As we enter into the week of districts I find it very difficult to make the transition from a competitive coach to a spectator. As I have had a couple days to reflect on the events that happened during sectionals and the rest of the season it became clear to me that it is not what we did during the season, but rather what we did not do during the off-season that left us wanting more. Not that we deserved more, but left us wanting more. Now, this lack of off-season work was not due to the lack of opportunity, but rather a lack of participation. There were open mat opportunities 2-3 days a week, lifting 4 days a week, with tournaments and camps throughout. Unfortunately, these opportunities were not taken advantage of. I would see the the same 2-3 people at open mats, lifting, or tournaments and get the same excuses from everyone else.
If you look at the Wadsworth's and the Brecksville's, where everyone on there team is competitive, it is no secret how they got that way. They put in a lot of dedication and time. I would see them at the camps I worked and at the tournaments, along with the various open mats I would attend. They are out there as a team getting better. You can not expect to beat the competition that is working 11 months a year to get better when you are only working during the season. It takes a little more to be a champion. Not only does working in the off-season prepare you technically for the next wrestling season, it prepares you physically and mentally. The wrestling season is a long hard grind. If you have not prepared your body physically through weight training and wrestling it will not hold up through the season. This is part of the reason why we had so many injuries this year. Our bodies were not prepared to make it through the grind of the season.
This is where the excuses have to stop. If you want to get to that next level and be successful at this great sport, you have to make a commitment to reach your goals. Being a champion does not happen by chance, it happens by sacrifice and hard work. This off-season will determine what kind of team we will have next season. I need to see a commitment from now to next November. This is the time to be self motivated to evolve into the best competitor you can be. There is no secret to success. Success is earned it is never given. To have success you must have Desire, Dedication and Determination. Most people have the desire, they lack the dedication and determination. Don't be like most people. Your success story starts now!
With 5 starters out of the line-up this weekend for the Bedford Pool Tournament, we knew that this tournament was going to be about individual accomplishments and not so much about where we end up as a team. As individuals we wrestled pretty well. 6 of our 9 wrestlers placed, and we had 3 finalist with 2 champions. The bright spot for me was us winning the close matches. As inexperienced wrestlers many times the match is pin or be pinned. This weekend we won several 1 point matches, a couple come from behind matches, and 2 over time matches. Those are the matches you want to win, and the ones that are fun to watch. The more tough matches you win, the greater confidence you have. This sport is a very mental sport. A wrestler with confidence is a hard wrestler to beat. On the other hand a wrestler that doubts himself is easy to beat. As soon as 1 thing doesn't go their way, they have mentally been beat. Then it is only a matter of time until they are beat on the mat as well. A few wrestlers took losses or did not finish where they wanted to finish. The key to improving from this experience is remembering that feeling and bringing it into the room to motivate you improve on your weaknesses. Sometimes wrestlers have too short of a memory. You don't want to focus on that loss and have it bring you down, but you need to remember that feeling and truly not want to feel that way again. That is motivation to bring yourself to a new level. When you hate losing more that you like winning, then huge changes can be made.
