??? about old-timers tourneys

[uglykid]

i'm 38 with very limited wrestling exp (didn't do it much, haven't done it since hs, but have watched a ton of it), in pretty good shape, thinking about entering the plano thing march 6th. i'd be in the 220 class. what should i know to help me with the decision? anything would be appreciated as long as it's sincere help. for example, are these guys out for blood, do you need a singlet, is the comp pretty fierce, or is it old guys reliving glory days without being in shape? thanks in advance

[white dog]

I wrestled in a couple last summer, the tournaments that had open divisions when I took my kids to them. Most of the open divisions will always have someone to wrestle. there were very few that were in great wrestling shape. Most seemed to be in it just for the love of wrestling. Some had singlets, some had soorts/t-shirts. No one wore headgears. I was debating it for a couple years but I'm glad I made the decision to finally get back on the mat. I will do it again and considering Plano. It will be worse than you think it will be if you have not wrestled in a while, as far as stamina. I tried to be in shape, went to the gym for a couple weeks, but there is no way to be in wrestling shape other than wrestling live. If you have the facility and partner, I would recommend as much mat time as possible. Hope this helped.

[coach606]

Hey, I've been doing a few a year for about three years now. Here's what to watch out for...

1) The ref may say to you as you put your foot on the line... "Let's have a good match and we'll all go to work on Monday."

2) If you're down in a match, the ref may tell the other guy to go easy on you.

3) If you get bumped into the open division, the ref may tell the younger guy, "hey, go easy. He's old."

4) Only do it if you're interested in having some fun and have nothing to prove. I've done it for years with the kids I coach. Sometimes I've won, sometimes I've lost. I even got teched once. The bottom line is that it's fun when you've got nothing to prove. I've seen some coaches who have lost and then refused to shake hands afterwards. But buy and large, it's really fun as long as you're body is still up for it. I've got a pinched nerve right now, but if I can, I'd love to do a few more before I have to hang them up.

As long as you're healthy and just want to enjoy being out there, go for it. Just about everyone I've wrestled has been really cool and although they will wrestle you hard, it's enjoyable as long as your body can take it.

Train a little bit and go have some fun.

[wrangler]

i've done it twice. the second time i tore the cartilage in my rib. i was out of action for about 2 months. it still a blast. do it. you'll love it. all those pre-match feelings come back.

[kalky7]

O.K. Thanks alot. I had convinced my old body that it shouldn't even consider going on the mat again, but you had to go and start talking about old timer tourney's! Now my brain is going like crazy .... I'm not that old .... I'm not that out of shape ... etc... etc .... etc ....

Where could a crazy, old dad find more information about any old timer tournaments? And do they supply oxygen or should I bring my own?

Thanks

[white dog]

The info for the old timers will be posted, they can be found on illinoismatmen main page during the off-season. There are several kids tournaments that will have open divisions, the turn out is not huge but there will always be someone to wrestle with. If you have been thinking about it and want to do it, JUST DO IT. Remember, you can always use your injury time to catch a breath. Wouldn't you like your kids to see you in action in your corner cheering you on. I think someone with the proper resources or facilities should start open mats for the old men who want to wrestle this summer.