My Wrestling Life


It all started when I entered the first grade. I was trying some sports to decide what I wanted to be in. I tried baseball, soccer, and basketball. Then my mom and dad signed me up for wrestling. I didn’t think I wanted to be in wrestling at first because I thought it was weird. I thought it was weird because I thought it was uncomfortable to wrestle with other guys. So I tried it out, and I actually thought it was kind of fun. Wrestling for me was kind of fun because it showed who was the tough guy. I was and still to this day hate losing. I absolutely hate losing in anything I do. So as I tried wrestling out, I thought it was kind of fun because I dominated my other partners in practice.
I went to about 10 practices before I had my first tournament. My three coaches were Scott Marko, Greg Nichols, both who are still the High School wrestling coaches, and Kevin Luke, who was the head Youth Wrestling coach. My first tournament was at Shell Lake. I was so excited. I went out there just laughing and thinking nothing of it, and I won. I couldn’t believe it. I ran to my mom and yelled joyfully, “I won, Mommy, I won!” She couldn’t even believe I won at first, too. I thought, “I just did something so amazing!” I thought I was going to be the best!
After I got my trophy, we jumped in the car and went to McDonalds. I would say that was my favorite restaurant at the time. When we got there I already knew what I wanted; I always got the kids meal with a regular milk.

Then it came time for my second tournament. Our Amery Youth Wrestling Team headed to Grantsburg. “I am ready,” I said to myself softly as I was getting ready to wrestle my first match. I wrestled a kid from Cumberland. I don’t know what happened, but I got pinned. I was balling. My mom had to pick me up off of the mat. She was very embarrassed. If I had to see that again I would be laughing my head off. “I don’t know what happened.” That’s all I could say to myself.
I didn’t even want to wrestle my next match, but my mom sent me out there. I had a meltdown and got pinned again. I ran to my mom, jumped on her lap, and started crying again. My mom then took me outside to help me stop crying. My mom told me it was okay, but I didn’t think it was. “I thought I couldn’t lose,” I muttered, but my mom commented that everyone loses sometime.

The next practice was on February 2. Coach Marko showed me a few things that would help me for the next match. I needed to work on my stands. I had to keep my stands way lower than I was. I got taken down at Grantsburg because I was practically standing straight up. Another tip Marko gave me was that when I get a take down, to keep my head up instead of down. When I tried to get a takedown at Grantsburg, I never got it because my head was down and I couldn’t drive. So when I kept my head up, I could drive better and finish my takedowns.

I really learned from my first few weeks of practice. I learned all the basics I needed to know. As the next tournament rolled around, I was very confident this time instead of last week at Grantsburg. The next tournament was held in Turtle Lake. I knew what to do and I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to win. “I want to win,” I announced to myself.
The time came, and I went out for my first match. The first kid was from Turtle Lake. The score was 2-0. I was up, because I got the first takedown. “I knew I was going to win,” I thought to myself. Then all of a sudden, he got a reversal and did a Half Nelson on me. In a matter of seconds I was on my back crying. “I got pinned again,” I murmured to myself. Again, I had no idea of how it happened.

Coach brought me to the side and talked the match over with me. The one thing he said was to keep my hips to the mat. I got pinned because I was on my side after the kid got the reversal. If I keep my hips to the mat when I’m down, there is no way any opponent can turn me.

There is much to learn in the sport of wrestling. There is always learning to be done if you want to be good someday. Even the Olympians are learning every day to get better at the sport they do, even if it’s not wrestling. They are always learning.

To be good at the sport you do, you always have to push yourself. You always have to give your best effort every single day. It takes practice. No one could be good at anything unless they practice. You always have to work at what you do. I learned all of this in my first two years of wrestling.

Before I knew it I was already in the Second Grade. Wrestling season starts in December for Youth. Time flew by and it was already wrestling season again. I was pumped to get back out on the mat.

By the end of the season I had gone to about 10 tournaments. I got five firsts, four seconds, and one third. I was so proud of myself, and so was my mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, relatives, and so on. Everyone was so proud of how I had improved from last season. I made a big turnaround from last season. The coach told me that I would be good someday. I know I will I will be good someday.

Then it came time for the next wrestling season for my third year. I was in third grade now. I was very excited to see how well I could do this year. My first tournament this year was Clear Lake. I got second place. Coach didn’t have much to say. The kid I lost to was much better than me, so it was okay. I didn’t cry anymore because I got over that in second grade. Coach Marko helped me get over the crying problem by telling me that it was a form of a bad attitude and that things will only get better. Coach also scolded me by saying, “It is not mature of a second grader to act like this!”

Time went by and time went by and my third year of wrestling was done. I would say that I did pretty well that year. Every year I went to a couple more tournaments than the last year. It was to get more experience. At the end of the year my mom asked me if I liked wrestling so far, and I replied, “Yes, it was fun.” Then she asked me if I was going to be in wrestling in fourth grade, and I replied “That’s a stupid question.” Then I thought to myself for a while. I kind of don’t want to be in wrestling anymore.

Still to this day I don’t know why I made that stupid decision. That was one of the dumbest decisions I had ever made. I could have been a lot better if I would have just went out for wrestling, but I didn’t. I thought it was fun. I thought it was my favorite sport. I don’t know why I ever thought of quitting wrestling. So I was not in wrestling in fourth grade.

It dawned on me though, going into the fifth grade for the first day of school, it dawned on me, “Why would I ever quit wrestling like that,” I asked myself. I knew right then that I had made a stupid choice. That dumb choice I made in fourth grade will always come to haunt me forever.

I did join wrestling in fifth grade again and have never missed a year of wrestling since. Coach scolded me on the first day of practice saying, “Why did you quit? You were such a good wrestler.” All I could say to him was, “I don’t know, I know it was a stupid choice.” I have been thinking about that question since then.

So ever since fifth grade, I have been in the sport, wrestling. I really enjoy it now; it will always be my favorite sport. Wrestling is by far the toughest sport out there. It teaches life lessons, gives you a heart change, gives you toughness physically and mentally, and strength to live out your life. If you have been in wrestling, everything else is easy.

High School Wrestling has been the most challenging part of my life. Ever since I came out of middle school, High School wrestling is by far, the toughest wrestling environment I have ever experienced. When I was a Freshman, my record was 14-29. My record was so disappointing because when you’re a Freshman you could wrestle kids that are a Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or even a Senior. I wrestled mostly Juniors and Seniors my Freshman year. That is why I had such a terrible record. Also since I was a Freshman, the Juniors and Seniors had 2-3 more years of high school wrestling under their belt. The kids I wrestled my freshman year were way more experienced than I was.

My Sophomore year was completely different in the wrestling stand point. My record was 23-5. I had a complete turnaround from my Freshman year. My record drastically changed because all of the Seniors I wrestled my Freshman year had graduated. So I wrestled kids that were only two years older than me at most instead of kids that were three years older than me. Also I had a taste of high school wrestling, and that helped a lot.

Since the first day of fifth grade to this day, I love wrestling almost more than anything. I would say that it is the fourth most important thing in my life. The most important thing in my life is God. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for Him. God has given me the power and the strength to be who I am. The second most important thing in my life is my family. My family has always been there for me. My family has helped me with my problems, homework, struggles, and so on. The third most important thing in my life is my schooling. I will be going to college and my goal is to go to North Dakota State University. I plan on being an engineer someday. The only way I can be an engineer is if I get good grades and skills in high school, and if I go to college. Then finally the fourth most important thing in my life is wrestling. Wrestling has been my most favorite sport since first grade. Even though I went through blood, sweat, and tears, wrestling will always be worth it.

Wrestling has given me many life lessons including a heart change, a responsibility, seeking goals, and chasing your dreams with a passion. If you have dream, you fight for it and give it everything you got. You cannot let anyone stand in the way and steal your dreams.

Next year I will be a junior. My goals for my junior year in wrestling are to have 25+ wins, and to be a state qualifier at #132.
These goals of mine can only be met if I give everything I got every single day. I have to push myself to be the best I can be. I have to challenge myself. I have to do whatever it takes to meet my goals. No one will stand in my way. No one will steal my dreams. No one will tell me what I can and cannot do. No one will tell me nothing is impossible, because nothing is impossible with God.
I have learned many things over the years of wrestling, including setting goals and life lessons. Wrestling has taught me to set goals by telling me nothing is impossible. If you set the bar high enough, you could reach them and pull yourself over that bar. That’s how I learned life lessons also. Life lessons will stick with you for the rest of your life. I learned how to be tough physically and mentally. “Wrestling is 75% mental,” Coach Marko told us in our first week of wrestling. For example, if you told yourself you would lose before you even went out to wrestle, there is an almost 100% guarantee that you would lose. You have to tell yourself that you will win, in order to win. You cannot go out there and think you’re going to lose, because you will lose. I learned how to overcome fear. I learned that no one could stand in front of me. I learned that no one could steal my dreams. I know deep inside my heart that no one could put defeat or fear inside of me. I am afraid of no one. I am afraid of no one when I go out to wrestle. That is what I learned over the years while I was in wrestling, and that is my wrestling life.