Wrestling: Possibly the greatest Comments
It was understood on a primal level.
I did not need to understand the rules or points.
Two young men approached each other on the mat, only one would emerge the victor.
I was able to attend my first wrestling tournament on Jan. 9 in Dallas. My assignment was to spend an hour or so taking pictures.
I arrived at the Dallas High School and found the gym, making my way through the crowds of coaches, parents, friends and athletes until I found some folks from Lebanon.
The air was abuzz with excitement, some wrestling, some waiting for their turn.
Once I was able to watch the action on the mat, I was entranced. The determination of these young athletes was amazing. You could see the exertion of body, mind and spirit.
As I had a chance, I spoke with their coach.
“These guys give 110 percent,” he said. Most people don’t realize how that feels, he added. Some athletes know how 100 percent feels, but to go that little bit extra is crucial to winning in wrestling.
“Sometimes it comes down to whoever wants it the most,” the coach said.
And that makes sense. Here are two young people, evenly matched in all respects. They are categorized into weight classes, and have to make weight to compete.
This means all year they are not only working on their fitness, they are watching their diets and building muscle.
When I mentioned to the coach the uniforms looked like they hadn’t changed in 100 years, the coach told me wrestling is one of the oldest sports. And I can see that, too.
Anyone could understand a wrestling match because of its appeal to a baser human instinct, unlike other sports (and I do love sports in general) where it helps to know the basic rules: What constitutes a score, what is a foul, who is who, who is winning.
But wrestling is different. It’s mano y mano, man to man. One will win. One will lose. Both will work hard, and it shows as sweat pours from bodies, faces scrunch in determination, noses get bloodied and safety gear slips from heads.
I can definitely say I’m a fan, although I can’t promise I’ll learn the rules and techniques. Go Warriors!
