While I don’t have a “wrestling mom” sticker on my car, be assured that many a New Jersey wrestling mom does roll up to meets proclaiming that she is the mother of a wrestler. T declares that it’s just a reminder to bring your insurance co-pay to the match and often I fear that she is correct.
The wrestling season of matches is blissfully short —— it lasts from late December to mid-February —— but what it lacks in length in makes up for in a crazy practice schedule. After school practice started just after Thanksgiving and most days, JT doesn’t get to my office until 5:45 pm, a sweaty, stinky mess of a boy with a scratched and mat-burned face. I long ago learned not to greet him after practice by proclaiming, “what happened to your face?!” but the temptation remains.
Where the wrestling season really exacts its toll is during Winter Break, when daily practice happens at 9 am and skipping or being late is not an option. We had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off but there is practice for the rest of the week, through the 29th. I’m happy about 3 days off for the New Year celebration, though I won’t live it up that much.
Guess who is running a 5k on the first of January?
The blessing of wrestling season is that JT loves and respects the coaches and his teammates. The work ethic he’s learned from the sport has carried over into his school work and his other sports. The ability to work hard, be a good teammate, and then stand on your own in the spotlight are life skills that will stand him well in life. So I get up early and drive to practice with nary a peep, glad for a happy and hard-working boy.
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