by Carol Carrozza
October 12, 1999
I was unsure as to what my next article should be about so I
started to ask around for suggestions. Coach Howie Greenblatt, Varsity wrestling
coach at MacArthur High School in Levittown, replied earnestly, "Please do one
for the mothers who are afraid for their sons' safety and therefore, do not want
them to become wrestlers!"
It was then that it struck me that in a few short months I
would be faced with the same challenge. I would be watching as my son entered
the mat as a seventh grader on his Middle School team. What would my feelings
be? I know I too would be filled with anxiety and concern as I watched his
immature body stand face to face with his opponent. I know I would feel certain
that the other kid was so much bigger than my own, they always are aren't they!!
I will have to turn my face as he stumbles through recently learned moves and be
frustrated with his sloppiness in the execution of them. I will cry inside when
he loses and delight in his victories, vicariously wrestling every match with
him.
However, what will console me is the knowledge I have of the
sport. This is what I would like to offer to these mothers, (and fathers as
well). Anything that we do not know well scares us. Fortunately for me, I have
grown up around wrestling and wrestlers. I know what looks like utter chaos on
the mat to a new parent, is not what it appears. Nor do I confuse the nonsense
of TV wrestling with the real sport! Every bend and twist is really a wrestling
move that must be done in only a particular way. Wrestling officials are highly
trained to look for any illegal positioning of the body and also penalize
unnecessary roughness. I have to say that in over thirty years of being a
spectator, most injuries have been little more than nosebleeds and hurt
shoulders, (especially in the seasoned wrestler). If you compared these to the
injuries sustained in football or other contact sports you would see that
wrestling favorably compares.
My advice to reluctant parents is to first try and familiarize
yourself with the sport of wrestling. Stop comparing it in your mind to the
staged lunacy of professional wrestling. Libraries and bookstores have books
with the basic moves broken down. How much better you will feel when you know
that you are looking at a cradle and not some unclear torture. Read up on the
various moves so that you will know what you are looking at! It is ignorance
that breeds fear of the sport.
The life lessons learned in wrestling are too valuable for your
son's to lose out on. Yes, I will have that familiar sick feeling in my stomach
as my son begins his wrestling career; but I also know that he will become the
fittest he will ever be in his life! He will also learn responsibility and
accountability because he will have no one to blame if he loses... but perhaps
best of all can be proud of himself and credit himself when he wins! He will
learn that he must stick to something and see it through in order to taste sweet
success. He will realize that he can push himself further than he might have
thought and accomplish more than he ever thought possible. Wrestling demands
that you challenge yourself mentally as well as physically.
Wrestling builds character and molds many boys into successful
men, some who even may have gone down a different road without the camaraderie
and discipline that wrestling offers. I have heard it said many times, that when
it came to offering someone a job, all things being equal, if one candidate
reveals that he was a wrestler, anyone who knows what just a full season entails
will take a chance on the wrestler hands down! Friendships made on the mat and
on wrestling teams often become lifelong bonds. I know I want this for my son! I
will proudly say my son is a wrestler!
Dan Gable may have said it best, ". Many have wrestled without
great skill, but none without pride!"
