For years, we have asked our seniors to give a short speech at our year end banquet and there have been some very interesting presentations. There have been short and sweet "thank yous" and long, drawn out stutter-fests.... and all types of speeches in between. Some senior speeches have been unforgettable, and others very forgettable. This year, however, we experienced some of the best senior speeches of all time. They thanked their parents and their coaches, but a recurring theme was how close the team had become throughout the season. This group of men will miss each other, there is no doubt about it.
Ty Artice talked about how much he wished he had started wrestling earlier. Brad Clary had a well written speech, thanking his parents and coaches. Keith Chapman also talked about how he wished he had started earlier in life, how great it felt winning so many matches as a second year wrestler and how hard is was for his career to end at Regionals with an injury. Justyce Fulmer thanked his coaches for teaching him moves that "I actually got to use in my matches" and he thanked Coach Clark for teaching everyone to NEVER take the Lord's name in vain.
Seth Kisner, Brian Rinker and Tanner Massey all gave very heart-felt, moving speeches about their coaches, their families and especially their teammates. Several times, it got very emotional and the tears began to flow as these men said what they felt. They all would have liked to achieve more on the mat, but the Southern Wrestling experience and the time spent with their teammates was unforgettable.
And then there was Austin Shaffer. He wrote an amazing speech and you can read it in it's entirety by scrolling down. It was one of the best speeches we have ever heard at our season ending banquet. It was well written, thoughtful and very humble. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
It was very obvious to everyone in the room, these boys had a great season and great careers at Southern and the experiences they shared on the mat, off the mat (and especially on the school bus!) will be remembered for a lifetime.
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| Senior Brad Clary |
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| Senior Brian Rinker |
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| Senior Justyce Fulmer |
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| Senior Keith Chapman |
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| Senior Seth Kisner |
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| Senior Tanner Massey |
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| Senior Ty Artice |
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| Senior Will Foulke |
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| Senior Austin Shaffer |
"So, This Is It" A Senior Speech by Austin Shaffer
"So this is it. I've been attending these end-of-the-year
banquets wondering when it would be my turn to recite a senior speech in front
of my teammates, family, friends, and coaches. Well, it's my turn now I
suppose. I've had the honor and greatest opportunity to be on the Southern
Garrett Wrestling team for four years now. I've made friendships that will last
a lifetime. I've created memories that I will remember forever. I've ran
probably 1000 miles in the school's hallways. I've sweat from head to toe. I've
had triumphs. I've had failures. And I've even sat down and cried. In
frustration, happiness, and just because that was the only thing I could think
to do. But no matter what the situation, I always had my friends to cheer me up
with a, "What's the matter? You gonna be a wuss all your life?" Or my
coaches with a, "C'mon Shaff, you'll get him next time."
I've had a
lot of success while under the guidance of my coaches; Coach Taylor, Coach
Rush, Coach Clark, and Coach Biggie. I never keep any of the glory for myself,
I owe everything to them, my parents, and my teammates. To me, this sport is
rewarding in different ways than personal glory. Medals rust, bracket sheets
yellow, and nobody remembers the giant trophy you won. There is no better
feeling than shedding the blood, sweat , and tears coming away victorious
knowing that everything leading up to that point wasn't wasted. When you lose,
you feel like the world is ending. You start to question yourself about whether
or not it's worth it to continue. But eventually in the end, you know that you
have to pick yourself back up and out yourself through the hours of rigorous
training that you know are going to lead you back to a victory. When you enter
this sport, you are entering combat. We are gladiators, and to lose a match
means to lose a life. So often, we find ourselves at an end of something. Well,
this is my end. But it's also the beginning of something, because whenever
something comes to a close, something new rises out of its ashes.
I used to be
scared about the end of my time here, but now that I think about it, it's a
beautiful end. I leave with pride, knowing that there will be others to fill my
shoes. I want nothing more, than to come back to Garrett County, buy a ticket,
and sit down and watch an SHS wrestling match. Reminiscing, and observing all
the new wrestlers that come through. I'm only a product of the Southern Garrett
Wrestling process, and if I can do it, so can you. Never be scared, never give
up, because in the end, what have you really got to lose? They say that
everything else in life is easier after wrestling. But if that's true, then
life presents no more challenges, and you'll always be thinking of wrestling.
I
have a good feeling, that in some way or another, all of us will be reunited
down the road. All brought back because of the one thing we all have in common,
wrestling. Whether it be meeting again as fathers, watching our sons or
daughters wrestle, or even as future coaches for the Mat Club or SHS. And one
day, when my appetite for wrestling has been sated, I'll come home from work,
go down to the basement, rummage out an old box, pull out a pair of dusty red
wrestling shoes, and just enjoy the flood of memories that swarm me thinking
about my time spent under a lone spot light illuminating a mat, in a dim-lit
loud hotel room, or on a crowded bus traveling to a meet listening to the
masterful musical tones of "Little Red Wagon". No matter where I go,
no matter what I do, I'll always remember the time I spent here, everyday that
I live. Thank you all.="
