn’t seem so, but wrestling is more mentally than physically beneficial.    You know that feeling you have deep inside when you’re struggling? Just trust in yourself and know, that feeling is the first sign that you’re about to learn something new about yourself. Be conscious, have the wherewithal to push through the struggle for a solution, then take the time to reflect on what pushing through that struggle taught you, and ultimately you will have truly learned that NOTHING worth learning is easy. Each time you learn something new, it will breathe new confidence within you to go through the next struggle or barrier in your way.   Whatever you do, take the measures and have targeted objectives to get better at struggling. Break down personal barriers and do yourself a favor, use what you’ve learned to struggle for a shorter period the next time. Make the valleys shallower and the peaks higher with each learning experience.   Put in the time to learn the mental chess game that wrestling really is, and you won’t regret that decision. Learn how to strategically and more efficiently employ both your body and mind. Once you’ve learned how to tie a few good moves together, counter your opponent, and mentally grind through a full three periods, then win or lose you just took the measures to think one step ahead of the person in front of you; a skill you’ll use for the rest of your life.   Struggles will come as long as you live. Wrestling has mentally prepared me for handling trials and tribulations. I hope that you’ll have that same experience.     

Maybe should've went with the Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg slam

What Is Tact?

Tact is the ability to tell the truth in a way that considers other people's feelings and reactions. It allows you to give difficult feedback, communicate sensitive information, and say the right thing to preserve a relationship.
Tact encompasses many things, including emotional intelligence, respect, discretion, self-awareness, thoughtfulness, compassion, subtlety, honesty, diplomacy, and courtesy.

What Is Tact?

Tact is the ability to tell the truth in a way that considers other people's feelings and reactions. It allows you to give difficult feedback, communicate sensitive information, and say the right thing to preserve a relationship.
Tact encompasses many things, including emotional intelligence, respect, discretion, self-awareness, thoughtfulness, compassion, subtlety, honesty, diplomacy, and courtesy.

Bet on the dudes who have multiple world titles/medals. Lee, Yianni, Hall, Zahid
plus add guys like Fix and Gable next year with success on the world stage.

It's been a while. I said something around mid season about getting 5 AAs and it was quickly dismissed based on lack of history

The number of children playing team sports is falling, with experts blaming a parent-driven focus on elite travel clubs, specialization in one sport and pursuit of scholarships for hurting the country’s youth sports leagues.
“The system is now designed to meet the needs of the most talented kids,” said Mark Hyman, a professor of sports management at George Washington University and the author of several books on youth sports. “We no longer value participation. We value excellence.”
“The adults have won,” Hyman said. “If we wiped the slate clean and reinvented youth sports from scratch by putting the physical and emotional needs of kids first, how different would it look? Nothing would be recognizable.”
Amanda Visek, an exercise science professor at George Washington University, recently surveyed nearly 150 children about what they found fun about sports. (Her sample included kids who play travel and recreational sports.) The kids identified 81 factors contributing to their happiness.
Number 48: winning.
Also low on the list: playing in tournaments, cool uniforms and expensive equipment. High on the list: positive team dynamics, trying hard, positive coaching and learning. Whenever Visek presents her findings to win-hungry parents and coaches, there is a lot of pushback.
“They don’t want to believe it,” she said.
Yet the No. 1 reason why kids quit sports is that it’s no longer fun.

The number of children playing team sports is falling, with experts blaming a parent-driven focus on elite travel clubs, specialization in one sport and pursuit of scholarships for hurting the country’s youth sports leagues.
“The system is now designed to meet the needs of the most talented kids,” said Mark Hyman, a professor of sports management at George Washington University and the author of several books on youth sports. “We no longer value participation. We value excellence.”
“The adults have won,” Hyman said. “If we wiped the slate clean and reinvented youth sports from scratch by putting the physical and emotional needs of kids first, how different would it look? Nothing would be recognizable.”
Amanda Visek, an exercise science professor at George Washington University, recently surveyed nearly 150 children about what they found fun about sports. (Her sample included kids who play travel and recreational sports.) The kids identified 81 factors contributing to their happiness.
Number 48: winning.
Also low on the list: playing in tournaments, cool uniforms and expensive equipment. High on the list: positive team dynamics, trying hard, positive coaching and learning. Whenever Visek presents her findings to win-hungry parents and coaches, there is a lot of pushback.
“They don’t want to believe it,” she said.
Yet the No. 1 reason why kids quit sports is that it’s no longer fun.

I would rather give teams an option (if mutually agreed) to replace one of the weights with another weight. For example, neither team has a 106 but both teams have an extra 145. They could slot those guys in and still let 14 kids wrestle.

Sign me up for these matchups:
125: Semis of Cruz-Suriano/Lee-Tomasello
133: Would love a Gross-Micic final 
141: Yianni-Meredith rematch (would love to see a Lee upset)
165: IMAR vs Cenzo rematch 
174: Hall vs Zahid rematch
285: Snyder vs Coon rematch
 
Mildly excited:
184: Nickal vs. Martin (I'm still interested in this rematch)
 
Not that excited about:
149: Zain (love watching him wrestle but no real challengers)
157: Healthy Nolf and then everyone else
197: although it could factor in team race 

If I did my math correctly:
ECC: 25
FW: 22
NC: 32
EV: 33

Don't forget Moran.
 
My final prediction after looking more in-depth
1 - Brownsburg (and I don't think it will be close. Potentially 4 in the finals-Mills, Mulkey, Lee, Walton)
2 - Portage (3 potentially in the finals-Moran, Rumph, McIntosh)
3 - Cathedral 
4 - Columbus East 
5 - Perry Meridian (3 potentially in the finals-Fair, Warren, Cottey)

I went to the Big 10s at Mackey several years ago (2011?). Good place to watch some wrestling!

I went to the Big 10s at Mackey several years ago (2011?). Good place to watch some wrestling!

Does Mom pack you extra meatloaf?

Don't sleep on Mejia...that dude will be a tough out.

Don't sleep on Mejia...that dude will be a tough out.

Does Mom pack you extra meatloaf?

Don't sleep on Mejia...that dude will be a tough out.

Don't sleep on Mejia...that dude will be a tough out.