My “weekend” started on Friday because it was the day after parent teacher conferences (we’re on trimesters, so it’s the tri mid-point) and a great weekend for a two day high school wrestling tournament. Being in Kansas we have opportunities to compete with wrestlers from Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Missouri. This can make for amazing competition, and this tournament was no exception. My older son competes at 170 pounds, and if you want to know what 170 pounds of pure drive, competitiveness, and toughness is…go meet a wrestler in that weight class. 170 is just above the mid-point of the weight classes, so there is an amazing mix of speed, strength, technique, and grit.

Wrestlers are restricted to five matches a day, so their bigger tournaments are crammed into two days. This weekend, my son had three matches on Friday, and due to  bye, two wins, and the a loss, only two on Saturday. I knew I would only be able to be there on Friday, so I trekked the hour to Newton, KS to spectate at the Tournament of Champions.

True to its billing, this is a tournament that is comprised of the best of the best. The competition was first rate, and the wrestlers are all amazing young men. I had a blast watching my son. While I didn’t get to see his last two matches, a good friend kept me updated via text. My son came home with a hard-earned bronze medal. When he handed it to me, his comments was “I got my hardware. Physically it is little more than a half dollar, but meta-physically it is made of blood, sweat, and determination!”

Yeah, I’ve got a great kid who knows what it’s all about!