Wrestling – End of the Year Tournaments

 "Success: The ability to compete while you're up or down is the secret to success"

It’s back to a good old-fashioned wrestling post, and I figured this would be the perfect time.  I’m not even going to try to relate it to anything else, this is just pure wrestling stuff, but you still may find it interesting…

Finally, all the hard work put in during the long season that started around Thanksgiving is finally culminating to what really matters…the “post season” of wrestling. It’s “playoff time,” this is what you’ve been preparing for all season, and there’s a couple of things you need to remember along the way:

1. It’s been a long season – At this point every wrestler is thinking about being done for the year, not cutting weight anymore, and so on. You can use this to your advantage in two ways.   First, not giving in to these thoughts.  Like I said, every wrestler experiences some of it, even the best, but don’t let it overcome you.  My own mistake with this was during the state tournament my senior year, when I told my coach that if I qualified for Senior Nationals that I wouldn’t go because I didn’t want to make weight again.  I didn’t have to worry about it, because I didn’t qualify even though I probably should have.  Did this affect the outcome?  One will never know.  Second, wanting it more than the other guy. I can’t say records are thrown out the window at this point because there’s no way a 30-0 wrestler is going to lose to the guy that’s 5-20 in the first round of the tournaments, but it’s time to avenge losses from earlier in the year, and you can, if you want it more.  It’s time to beat a wrestler with a better record, and you can, if you want it more.  It’s time to shock the entiregym with a major upset, and you can,…IF…YOU…WANT IT…MORE!
2. Don’t let failure lead to more failure- No matter what stage of the game you’re in, Freshman thru Senior, a set back isgoing to fuel you to achieve more in the future. Don’t let setbacks get you down and lead to future failure.  As an underclassman, getting knocked out will fuel you through the off-season and lead to more success in subsequent years. Even if you’re a senior, setbacks will help motivate you in other ways and it may take years for you to realize what that even is.  Setbacks are sure to come, but see them for what they truly are…opportunities for growth and future success, don’t let them drag you down.
3. Get to the podium – My Junior year, I was just happy to have qualified for the State Tournament. After having come up short my first two years, I found myself wrestling a returning 3rd place finisher from the year before. I wasn’t afraid or intimidated, but I was fully prepared to be satisfied with just the qualification. Luckily I still went out to wrestle my match and after a major decision win in that opening round, I knew I could compete with anyone. Don’t let ranking, records, or previous place stand in your way. The opponent is just as worried about you as you are about them, wrestle your match and get to the podium now that you’ve made it this far.
4. It’s time to reflect on what wrestling has given to you - We are all blessed to be a part of this sport and we learn so much about ourselves that others won’t. You belong to a fraternity that will be with you always…ask any ex-wrestler what happens when they meet another person who says they wrestled in high school and there is an immediate connection. This will help lead to a network of people you’ll be able to leverage and benefit from in the future.  Especially if this is your senior year and last go around, make sure you take some time to reflect and realize all you’ve gotten out of this wonderful sport.

That’s it, those are my thoughts on the end of the year tournaments.  It’s a whole new ball game and you’ve got to make the most out of every opportunity.  One slip up now ends your season or possibly your career.  Make every minute count