High School Wrestling...

[monkeyswrench]

At a wrestling meet today, Pinnacle HS somewhere near Phoenix. My youngest is wrestling JV. 185lb, 6'2". Last night he wrestled at a meet and wasn't supposed to. The coaches had talked earlier in the week. No JV or Varsity 185 class wrestlers at the opposing school(Prescott) the 215 guy at Prescott is a badass, just signed at a college. Coach said they would wrestle him in heavy weight. So, my son was bumped up to 215 varsity. He figured it was a bye, and would just inter the ring, ref raise hand, earn points.

Well, Prescott coach must have ran the numbers, and figured out his team may lose. Our heavy weight is a JR, and real good. My son gets ready to "wrestle", looks over and sees "the blonde Incredible Hulk". Kid's about 6ft, 210, and a cross tattoo on his arm. My son about shit. He's JV, not long, and was just a fill-in in a higher weight

He got thumped. He tried like hell though. He got an escape and something else. His coach was impressed. He got slammed from a cradle and popped up to grapple. Got slammed again, fought out. Third takedown was out of gas, heavily mismatched, got pinned.

I think he earned about 6pts for his team.
His school won by 5.


Other wrestler was pretty cool. He and my son talked after their match. He's been wrestling for 10 years. It was good to see some of the athletes had class, even if the coaches may not.

So, today's JV deal my son is sore, but feels pretty good about things.

 

[77charger]

My daughter did wrestling last year 126 class at centennial ha was little competition in there. But one meet there was one girl and she was kicking ass she was in boys class too and taking some down fast.

We’ll one meet my daughter goes to table and I see this other girl going up in like oh shit she’s gonna take my daughter down in 2 seconds. Turns out she couldn’t do both classes so daughter got out of that one. I asked my daughter what she felt like seeing other girl come up she was like oh no I’m gonna get out to mat fast lol.

Rest of her team were pretty good though

 

[Fastdadtsmith]

I think he earned about 6pts for his team.
His school won by 5.

So he was instrumental in the overall win? That's great. Hopefully he learned a thing or two from the hulk during the match.
Still a proud Dad moment in my book.

 

[GreenEnergy28]

This post brings back some memories...
Coach had me move up a couple of times. I was a 6'1" 160lb varsity wrestler. Coach bummed me up to 171lb to take out a kid I had beat a few times at 160.
I'll never forget the monster I had to wrestle at the Indio tournament though. I swear his wife and kids were in the stands cause there was no way he was a teenager in high school LOL. Scared the crap out of me when he walked up at 160. Coach told me, don't try to muscle this man. Use your head. That was the first match I ever teched a guy in.

I put my boy in youth wrestling when he was about 10 yo. He did well his first tournament. Took him to Temecula tournament where some really good kids were. After he got mopped up twice and was out od competition, my wife said no more taking him to tournaments to get his ass kicked. Sucked, because we all know that's how you get better, but momma bear said nope. He quit wrestling and picked up skate boarding. Fast forward to his Jr year in high school. After playing water polo for his first time, he feels froggy and decides that he's going to wrestle again. Basically walks into a varsity spot since the team had nobody at his weight. First match is at Canyon Springs tournament, gets completely mopped up again....quits wrestling the following week. Decided to stick with water polo and swim.

I'm very proud of him for what he does in the pool, but he was humbled pretty quick when he thought he was tough enough to walk into a varsity spot and be successful.

 

[monkeyswrench]

This post brings back some memories...
Coach had me move up a couple of times. I was a 6'1" 160lb varsity wrestler. Coach bummed me up to 171lb to take out a kid I had beat a few times at 160.
I'll never forget the monster I had to wrestle at the Indio tournament though. I swear his wife and kids were in the stands cause there was no way he was a teenager in high school LOL. Scared the crap out of me when he walked up at 160. Coach told me, don't try to muscle this man. Use your head. That was the first match I ever teched a guy in.

I put my boy in youth wrestling when he was about 10 yo. He did well his first tournament. Took him to Temecula tournament where some really good kids were. After he got mopped up twice and was out od competition, my wife said no more taking him to tournaments to get his ass kicked. Sucked, because we all know that's how you get better, but momma bear said nope. He quit wrestling and picked up skate boarding. Fast forward to his Jr year in high school. After playing water polo for his first time, he feels froggy and decides that he's going to wrestle again. Basically walks into a varsity spot since the team had nobody at his weight. First match is at Canyon Springs tournament, gets completely mopped up again....quits wrestling the following week. Decided to stick with water polo and swim.

I'm very proud of him for what he does in the pool, but he was humbled pretty quick when he thought he was tough enough to walk into a varsity spot and be successful.

As an incoming freshman, I was "voluntold" I was playing water polo. Parents didn't want me playing football, or wrestling. Swam and played water polo, 5'11", touch over 200...lots of time in the weight room.

Now my youngest is a lineman and a wrestler...he'll end up being much bigger than me...also spending time lifting. I pick on him for his "football player's" math skills, he picks on me for having worn speedos. Weirdly, we're getting along better it seems. I can still beat him arm wrestling, for now.

He's no kick ass wrestler, but he's trying. He's definitely getting better. He's had his ass handed to him more times than not.
Stubbornness is a family trait.

 

[DWC]

What a great accomplishment. Congrats Dad. There’s no better sport to gut check who you are as a competitor or to learn what real conditioning is. Football hell week will seem like nothing next year.

 

[monkeyswrench]

What a great accomplishment. Congrats Dad. There’s no better sport to gut check who you are as a competitor or to learn what real conditioning is. Football hell week will seem like nothing next year.

He went from a doughy little kid, to a big kid with some muscles now. Still my baby boy. Kind of too nice, not the aggressive beast. Probably a good thing in some ways, but not helping his advancement in sports

Here he is in the white, hugging his new friend

 

[DWC]

He went from a doughy little kid, to a big kid with some muscles now. Still my baby boy. Kind of too nice, not the aggressive beast. Probably a good thing in some ways, but not helping his advancement in sports View attachment 1196137
Here he is in the white, hugging his new friend

Nice singlet. My son wrestled his freshman / sophomore years. He was pretty “doughy” which made for a hell of a look in his outfit. The only thing he had going for him was jiu jitsu at a young age. He had great core strength, insane grip and very good balance. The matches were super stressful.

 

[monkeyswrench]

Nice singlet. My son wrestled his freshman / sophomore years. He was pretty “doughy” which made for a hell of a look in his outfit. The only thing he had going for him was jiu jitsu at a young age. He had great core strength, insane grip and very good balance. The matches were super stressful.

He has grip, but learned today that people will "grease", IcyHot or Bengay stuff. The size 13-14 boats on his feet help him stay balanced. He needs to work in technique, but it's all a learning curve.

 

[Desert Whaler]

Very Cool.
Good Job Poppa.

 

[rrrr]

What a great accomplishment. Congrats Dad. There’s no better sport to gut check who you are as a competitor or to learn what real conditioning is. Football hell week will seem like nothing next year.

When the football season ended I thought I was in good shape, then wrestling practice started.

You don't become a good wrestler until you can go all six minutes. I won matches over lots of guys that were looking up at the gym lights after five minutes and thirty seconds.

 

[SBMech]

When I wrestled we were constantly wrestling higher weight classes as well as lower for training, them little guys are fast!

Loosing after giving it your all, not cheating, and fighting above your weight class is how you get better, quickly!

Mentally and physically being challenged tends to mostly bring out the best in people. Props to your son for not being afraid to go big!

Having a high level of confidence will stick with him forever, throughout his life, IMO a critical trait to keep developing.

 

[GaryC]

Best sport in the world!