Today our Middle School Team held a banquet. Our initial team was about 10 wrestlers and this year that number was nearly 40 kids. They exceeded our expectations with two champions, three runner-ups and two third placers; not to mention the team championship in Eastern League. However, what came to me as far more important, was the impact of them on San Diego and maybe even bigger.
The wrestlers that joined in our first year, the 6 wrestlers who came in as sixth graders and stuck with us for three years did something big. They proved that wrestling has a place in San Diego, that girls will join wrestling teams in middle school, that we can create a home for all the kids that don’t have a home in another sport or cannot afford an organized sport. Now, after three years with the program, they have something far more than wrestling skills and confidence in themselves: they have the knowledge that just by showing up, they have the power to create something far bigger than themselves.
At the end of the night, after everyone ate, and awards and certificates were awarded, wrestlers came up to me and the coaches to shake our hands and thank us. It reminded me that what we create is not just athletes, but people. People who see that they gain something from other people that allows them to be better people, and for that they give gratitude. For that I have gratitude for them, their parents, our coaches, our administrators and our district and everyone involved.
Henry-Wrestling 