LAST WEEKEND’S 58th annual Mauck Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Wrestling Tournament held at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling brought back many memories … mostly memories of lessons learned.

All three of my son’s wrestled for Cadiz High School and my daughter, the youngest of the litter, was a mat stat from the time she could hold a pencil and paper.

It started each year in November and didn’t end until April of later. When the weekends rolled around you could find my little tribe and many of our friends and family members in a gym somewhere around the area. The same rings true for numerous wrestling families then and just as many today.

The OVAC tournament is one of the biggest such events in the nation. Usually, for three days, wrestlers in 14 weight classes hit the mats as they use their talents and knowledge to earn the right to stand in that first place spot on the championship podium.

Winning this tournament is a dream of all young wrestlers; but often the lessons learned throughout the careers are what matters most.

The entire tournament is an impressive event. Officials and their crews spend countless hours preparing for the tournament which is usually a three-day event.

But this year, Mother Nature threw a wrench in the plans and whittled it down to just two days.

A snow event that began Thursday afternoon had tournament director Dan Doyle making the decision to call off the usual Thursday night opening ceremony. That event and the first few rounds of wrestling were moved to Friday morning and from that point on things just flew right along.

However, numerous fans of the sports were shocked to learn of the postponement and recalled heading out to Wheeling on snow covered roads and returning home in even worse conditions.

I can recall only one other time when the regularly scheduled events were interrupted when a January rainstorm flooded the arena. That year, wrestling was moved to a Sunday.

This year’s decision to cancel the Thursday activities was a wise one. Those wrestlers who were already in the Friendly City when the decision was made to pull the plug on Thursday’s activities were able to work out at the arena since the mats were already on the floor.

Congratulations to all those wrestlers and families who participated in the tournament. You were part of something that will always bring you fond memories and pride. You are participating in a sport that will teach important life lessons. Wrestling is a tough sport but it gives wonderful rewards for all the blood, sweat and tears.

Its lessons are not just for the mat … but for life!

Sedgmer may be reached at ksedgmer@timesleaderonline.com