Sunday, November 21, 2021

11/21/21 Capitol Classic (Parent's Perspective)?

     If anything, we learned that we are not in good enough shape to even watch one of these wrestling tournaments that go on for multiple days.  I think there was a lot of lack of good control and the venue was too small for the amount of kids involved.  We could have sat down but there were really two gyms (three rings in one, two in the other) being used and any kid could wrestle in any ring, so we couldn't just sit in front of one ring and wait.  The way wrestling seems to work, based on what we saw last year and so far this year is they start off with the lightest weight and work themselves up the 14 weight classes (106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, 285).  I asked the coach to check and with the boys, they only allow one player per weight class for each team, so our son, for example is the team's 285 wrestler.  It kind of sucks that he is in that weight class because it is such a large range.  He weighs 245, but can easily find himself fighting someone weighing 285, 40 pounds of mass is a huge difference compared to the lighter classes that only range 7-12 pounds.  His lineman buddy also weighs above 220, so is the JV heavyweight.  The girls have a hard enough time filling their weight classes, so they don't have a JV, but will allow multiple girls for a particular weight class.

    As far as my comment on being in shape, if we wanted to actually see a match, we had to move with the team and stand around the ring or we were not going to be able to see over all the standing kids.  Because we are starting to get to know the kids better, from football and some of them coming over to the house, we are invested enough that we want to see them fight and support them, I still hate that the rest of the parents don't come and support their kids, but I get it with this sport, it is a little violent.  All this standing around and constantly moving I think is what left us so beat and sore.  We were constantly going from back to the bleachers to the other gym to watch a match, then back to sitting for twenty minutes, to down on the floor to watch a match there in front of us.  The bleachers from afar looked puffy and comfortable, but they were worse than concrete.  They were almost too narrow and the plastic had no give, and they were shallow, so my knees were up high and it was a struggle to stand every time.  We have really nice bleacher sits with backs but they need to catch under the normal metal stadium seats and with these plastic crap, that was not possible, so we couldn't even use them for help.

    We were there until 11:00pm Friday night, our son probably fought his one match about 9:30pm that first night.  We then had to deliver him to the meet at 7:15am even though they didn't start until 9:00am, which they didn't say or we might have slept in another hour.  The meet ended about 6:00pm, we picked up chicken, came home, and I must have fallen asleep in my living room sofa by 7:00pm and did not wake until 10:30pm.  I managed to pee, then walk upstairs and fall right back to sleep.  I woke at twelve thinking I had slept into the middle of the night, only to find it was about the normal time we go to bed.

    I can't imagine how Mijo is feeling, he took a beating yesterday, fighting three times in one day.  We are sleeping today until both Wife and him wake up, Wife got home Friday after putting in a full day and going directly to the meet and being there until 11:00pm then doing it again on Saturday.  Some of these kids have parents who probably don't even work and they can't show up to support?  There were a handful of parents there though, and that was nice.  It was also nice that strangers come up to us after our son wrestles and we I was told a couple of times that they have seen our son wrestle and they like what he does on the mat, that he fights with confidence.  That is what I like to hear, almost makes the beating I took worthwhile 😀.  I kid, These moments will pass by too quickly, I am just happy we can be involved and show Mijo we are there with him, the soreness is temporary.

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