On The Fence

Ask Seth what he thinks

This is a very important weekend for the future of wrestling at Southern Garrett High School and at schools all around the country.  This is the weekend that high school students who are considering joining the sport, or are "on the fence" about their decision, need to say yes or no to the team.  It has been our experience over the last 15 years, that many kids stay "on the fence" and have a hard time taking the plunge.  As they look back on their lives, many regret the decision to delay.

 

For a team from a small town like ours, getting all available kids to participate is very important.  All schools have kids walking the halls who can help the winter sport teams, the tricky part is getting them in the room and committed to the team.  It takes a joint effort from the coaches, existing team members, alumni, teachers and the administration to encourage all kids to "be a part" of something special.

 

Junior, Brison Dixon is pumped for the new season.

A great example can be found in current wrestler Brison Dixon.  Last year, he was "on the fence" and had a hard time deciding if he would join our team.  It took encouragement from a number of people for Brison to finally take the plunge.  Today, he is as excited as anyone to get on the mat and get the season started and will be the first person to say "I wish I had started earlier".

 

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard a wrestler say "I wish I would have started earlier".  Seth Kisner, Cooper McCauley, Keith Chapman, Zach Tichnell, Johnny Lascaris come to mind, and the list goes on and on.  Each of these young men had to be encouraged to join and will quickly tell a kid today who is "on the fence" to get in the room and get started NOW.

 

Wrestling made a huge impact
in Cooper McCauley's life.

Of course there have been a few that have tried it out and decided that the sport was not for them, but they are a better person for giving it a shot.  It is much better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all.  I have never heard a kid say "I wish I hadn't wrestled", but I have heard many say "I wish I had".

 

Please, take the time to encourage kids to get involved and take the plunge.  Your word of encouragement might make the difference in a student's decision to join the team and ultimately have a powerful impact on their lives.

 

Feel free to share this blog post with any student who is trying to decide what direction they will go.  Thanks, Coach