How can you be a shining example as a wrestling (or athletic) parent? Ideally, sports are supposed to teach wholesome values that the participants can live by throughout their lives and you, as parents, can help. How you react and what you say during stressful circumstances does affect your child’s perceptions of sports and life in general. We are our experiences.

Let me cite two hypothetical wrestling examples that I believe will definitely illustrate my point.

Situation #1 Your child loses a match due to a very close or questionable call. Should you be happy? No. But how you handle the situation with your child will stay with him or her a lifetime. Telling your child the referee cheated will not help him or her be a better person. A much better approach would be to say, “That was a close call that just didn’t go your way. Don’t stop working hard and sooner or later the breaks will go your way, too.”

Situation #2You are not pleased with a decision the coach has made regarding your child. The worst thing you could do is undermine and belittle the coach in front of your child. Why, because your child will probably do the same at practice, lowering the morale of other team members. If you are truly concerned about the coach’s decision, the best course of action would be to talk it out with the coach in private. He will respect you for it and may even reconsider if you made a valid point. But more importantly, you will have taught your child to show respect for his coach, understanding that being a coach requires difficult decisions at times.

Yes, it’s tough being parents nowadays. The last lesson you want to teach your child is how to blame others and make excuses when things aren’t perfect. Instead, teach him orher how to be responsible individuals, accepting the bad with the good, because everything works out in the end with sincere effort.

… on Parents’ Love for Their Wrestlers

Wrestlers! If you haven’t realized it yet, don’t ever forget the plight of your parents.

Young wreslers, I’m afraid that during this time in your lives, you have no idea of what your parents go through because of their love for you. I know what I am talking about because I never thought about it, myself, until I stopped competing and had time to mature and think back to those days.

For example, I can now remember the time my father fell off the bleachers due to his gyrating movements to help my brother when he was wrestling. Mom, on the other hand, often had to leave the gym when we wrestled because it was too hard on her nerves to watch us. And get this, my dad did not even come to witness my state championship match in 1963, not because he didn’t love or support me with all his heart but because he couldn’t take the pressure any longer. (He instructed Mom to call him right after the match.)

If you still don’t understand what I am talking about, I can assure you that your parents know what I am getting at because many of them have experienced similar feelings. Like my parents, they, too, have often demonstrated the same mannerisms while you wrestled. There’s no doubt about it; this is not only one of the toughest individual athletic events for the participant, but also for his or her parents.

Well, true wrestling parents are quite special. They are willing to accept the sacrifices their sons or daughters have to make. These parents know how the mat sport teaches individual responsibility a trait that will follow their boys or girls throughout the rest of their lives.

So, young men and women of the mats, listen to what I am saying. And take a moment to thank God for the wonderful parents with whom you have been blessed. Oh, and especially take the time to sincerely thank your mom and dad for their dedication to you and your athletic endeavors. They truly are your best friends in life.