Wrestling season has come to an end for our immediate family. This is a bittersweet time. We are not headed into post season wrestling…this year. And it is all good. We had a great season. Wait…Who is this ‘we’ you ask… because wrestling is in many ways an individual sport, (and because I personally wasn’t on the mat). Wrestling season is my favorite season, and it isn’t just about the sports. It is about the family.
On an athletic level, Wrestling is an intense sport that requires strength, stamina, and strategy. It is hard work, it is physically and emotionally demanding, and it isn’t for the faint at heart. I tell my boys that wrestlers can conquer the world in whatever way they choose. I don’t think there is another sport that requires the same level of grit. Wrestling is hard on kids between the training and the conditioning and the added element of weight management.
On any given Saturday wrestling tournament you will see the best and the worst of things. You will see boys who were rivals help each other up off the mat after a loss, you will see them hug, back slap, and congratulate each other. You will see team mates comfort each other in a show of personal intimacy you won’t see in other sports. You will see them cheer each other on and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. Nothing makes my heart happier than when I see one of our seniors bear hug a sophomore, and give him words of encouragement after a loss. You will see coaches giving feedback and guiding their athletes to greatness. You will see coaches leading the development of character; teaching their athletes to both win and lose gracefully. You will also see tantrums and thrown headgear when a match didn’t go well. You will see coaches harassing referees, and you will see coaches behave in a petty manner towards rivals. (Not ours….just sayin’) You will see referees with biases.
You will also see families bonding together and cheering for each other’s children. Families plan meals, run concession stands, and fund raise. They celebrate successes and comfort losses right beside each other, for each other and with each other. Wrestling families become wrestling family. I am so very grateful for my wrestling mom friends. Yes, I will always remember the wins and the losses, but I will also remember the rides to matches catching up on mom life, and I will remember the people watching, I will remember the eye rolls when a ref penalizes our kid for stepping on the mat before being called. I will remember the texts from across a crowded gym when it is time to cheer on our kids.
When one of my sons was taken by ambulance to the hospital mid meet, I knew that my other son would be well taken care of because the wrestling family was there. They made sure he got to school the next day, and that he was emotionally ok. They called, sent texts and messages and checked in on us until we were home from the hospital. Wrestling families bond, and when I say we had a great season, it wasn’t just the boys on the mat. When I have to run to inject after a peanut exposure, you can guarantee that someone is checking up on me. When one of us can’t be present for a match, you can be sure someone is recording for the absent parent.
At this time of year, my voice has nearly gone out- anyone watching the Facebook videos of my kids (or other people’s kids) can hear my booming voice in the back ground to ‘be strong’, ‘be aggressive’ or ‘BRIDGE!!!!!!’. I have rolled over 1000 breakfast burritos to feed the team and the coaches, and sometimes the referees. My kids are sick of me inspecting every mark on their backs to make sure it isn’t ringworm or Mrsa. The season for us has come to a close. The rest of the post season matches are away…but we will be there in spirit.
Tonight, I left districts. Neither of my boys wrestled, but I have no voice, and I am excited for the four boys who are moving on to districts. A couple of those boys I have watched for four years, and have watched them become better wrestlers; While they are not my kids, I am proud of their accomplishments, and am hopeful for them at regionals and hopefully states, as I know is the sentiment of the whole wrestling family.
My older son used to say that wrestling was the sport of ‘what ifs’. He would stress out (as my two do now) about ‘what if’ I don’t make weight. He would dream about ‘what if’ I make it all the way. And then there is always the ‘what if’ I get injured. We have lived that particular ‘what if’ a few times with ER visits and broken bones. And this is where grit and determination come in. Wrestlers must have the mental toughness to get past the what if’s. Life is a bunch of what ifs…they just don’t happen to be exemplified into 6 minutes that you have spent 6 months training for. And this is where wrestling family comes in.
