Dexter Iowa Community Site

Consider this quote from Abe Lincoln

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

It had been a long time since I had attended a pee wee wrestling meet, but since Max has determined that he wants to be a grappler this year I headed to Winterset to the tournament they had there on Sunday.

I don't know that I had ever been in the school down there, even when I lived in the area for a year I don't remember going to any events there, but I found it and walked inside the gym to be instantly hit with a few thoughts. I realized rather quickly that I shouldn't have warn such a warm long sleeve shirt. It had never dawned on me that since there would be a couple hundred little boys running around in tights...oh, sorry Max...the required uniform, that they would turn the heat up. And man did they ever. I also realized that any more than the number of boys that would fill up a baseball team at any one time is a little overwhelming. There were kids everywhere....kids wrestling kids, kids wrestling dads, kids laying around half asleep.

So I found a spot up in the corner where I could see the mats well and waited for Max's bracket to be called. Bracket number ten. Here we go folks. His first wrestling meet, and suddenly that goofy feeling comes over oneself and you fight back the urge to stand up and boldy proclaim to the assembledge around you that "That's my Boy! That's my Max!" But cooler heads prevailed and I decided not to embarass the boy to bad. Ok..here we go...shake hands Max...good job buddy...great stance and oh Max...buddy get off your back...oh ok...Well shoot that was quick. At least we get to wrestle twice more today.

I went down and chatted with him briefly after his first time and we talked about what happened and how he needed to be quick and stealthy like his dear old dad. Max said he understood and bounded off to drink his gatorade. The next match he wrestled great, kept at it and never got discouraged. He went the distance loosing 8 to 6. He came running up aftewards and was as excited as though he had won!

The final match of the day was kind of in between the first and second one but ended with Max getting pinned in the second round. I kind of worried that this might be the end of his wrestling career and waited for him to calm down a little. After a little talk and a beef burger for lunch a very happy little guy walked up on stage to recieve his 4th place trophy for his bracket. It was all smiles as he walked through the halls showing it to anyone that would take a look.

Yeah, so maybe Max wasn't exactly the stellar wrestler I hoped him might be out of the gate. But he did wrestle with courage and skill, even if he didn't pull out the Rufus R Jones Frieght Train move i taught him, and most importantly he had fun doing it. I've said it before in this column and I will say it again, whether it be wrestling, or softball or basketball or chess club...whatever your kids are into, let them be into it because they want to be and because it is fun. Don't try to relive your glory days through your kids, let them try and fail and succeed all on their own. Give them guidence and support and love and teach them about sportsmanship by your own example. And most of all, let them all just play for the love of play, becuase in the end, whether you walk home a champion, or just have that little plastic trophy for last place, it is really just a game.

See you next week. Remember...we're all in this together.