That title pretty much sums up our weekend at State! Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit but there were a lot of tears! Neil had a great run but unfortunately didn't make it past his 3rd round. He had some tough matches. He didn't give anything up easily. His coach told him to be proud, he never stopped fighting. We are very proud of his efforts this season. To be able to say he is in the top 16 in the state is certainly something to be proud of. We took 16 boys to state this year from our club and we came home with 5 medals. I am so proud of all our boys and the way they support one another!
There were a lot of tears at this tournament. I think I witnessed everyone who lost cry and you know, there are people who don't understand why. These boys put in so much emotion and when it's all over, there is no where to release it all so they cry. And yes, they are sad to lose, especially after they have fought so hard. As parents, sometimes we don't know what to do...we just leave them be and let them work through the emotions and they know that we will be there when they are ready.
I will say I am so glad that our boys are not tantrum throwers. My goodness, I saw so many kids throwing tantrums on the mat after they lost. One kid, about Neil's age actually poked his coach in the eye! Others left screaming or punching the mat. One kid threw his mouth guard across the mat. There were some kids who wouldn't look at their opponent in the eye. I will say this...win or lose, our kids showed good sportmanship. They may have been angry or sad, but they handled it with dignity...at least until they got off the mat! Our coaches don't tolerate that behavior and I'm happy they don't.
Daniel got to see some crazy things being a mat tapper for one of the mats. A mat tapper is someone who watches the clock and makes sure the referee knows when the time is up. Daniel had a BLAST! He was so cute to watch. He was asked by one of the guys from our team to work with him. His son even let Daniel wear the wrestling shoes he had just bought from someone else. Daniel was in Heaven! I don't understand why kids want to buy used, stinky shoes but apparently trading used wrestling gear is a cool thing. One of our kids borrowed shoes that were seriously falling apart, it cracks me up.
It was a long weekend but so much fun. All of our boys should be so proud of themselves. I love watching them all interact with each other. It's also fun watching other fans, it makes me wonder if we look as crazy as they do. We probably do. I came home with hardly any voice from yelling so much! I have a few videos I want to share, I hope you enjoy!
Great job this weekend Neil, I am so proud of you! You are a great leader, wrestler and friend!
The first two videos are of warm-ups....I love how our boys command the mat!
Neil's match he won, he worked hard for that win!
One of our coaches started the wave throughout the stadium, it was pretty cool. This was after it had gone on for a while, so it died out eventually but it was really awesome to see. (Yes, I know I sound like a dork!)
David (our team member who made it to finals and eventually won the state championship in his weight class) entering for introductions.
Daniel, my little mat tapper!
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