I watched a Big Ten match from 2019 this morning on YouTube where the number two ranked wrestler squared off against the number seven ranked wrestler at the same weight in a dual meet. The expectation was the number two ranked guy would smash the number seven ranked guy, but that didn't happen. It ended in a very close decision win for the number two ranked guy. He was pushed to his absolute limits. At the conclusion of the match, it seemed no one even cared that the number seven ranked guy just pushed essentially the top guy in the country to the wire! It seemed insane to me to think that he didn't matter because he lost. The dude literally showed he was an elite wrestler and just came up short. The dude should be celebrated in the same way! This got me thinking...
In the sport of wrestling the outside thought is all about getting your hand raised. It's true that winning is the goal, but when you wrestle well against a better opponent, shouldn't that mean something? Wrestling is hard and especially on the youth level as kids aren't always on the same playing field. For instance, a top kid in the country may have access to top practice partners and high-level coaching year-round, where another kid may not. When they wrestle each other, they're coming from two different playing fields. If the wrestler with less opportunity stays in the match and wrestles tough, that's a win for that wrestler! I don't understand how outsiders would overlook that kid?
In 2022 my son wrestled the I believe the number three or four ranked kid in the country for the weight at VAC. It was a tough match for sure that he would lose 6-3. Nobody expected it to be close. This kid goes to every major tournament in the country and flies everywhere to train, whereas my big dawg trains here and goes to a couple per year. Different playing field altogether. I considered it a win to be honest. Didn't cut massive amounts of weight and was very competitive for all three periods. This is just an example that pops into my head, but this scenario occurs all over and quite often.
My point here is that wrestling is literally the hardest thing you can do. You have to watch what you eat and how you eat, cardio is a consistent must, your practices are tougher than any other sport and after practicing you go to another practice right after in most cases. It is a grueling sport. Wrestling tough should be celebrated win or lose. A first-year wrestler pushing a former state champion, a JV wrestler getting a takedown on the varsity guy, whatever the scenario, celebrate it. This will keep more participation in the sport and help young wrestlers realize that their hard work is helping them to improve, even in a defeat.
In my humble opinion,
Jesse Drennen
Founder $Bmoney Beastin' Athletics LLC.
info@bmoneybeastinathletics.com
