Wrestling season is my absolute favorite sports season. Wrestling is hard….it takes strength, stamina, strategy, and skill. Wrestlers are some of the most dedicated and hardest working athletes out there and until you have lived it….you just don’t know. There is something special about wrestling that is different from other sports and that is the unity involved with the wrestlers and their families and coaches.
Wrestling is a sport that takes grit, determination, hard work and sacrifice. And that is just for the athletes. Wrestling season is hard on parents too, between emotional intensity of not just matches but preparation for matches, wrestling is time intensive, and for the newbies to it….there is a learning curve.
As we are wrapping up a senior year wrestling season after 6 years (really, I’m not crying….and I do have a junior wrestler as well so I have one more year of high school wrestling to look forward to) a lot of things go through my mind….such as, what will I do with all those Saturdays in January when it is too cold to do much except sit in the bleachers screaming my head off. I have learned a lot during the last 6 years of wrestling seasons.
Lessons Learned as a wrestling mom: # 1 Diet
The only person harder than a 14 year old girl on their body image is a wrestler trying to make weight. Thankfully in middle school programs the emphasis is on building skills and not on altering body composition and body weight, but once high school hits…it iS particularly hard when there are multiple athletes competing in the same weight classes. And in this modern fast food world we live in we have to be very discretionary between diet and healthy lifestyle. We eat a pretty healthy and consistent diet in our house because I just don’t keep junk food on hand and we rarely hit a drive through. But during wrestling season, we are all eating with a little more caution, as a family, limiting excess sugar and sodium and staying well hydrated.
During my senior’s freshman season on varsity, he maintained 130 after coming out of football season at 145. He was HANGRY the whole season. Our normal healthy dining meant smaller portions for him since there was no soda, chips, sweets or fast food to eliminate. after watching this, his younger brother was very deliberate in the year between his freshman and sophomore season when he wanted to go down in weight classes, and he started running all through the spring and summer and started hitting the gym hard during the summer.
The lesson here is to be supportive with out criticizing. Boys are just as susceptible to disordered eating as girls, take their physique just as personally (maybe more) and their overall mental health is just as important as physical health. Our older son decided during his sophomore year he would rather wrestle heavier and be happier than restrict his diet. Our younger son has found that weight management is a year round healthy choice.
#2 networking
Do not be the parent who sits alone in the corner. Get to know the other parents and families who make up the wrestling extended family. It is so much more fun sitting with the group, getting to know each other’s kids, and bonding. True story, during the off season, I miss the momsquad. We all have several kids, jobs, and life outside of wrestling, but during the season….I know we all have each other’s kids. One of the absolute best experiences I have had is watching this core group of boys, who all started together in 6th and 7th grade middle school wrestling grow and mature….second to getting to know their families. We sit together a cheer for each other’s kids. We congratulate them for their wins, we console them for their losses, and we reaffirm them that no matter what, win or lose, we are collectively proud of them.
One of the things I have valued most about the Wrestling family is the support they have offered my family when we were in need….like any of the times we had to leave a wrestling match with my older son to go to the ER, Iknoew my younger son was in good hands….even overnight.
#3 meet preparedness
Ah yes….Wrestling Saturday….drive an hour to sit for eight…but it is all good. As long as you have comfortable seating. You see, gymnasium bleachers are not intended for middle aged people (I said it…doesn’t mean I like it…) to sit for extended periods of time. A high quality and comfortable stadium seat is an absolute must for those long days. This stadium seat is far and away the most comfortable one I have found. It is highly padded, supportive, has comfortable arm rests, opens to be flat with back pack straps for easy carrying, especially for entry and exit when your hands are full of crockpots and cases of water. It also doesn’t slip and slide all over the bleacher seat or fall backwards when you need to stand up from excitement.
Next on my list for wrestling mom must haves is this amazing crockpot that looks like an igloo cooler. It is made by Presto, is sturdy, has a locking lid and the carrying handle makes it easy to transport. Being square instead of oval and not having peg legs like many traditional kitchen crockpots have also makes it stable in the car. The cord bunches up into some inner compartment and it has a condensation reservoir so the moisture doesn’t ruin the burritos….or whatever else you may be bringing.
I also recomend keeping nail clippers, bandaids, tums, ibuprofen and cough drops be kept on hand. The cough drops are for the parents because after 8 hours of yelling “BRIDGE!!”, “CROSSFACE!!!”, “SQUEEEEEEEZZE!!!”, “CHEST TO CHEST!!!”, “ON YOUR TOES!!!”….one tends to get a little scratchy in the throat.
#4 Accidents Happen-get to know the trainer
There is nothing worse than an injury on the mat. The only thing worse than an injury on the mat is an injury in practice. But, it is wrestling and it is a high intensity sport. There are bound to be sprains, concussions, black eyes and bruises. You hope to avoid dislocations and fractures…but those also are not unheard of. We make sure to let the team trainer know how much we appreciate her, becasue she is the ‘go to’ person when our kids are not at 100%. She has seen a million and one injuries, tends to have good judgement about when it is time to see a doctor, go to the ER, or just sit it out. She has provided our sons with interim care to get them from the school to the hospital safely and with out risking further injury.
Get Aflac. Aflac accident and injury coverage pays an additional 25% on sports related injuries. In our situation, Aflac has covered the cost of copays and all of our out of pocket expenses have balanced out…and we have had everything from surgeries to repair broken bones to overnight stays in the hospital after a numbness and back injury scare to the run of the mill concussions.
#5 Feed the Team
Keeping the athletes and the coaches fed, especially on those long Saturdays is crucial. Think grab and go for the during meet snacks. Team favorites include small slider style deli sandwiches, breakfast burritos, or chicken strips. Frozen go gurts, granola bars, fruit snacks and fresh fruit are always good.
#6 All the little things
If you are new to youth wrestling, when your child comes home with their first singlet, super proud and happy. Say nothing.
If your son is facing a female opponent. Say nothing. Girls are dominating the mats these days and should never be underestimated.
If you don’t like how your child looks with their face squished to the mat. Say encouraging things loud….and then say nothing.
When your kid goes the distance and takes a tough loss, offer praise on a good match. When your kid heads to the hallway, behind the bleachers, or a private corner, say nothing and let them be. Sometimes they need a moment, and part of grit, is getting through that moment.
Wrestling is an intense sport, for the athletes and the parents. Make sure your wrestlers know that win or lose, they make you proud. Sure we like the pins, and we like the wins…but more than anything else, we like what wrestling teaches our kids: self discipline, hard work, good sportsmanship and work ethic, mentoring, and so many other life skills.
