Today is November 1st. For many out there, it is just another ordinary day...but not in our house, this is the first day of Wrestling Season ! This is a journey that will last for the next three months, from November 1st until the end of January our lives will be consumed with Wrestling.
This will be my sixth year in the land of wrestling....I have to think back to the afternoon when my son Kyle, came to me and said that he wanted to be on the Lugoff Elgin middle school wrestling team. I could have never imagined how those little words would alter my life in so many ways!
My husband has been fortunate to have coached Five State Championship Teams and one runner up, this is something that we are so proud of. Each year when the new class of 7th and 8th grade boys come to their first meeting, he pulls out each of his state championship rings. He carefully displays each one in its own little box....and he talks to the boys about each championship. At the end of his speech ...he ask each boy "What can you do today....to make yourself a better wrestler tomorrow."
At the beginning of every wrestling season he usually has about 40 young men to come to that first meeting. Many of these boys need wrestling in their lives for one reason or another, a bad home life, difficulty at school etc. My husband is often told how wonderful he is for working with these kids, and how their son's life has been impacted because he has been their coach. Every child that my husband has coached, my husband has truly loved, and in the end, it has been us that have been blessed by the boys and their love for us.
Wrestling is a difficult sport...long nights, practice every day and all day Saturday tournaments. We travel all over the state, at 4 & 5 AM on the mornings of tournaments....and we take our entourage of peanut butter, hot dogs, and chips and cookies with us wherever we go. I will have to admit that in January, I will be happy to have the season completed, but today I am excited.
Excited that it is another year, another group of young men that will grow and be blessed by being a part of this team, but most of all that Ted and I will be blessed for the next three months, for we will get to play a part in the lives of these wonderful young men !
Let the Season Begin!!!
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blogging world!
Those boys certainly are lucky to have you and your husband! Everyone can use extra encouragement in their corner. I think you will like blogging, it is a fun adventure.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited to run across this sweet blog. Graham is excited for wrestling...he is a little nervous, but ready to try! I am so grateful that he will have a coach with such good values and a beautiful wife who is so supportive of the team :D I am looking forward to those matches!!!
ReplyDeleteI always like this time of year too. I actually love the smells of wrestling - sweaty, stinky workout clothes. I love tournaments - "Hurry up and wait." I have skills in running tournaments and mat tables and scoring, etc. I will do whatever you need help with. I'll be the guy at the edge of the mat.
ReplyDeleteAlways wrestling with something,
Sterling
This is awesome! I didn't know you were a blogger. Well I have to comment on this post about wrestling season even though it is months after the fact and my son hasn't been on the LEMS team for the last 4 years...I have to tell you about yesterday afternoon on the way home from the Upper State Championship. Your husband called and wanted to know everything that happened...how every boy did, what the score was, how they looked out there...everything. Max talked to him for a half hour on the trip home. I could only hear one side of the conversation but it was so cool listening to my son who is celebrating a state championship with his team recounting all the events of the day to his first wrestling coach from his middle school days. It was so great...Ted is so great and we love you both!
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