Repost of "Wrestling"

A repost from 2 and a half years ago:

So last weekend, we went to our first wrestling match ever.  No, make that our second.  About 10 years ago, we visited our oldest daughter and family in NJ, and Scott, our son-in-law was coaching a high school wrestling match.  We went to Red Bank Regional School, and watched Scott do an awesome job guiding his team to a victory.  However, this was the first one I have ever seen that had little people I love participating in it.

I wasn't sure I would like it, and I'm still not 100% convinced that I am a fan, but to be honest, it was kind of fun.  I am even less sure if I approve of females wrestling, but at these very young ages, I can't help but think that they might be learning skills that will serve them well as they grow up.

We enjoyed it.  Baylee's group, the 6 and under gang (she turned 6 a week ago) went first.  Two little ones would battle it out like baby wild animals, and after a few rounds, a winner would be declared.  Andrew's group, the 7 and 8 year olds would go next, and with possibly a teensy bit more decorum would do the same.  The 9 and 10 year old group, and the 11 and 12 year old group would follow, and as they got older, you could see that the skills were becoming more embedded.

I was surprised to see that even the littlest ones were beginning to understand the rules of form - they would raise their bodies from the mat, attempt to turn themselves in a way that would allow them to disengage from a hold, and straighten out their legs as they thought about what their next move should be.  You could actually see the wheels turning in those brains, as they tried to remember what their coaches had taught them. 

We were most impressed with the coach of Andrew and Baylee's team.  He gave them encouragement every step of the way, spoke kindly to them, pointed out nicely what they needed to work on, and hugged them.  Neither Andrew nor Baylee, nor any of the kids on their team, as far as I could see, cried when they lost a match, or bragged when they won a match.  Not so for some of the other teams, 2 in particular.  Almost every child on those two teams sobbed if they lost, and did a goofy dance if they took the match.  Poor sportsmanship from an early age will certainly lead to the kind of trouble and behavior that we don't need in this society.

Neither of them know whether or not they will continue in wrestling next year.  If they do, though, we will be there to support them.