MR TWISTER
12-25-2005, 11:01 AM
Merry Christmas to the entire wrestling community. As we reach the mid point of the season I reflect back on the great wrestling that I am seeing and marvel at the skill level of all of the athletes. It is really amazing how poised the athletes are, how solid their wrestling is and how good some of these teams are. The next time you go to a wrestling match just observe how polished the wrestlers are and it will make you wonder how many man hours it took to get to that point. And at the same time I wonder where the future is for the seniors. Can they get better? And by how much? And in what area?
As a parent of a senior wrestler I was watching the Dvorak tournament unfold and kind of became reflective. I was watching Matt Schemeski of Sandburg wrestle and just drifted back to when he use to wrestle my son. I could see Matt clear as day in the dark green Oak Forest singlet and my kid in his all red Twister singlet in the sectional at St. Laurence in both of them's first really big match. At that time I never envisioned them wrestling in high school or college. I saw so many wrestlers that I had watched wrestle their whole careers. Canty, Starzyk, Lewandowski, Webster, Benefiel, Hutter, McAullife, Morrison, Lambert, and others. Except I saw them in their kids level singlets as little boys trying to be big and now they are young men trying not to be little boys. I mean all the way back to before the IKWF/IWF Civil War. I'm speaking of 1996-97 era and now these wrestlers are seniors in high school. Some are wrestling their last season never to hit the mat again, some will continue in college. College will be different. Larger, more distant and just not as personal. Even as a parent most of us will not see every meet and will have to travel a great distance to see the big ones. So much change at one time. I had a long talk with the referee(Jan Stroud) that worked my sons first meet ever some 12 years ago. It seems like that match was yesterday as I can remember the details as clear as daylight of that match. My how fast the time has flown by.
And I remember their parents and brothers and sisters as well. The Benefiels, Mrs. Canty, Mr. Uccardi, the Lamberts, the Morrison's, the Brantley's and others. Sometimes you talk to the other parents, sometimes you just know the face after so many years. I wondered have they gone through the same trials and tribulations that my family has. The practices, the travel to nationals, the losses, the victories, the good and the bad draws, the good and the bad calls, where to store those damn medals, there are just so many, and the weight cutting. Of course I guess we as parents have all gotten up at the crack of dawn to get our wrestlers to the scale. And speaking of scales we just purchased our third digital home scale in over ten years. I guess all that weight checking just wears them out. Do other parents have the same problem? I wonder how many worried about where their kid would go on the next level and if he was ready for the next level? As the wrestlers have proceeded down this path so have the families.
As I watched this all go by my eyes up at Dundee Crown I also wondered about when it all stops for a parent. The joy of watching your kid compete ends one day. I talked to one parent who told me his son was through wrestling in 1997 but he is still at every big meet that his son was in. He is at the CCL tournament, Dvorak, sectionals and assorted key duals. And of course he spends two days in Champaign. The guys a lifer. In fact we all are. I can see myself just like this guy. See the sport is addictive. The names change but the passion and love and respect for the sport remain the same.
Not only are these years the best years of our kids life, it is also the best years of the parents life. I hope everyone has a lot of film on their sons. It will become real precious.
Now personally when I get the grandson (my granddaughter will never wrestle) hopefully the journey will start all over again. Except I won't have to make those 7 a.m. weigh ins. That will be the beauty of being a grandparent. I can come in time for the first match. But until that time I guess I will just become a high school fan nomad, searching for the best meets, seeking to fix my addiction. And I have a feeling I will see some of you with me. It is an addiction.
As a parent of a senior wrestler I was watching the Dvorak tournament unfold and kind of became reflective. I was watching Matt Schemeski of Sandburg wrestle and just drifted back to when he use to wrestle my son. I could see Matt clear as day in the dark green Oak Forest singlet and my kid in his all red Twister singlet in the sectional at St. Laurence in both of them's first really big match. At that time I never envisioned them wrestling in high school or college. I saw so many wrestlers that I had watched wrestle their whole careers. Canty, Starzyk, Lewandowski, Webster, Benefiel, Hutter, McAullife, Morrison, Lambert, and others. Except I saw them in their kids level singlets as little boys trying to be big and now they are young men trying not to be little boys. I mean all the way back to before the IKWF/IWF Civil War. I'm speaking of 1996-97 era and now these wrestlers are seniors in high school. Some are wrestling their last season never to hit the mat again, some will continue in college. College will be different. Larger, more distant and just not as personal. Even as a parent most of us will not see every meet and will have to travel a great distance to see the big ones. So much change at one time. I had a long talk with the referee(Jan Stroud) that worked my sons first meet ever some 12 years ago. It seems like that match was yesterday as I can remember the details as clear as daylight of that match. My how fast the time has flown by.
And I remember their parents and brothers and sisters as well. The Benefiels, Mrs. Canty, Mr. Uccardi, the Lamberts, the Morrison's, the Brantley's and others. Sometimes you talk to the other parents, sometimes you just know the face after so many years. I wondered have they gone through the same trials and tribulations that my family has. The practices, the travel to nationals, the losses, the victories, the good and the bad draws, the good and the bad calls, where to store those damn medals, there are just so many, and the weight cutting. Of course I guess we as parents have all gotten up at the crack of dawn to get our wrestlers to the scale. And speaking of scales we just purchased our third digital home scale in over ten years. I guess all that weight checking just wears them out. Do other parents have the same problem? I wonder how many worried about where their kid would go on the next level and if he was ready for the next level? As the wrestlers have proceeded down this path so have the families.
As I watched this all go by my eyes up at Dundee Crown I also wondered about when it all stops for a parent. The joy of watching your kid compete ends one day. I talked to one parent who told me his son was through wrestling in 1997 but he is still at every big meet that his son was in. He is at the CCL tournament, Dvorak, sectionals and assorted key duals. And of course he spends two days in Champaign. The guys a lifer. In fact we all are. I can see myself just like this guy. See the sport is addictive. The names change but the passion and love and respect for the sport remain the same.
Not only are these years the best years of our kids life, it is also the best years of the parents life. I hope everyone has a lot of film on their sons. It will become real precious.
Now personally when I get the grandson (my granddaughter will never wrestle) hopefully the journey will start all over again. Except I won't have to make those 7 a.m. weigh ins. That will be the beauty of being a grandparent. I can come in time for the first match. But until that time I guess I will just become a high school fan nomad, searching for the best meets, seeking to fix my addiction. And I have a feeling I will see some of you with me. It is an addiction.