Marvin on HS Wrestling in PA

[Dill]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_535591.html

Q: What do you remember about your wrestling days?

A: "It taught you a lot. I beat a kid from Beth-Center -- and I believe he had won the section the year before -- and I remember coming off the mat and (Lewis' coach) telling me that was the worst display of conditioning he had ever seen in his life.

It was our last match before Christmas break, so I ran every day, not only at practice, but after practice. I ran at night in the snow because he said I wasn't in shape.

I remember getting beat, 12-7 (in Fort Cherry's following match), and he said, 'Well, you're in shape.'

More kids today should wrestle because there is nobody to blame. When you get whipped, you get whipped, and when you win, you win.

It's pretty lonely if you're looking at those lights (from your back), and fortunately, I don't think I did that very often."
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Marv also talks about playing HS football against his mentor, Bill Cowher.
PS I got this off wrestlingreport.com

[VCU Rams]

That's a pretty cool article, thanks for posting. :)

[PApinhead]

Good post. Marvin is right about wrestling in that there is no one else to blame but yourself. You can try to blame the referee, but it all comes down to you. If you had pinned the guy or beat him worse, it wouldn't really matter what the ref. did.

Wrestling also teaches you discipline with having to watch your weight and being in shape. I know it taught me a lot. My wife was never a big wrestling fan and could never understand why I get up early just about every day to workout before work. Then I had her watch one of the best movies ever, "Vision Quest" and now she says she understands me a little better.

I have a four year old son, Cael (named after Cael Sanderson), that I want and hope will wrestle, but my wife says I can't make him. I am not going to make him, but just try to steer him towards it. We already wrestle around all the time and most times, he asks to wrestle. I'll probably give him at least another year to two before I see if he wants to go organized practices and matches. I don't want to burn him out.

I kid my wife and tell her I am going to teach my daughters to wrestle too, but she says over her dead body. She says it's fine for boys, but not for girls. I may give her that and don't think I want them to wrestle, but if they really want to, I probably wouldn't object too much.

[Turk88]

Originally Posted by PApinhead

Good post. Marvin is right about wrestling in that there is no one else to blame but yourself. You can try to blame the referee, but it all comes down to you. If you had pinned the guy or beat him worse, it wouldn't really matter what the ref. did.

Wrestling also teaches you discipline with having to watch your weight and being in shape. I know it taught me a lot. My wife was never a big wrestling fan and could never understand why I get up early just about every day to workout before work. Then I had her watch one of the best movies ever, "Vision Quest" and now she says she understands me a little better.

I have a four year old son, Cael (named after Cael Sanderson), that I want and hope will wrestle, but my wife says I can't make him. I am not going to make him, but just try to steer him towards it. We already wrestle around all the time and most times, he asks to wrestle. I'll probably give him at least another year to two before I see if he wants to go organized practices and matches. I don't want to burn him out.

I kid my wife and tell her I am going to teach my daughters to wrestle too, but she says over her dead body. She says it's fine for boys, but not for girls. I may give her that and don't think I want them to wrestle, but if they really want to, I probably wouldn't object too much.

I own that movie.

I wrestled for 6 years. In Jr. High, some in High School...but then quit High School wrestling to focus on Freestyle wrestling. I did that all 12 months out of the year.

I love wrestling, as a matter of fact, my family was so heavily involved in wrestling that my pops, along with my help, started Northmont Kids Wrestling. I helped coach and I still to this day think it is a great sport for children. It teaches them so many things that they could have never learned through team sports.

[IgnoreME]

I wrestled for 15 years, one year in college. I have played baseball and football as well but there is no sport that will ever teach you more about youself than what you learn on the mat. People don't realize how hard wrestling is... There is a dark side though, I became bulimic in high school in order to make my 119 125 130 weight classes. The funny thing is, I wrestled 130 my senior year and was recruited to wrestle 119 in college. After the first year keeping my body fat at 3.5% I could not take it anymore... The hydration tests started to catch up to me so I had to leave it behind me. But running in the winter time with a Rubber suit and 3 pairs of sweats on for hours and hours gave me a lot of time to think.

being in the wrestling room all year tests you valor.

It isn't for everyone though.

[PApinhead]

I started wrestling when I was 5. My dad was and still is a senior high school coach. He didn't pressure me or my brother at all. We just saw what it was all about and wanted to do it. I am 36 now and still wrestle when I get a chance. I was a senior and junior high school coach for awhile, but had to give it up when I changed jobs. Although, a couple of my co-workers have sons that wrestle in the elementary program and have tried to get me to help coach. My schedule at work is not conducive to being a coach right now. Having a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a 3 month old at home doesn't really help either. Some day I hope to get back into coaching. Turk, that is cool that you helped to start the kids program. Do you still coach?

IgnoreME, you are so right about the weight issue. My junior year I dropped from 132 to 119 and was so weak I could hardly wrestle. I stayed there for two matches and then went back up to 132. That was the last time I ever cut weight. I think they watch it a little better now. At least here in PA they do. I know if my son does wrestle, I am going to make sure he doesn't do any cutting, at least not a couple of weight classes.

I do think wrestling is one of the toughest sports. Those that have never wrestled don't realize how much strength and energy it takes to wrestle 6 minutes or more.

It's cool to talk to other wrestlers who you can swap stories with.

[Dill]

DAng, I'm surprised so many wrestlers popped up in response to this thread. Yeah, it's a great sport. and Ohio and PA are a level above other states, at the HS level anyway.


PApinhead--just keep wrestling with Cael on the rug and you won't be able to stop him once he's old enough for youth wrestling. Most boys take to it naturally, and experience really gives kids the edge so the younger he starts, the better.

[Turk88]

Originally Posted by PApinhead

I started wrestling when I was 5. My dad was and still is a senior high school coach. He didn't pressure me or my brother at all. We just saw what it was all about and wanted to do it. I am 36 now and still wrestle when I get a chance. I was a senior and junior high school coach for awhile, but had to give it up when I changed jobs. Although, a couple of my co-workers have sons that wrestle in the elementary program and have tried to get me to help coach. My schedule at work is not conducive to being a coach right now. Having a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a 3 month old at home doesn't really help either. Some day I hope to get back into coaching. Turk, that is cool that you helped to start the kids program. Do you still coach?

IgnoreME, you are so right about the weight issue. My junior year I dropped from 132 to 119 and was so weak I could hardly wrestle. I stayed there for two matches and then went back up to 132. That was the last time I ever cut weight. I think they watch it a little better now. At least here in PA they do. I know if my son does wrestle, I am going to make sure he doesn't do any cutting, at least not a couple of weight classes.

I do think wrestling is one of the toughest sports. Those that have never wrestled don't realize how much strength and energy it takes to wrestle 6 minutes or more.

It's cool to talk to other wrestlers who you can swap stories with.

No, I don't coach but I have been thinking about getting back into it.

[IgnoreME]

Originally Posted by Dill

DAng, I'm surprised so many wrestlers popped up in response to this thread. Yeah, it's a great sport. and Ohio and PA are a level above other states, at the HS level anyway.


PApinhead--just keep wrestling with Cael on the rug and you won't be able to stop him once he's old enough for youth wrestling. Most boys take to it naturally, and experience really gives kids the edge so the younger he starts, the better.

Forgot Iowa, Minnisota, Winsonsin, Rhode Island, New York, Virginia..... I believe I have been beat by at least 1 person from these states lol.

I just want to say Kentucky has terrible wrestling... I had a kid in high school 3 time state champ kentucky in his senior year, their team came to our house for a duel. I Tech Falled the kid in the first 30 seconds of the third period.

[Dill]

Originally Posted by IgnoreME

Forgot Iowa, Minnisota, Winsonsin, Rhode Island, New York, Virginia..... I believe I have been beat by at least 1 person from these states lol.

I just want to say Kentucky has terrible wrestling... I had a kid in high school 3 time state champ kentucky in his senior year, their team came to our house for a duel. I Tech Falled the kid in the first 30 seconds of the third period.

Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York are tough, and I could add Iowa, OK and CA as well, but they are not in the same league as OH and PA. Virginia is rising, but still can't compare with OH and VA. They have Christianburg and Great Bridge, but after that the fall off is considerable.

[IgnoreME]

If we are talking High School Wresting
My List
Ohio
PA
RI
NY
WI

There is no state period that can compete on a High School Wrestling Level as Ohio. We have way to many Private Schools who recruit to give that up.

Lakewood St. Edwards - When I was wrestliing up at Medina my freshman year of Highschool, my third round match was against a guy from St. Eds. Usually in a match you can get a couple bumps bruises, but in no match in my life of wrestling have I ever just been BEATEN to a pulp by an opponent than what that kid did to me.

College
IO
MN
WI
OH
PA
NY

[PApinhead]

I agree about which states have good wrestling, except of course I'll have to be a homer and say that PA has the best high school wrestling. Seriously though, it is tough to say which of the top states is actually the best.

I don't know about the whole state, but I wrestled a couple of guys from WV and boy were they tough. Any of you guys wrestle any guys from WV and if so, what did you think.

I definitely will keep wrestling with Cael. I plan on taking him to a couple of high school matches this year. I think he will be old enough now to sit through at least a couple of matches. We watched a couple of Penn State matches on tv last year he liked them, so I think he will like seeing live matches.

[Dill]

Current Amateur Wrestling pre-seaons ranking has the following distribution--top 12 nationally in each weight class (14 classes).

If you look at NCAA placewinners by HS rather than college, PA tends to dominate every year.

Pa 18
OH 18
NY 10
MO 10
IA 9
CA 8
MN 8
NJ 8
WV 2
VA 1

This gives you a relatively good sense of where the real wrestling "depth" is. PA and OH are right by one another and so its no suprise both are tough, along with NY and NJ. MO is the big suprise this year. usually they are lucky to get 2 or 3 kids in a national ranking.

[Bengalized]

My only problem with wrestling is when young kids are running around wearing 4 pairs of sweatpants and trash bags to make wait. That and when kids are starving themselves to make weight. If you are in college and want to do that, fine, you are an adult, but having 12 year olds (my wife's uncle does this with his kinds) barely eating to stay in a particular weight class just seems kind of suspect to me. I also know a number of adults who wrestled in JH, HS, and College that have stunted growth from not getting enough of the proper nutrients during formative years. I think that wrestling is great, as a sport, but a lot of kid's parents/coaches take it too far. Just my $.02 though...

[Dill]

Originally Posted by Bengalized

My only problem with wrestling is when young kids are running around wearing 4 pairs of sweatpants and trash bags to make wait. That and when kids are starving themselves to make weight. If you are in college and want to do that, fine, you are an adult, but having 12 year olds (my wife's uncle does this with his kinds) barely eating to stay in a particular weight class just seems kind of suspect to me. I also know a number of adults who wrestled in JH, HS, and College that have stunted growth from not getting enough of the proper nutrients during formative years. I think that wrestling is great, as a sport, but a lot of kid's parents/coaches take it too far. Just my $.02 though...

Well I agree with you that is bad. I remember when my son was in youth wrestling at 105. He wouldn't diet to lose weight. Then we were at the state tournament and I was in the restroom with this guy how his son had dropped from 117 pounds a few days ago. Then a few hours later we met again when his son wrestled mine--though the kid had had plenty to eat and drink since, and obviously looked two weight classes heavier. My kid lost and it ****** me off.

[Dill]

Originally Posted by IgnoreME

Lakewood St. Edwards - When I was wrestliing up at Medina my freshman year of Highschool, my third round match was against a guy from St. Eds. Usually in a match you can get a couple bumps bruises, but in no match in my life of wrestling have I ever just been BEATEN to a pulp by an opponent than what that kid did to me.

Do you remember the name of the kid, weight class, and year?

[IgnoreME]

Originally Posted by Dill

Do you remember the name of the kid, weight class, and year?

No, not off the top of my head. It would have been the 99-00 season and I was at 119. I will have to check my highlight book when I get home.

Oh and one more thing... I find it really funny that when I google my own name the only things that come up are either my Wrestling match results on old web pages or there is a guy who is a resturaunt franchise owner with the same name.

[nkutke262]

Originally Posted by PApinhead

Good post. Marvin is right about wrestling in that there is no one else to blame but yourself. You can try to blame the referee, but it all comes down to you. If you had pinned the guy or beat him worse, it wouldn't really matter what the ref. did.

Wrestling also teaches you discipline with having to watch your weight and being in shape. I know it taught me a lot. My wife was never a big wrestling fan and could never understand why I get up early just about every day to workout before work. Then I had her watch one of the best movies ever, "Vision Quest" and now she says she understands me a little better.

I have a four year old son, Cael (named after Cael Sanderson), that I want and hope will wrestle, but my wife says I can't make him. I am not going to make him, but just try to steer him towards it. We already wrestle around all the time and most times, he asks to wrestle. I'll probably give him at least another year to two before I see if he wants to go organized practices and matches. I don't want to burn him out.

I kid my wife and tell her I am going to teach my daughters to wrestle too, but she says over her dead body. She says it's fine for boys, but not for girls. I may give her that and don't think I want them to wrestle, but if they really want to, I probably wouldn't object too much.

Cael Sanderson was the most dominant athlete in amatuer sports history. It was absolutely incredible what he was able to accomplish.

I agree with just about everyone on hear about wrestling. I didn't start until highschool. I wish I would have because it does teach you so much about yourself as well as prepare you for just about every other sport becasue of the conditioning, balance dedication. But it can be very unhealthy when it comes to the dieting and weight cutting. You have to learn to do it the right way or it can be deadly.

[Dill]

Originally Posted by IgnoreME

No, not off the top of my head. It would have been the 99-00 season and I was at 119. I will have to check my highlight book when I get home.

Oh and one more thing... I find it really funny that when I google my own name the only things that come up are either my Wrestling match results on old web pages or there is a guy who is a resturaunt franchise owner with the same name.

It wasn't Ryan Lang, was it? I think he was about 119 then.

When I google my son's name, I still get results from his kid wrestling back in the late-nineties. I sure miss those days. Nothing like watching your own kid work his way through a tough tournament.

[Dill]

Originally Posted by nkutke262

Cael Sanderson was the most dominant athlete in amatuer sports history. It was absolutely incredible what he was able to accomplish.

I agree with just about everyone on hear about wrestling. I didn't start until highschool. I wish I would have because it does teach you so much about yourself as well as prepare you for just about every other sport becasue of the conditioning, balance dedication. But it can be very unhealthy when it comes to the dieting and weight cutting. You have to learn to do it the right way or it can be deadly.

CAel's younger brother, Cyler, was pretty good too. He beat PA champ Joe CAramanica at the 2005 Dapper Dan classic by a major decision--almost teched him.

[IgnoreME]

Originally Posted by Dill

It wasn't Ryan Lang, was it? I think he was about 119 then.

When I google my son's name, I still get results from his kid wrestling back in the late-nineties. I sure miss those days. Nothing like watching your own kid work his way through a tough tournament.

I don't think it was him at the time, but yes I wrestled Ryan Lang.... Somehow I have movement in all my extremities