I'll just open this post with a bunch of bananas.
This is about how many bananas we would go through in one week during wrestling season. Bananas were the choice of quick energy. In addition to the shocking amount of laundry during the season, I was shocked by the amount of bananas.
Spencer and D.J.'s wrestling season was a new adventure this year. In order for Spencer to be on the Varsity Jr. High team and D.J. to be on the Junior Varsity Jr. High team, both were asked to drop weight. D.J. had to drop 4 pounds to achieve his desired weight (132), so he cut out seconds and sweets. Spencer had to drop 12 pounds to achieve his desired weight (140), so he cut out sweets, meals, spit, portions and more. We were also treated to daily updates of pre and post weight bowel movements. It was rough, but the boys were determined to maintain their positions on the team, which they did throughout the season. They learned a lot about themselves, about nutrition, meal-timing, self-control, the uselessness of whining.
I am not very good at getting still pictures during wrestling meets for a few reasons: 1) the boys like me to take video of their matches so they can watch them again and learn from what they or their opponents did, 2) I forget that I now have a picture button I can use WHILE I'm taking video and 3) and most importantly, I get fairly involved in these matches and seem to make it high priority to yell very helpful things like "keep him down!" and "head up!" and "hold him!" I therefore lose my ability to multi-task anything else. I feel like I need an hour massage after each five minute match. The pictures below come from other, more cool-headed, able to detach themselves, parents. Some are good quality and some are not.
Part of the wrestling team in their cool new sweatshirts that they wear with wrestling pride.
D.J. had a great season! This was his second year on the wrestling team and he was very happy to be on the J.V. team, which guaranteed him a match at almost every meet. I think he ended his season with a 8-4 record. He did so well during the season that D.J. was one of a few J.V. wrestlers who qualified for the South End Tournament where he competed with half of the Jr. Highs in the district. While he fought very hard to place at South End, he lost in double elimination. D.J. is a tough wrestler who really tires out his opponents and then muscles them down. He remains calm, cool and collected, just the opposite of his mother.
One of his South End matches. His first match was a nail biter, but I was so proud of how he endured until the very end of the match and tired his opponent out enough to pin him!
You can't see very well here, but D.J. has two rolls of cotton shoved up his nose. He was prone to bloody noses throughout the season and during South End really had a problem with it during his last match.
What can I say about Spencer's season? Oh, I know, it was dramatic! Beginning with the 12 pound weight loss, the season was literally up and down. It took until the end of the season for him to wrap his head around eating consistently and not pigging out after every match. Lesson learned. Spencer had a great season though and ended with an 8-2 record, which qualified him for the South End tournament.
At South End, Spencer went into the tournament as a 1 seed, which maybe went to his head a little. He didn't have to wrestle for a while and when he did he won the first match pretty easily then lost the next two to kids he had beat before. He did win his last match though, which put him is fifth place for his weight class and qualified him for the District Tournament. Not what he had hoped for, but he was happy to be able to go to district.
Again, I did not get still pictures of the District Tournament, only videos of me squealing as if he could hear me from 60 feet away. The District tournament was an all day event that made our butts sore, but it was a great finish! Spencer began as a lower seed so he ended up wrestling six matches. Spencer won his first match and then he had to wrestle the number 1 seed and lost to him. After losing that one, he had to work his way through the loser bracket, which he did admirably. He faced two of the opponents that beat him during the season, so he was out for revenge, and he got it! His second to last match was so exciting that at the end of the match I screamed like I was being chased by zombies or something. I will not be posting the video unless I can figure out how to mute me.
He wrestled in the finals and received fourth in his weight class in all of the district! A dramatic end to a dramatic season.
We are pleased with both of our wrestlers and are grateful to their coaches for encouraging, training and instructing them. Whew! At the end of the season, Spencer received the Charger Award, voted by his teammates, for his endurance, self-discipline and good attitude.
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