Good morning, Jacoby!
We are here at the Nutter Center for your final wrestling tournament of the year.
And what a year it has been for you!
Do you remember what I told you when the season was first starting?
I told you to learn this year.
It would be a year of learning all sorts of things.
You wrestled four years ago by attending practice twice a week, but you did not compete in any matches against an opponent.
This year was different.
You would learn what it would take to pin an opponent.
You would learn what it would take to dominate an opponent.
You would learn what it felt like to get pinned by an opponent.
You would learn what it felt like to get dominated by an opponent.
These are all things I have never experienced because I didn't wrestle, but I can tell that these lessons are going to shape you into the man you will become.
And that gets me excited!
Back to this morning here at the Nutter Center...
This is a large platform.
There are many people in attendance.
There are many wrestlers competing.
There are many new sights.
There are many new sounds.
I can imagine the fear and anxiety welling up within you.
I can almost see it, if I'm honest.
There are some things to remember on days like today.
1 - The crowd doesn't matter.
In all honesty, yes, there are lots of people in the arena, watching the floor and what's going on.
But with 28 different wrestling mats and just as many schools represented, no one else is going to notice you.
The crowd isn't watching you.
The crowd doesn't care what you do.
Whether or not you win or lose, they won't know.
So wrestle your match today, every single time.
That's what matters.
2 - The size of the arena doesn't matter.
While this is the biggest arena you have wrestled in,
the mat size is still the same,
your opponent is still the same weight class as you,
the points are still calculated the same, and
the length of each period is still the same.
You still know what to do.
You get to go out and wrestle your opponent, and you will either come out on top or on bottom.
It's really that simple, just like it has been all season.
Use the atmosphere to bring out your best, not to turn you inward and shut down.
3 - You belong here!
You earned your right to qualify for today.
You worked your butt off all season, growing, improving, getting faster, getting stronger, getting smarter.
And it definitely shows!
You belong here today!
Don't listen to that little voice in your head who is telling you that you don't.
Now, sure, you're going to feel nervous.
That's just because you've never been here before.
Your brain feels unsure of what to do because it's never done this before.
Yet it has.
Use that nervous energy to give your best effort for today.
4 - Lastly, WE are cheering for YOU.
While hundreds of other people are in this arena, WE are watching YOU!
WE are cheering for YOU!
Your LifeWise teacher, who has never attended a wrestling meet in his life, showed up today to cheer for you.
Because HE cares for YOU too!
Dude, I love you!
I'm so stinkin' proud of you.
Win or lose today, I love you.
Win or lose today, I'm proud of you.
But know this: I think you can win today!
Go get 'em!
Love,
Dad
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Jacoby was ranked 1st in his bracket of 8 wrestlers.
He pinned his first opponent, just like he did at an earlier meet this year.
He beat his second opponent by scoring more points.
He got pinned by his last opponent at the end of the 1st period.
That wrestler pinned every other opponent in less than a minute that morning.
Jacoby placed 2nd at the end of the day!
We definitely celebrated with dinner on the way home!
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