Many years ago, I was the wrestling statistician for my high school wrestling team. I really liked wrestling. We had a great team and took many players to state.
This year, some 30 years later, I have a friend who is wrestling. And she’s a girl. 15 years old, 103 pounds and full of spunk. It’s her first year and she’s already on varsity.
I went to a meet last week and cheered loud and hard for her. The first match the guy picked her up and spun her around like a whirlygig. Pinned in less one minute. The second match she went over one minute before she was pinned.
I spent most of the meet explaining what the point system was, what moves they were making, how they could be stronger,bigger,better — to her mom.
At first her mom didn’t like the idea of her wrestling. She was afraid she’d get hurt. I think it helped her to have me explain everything that was going on and what was possible.
Illiana may never win a match this year. Yet she keeps going back, and working harder, and believing in herself.
You see, she can do anything. How powerful a lesson is that for a young girl?