The above meme struck a chord with me this morning. I don’t dwell on regrets, nor do I desire to change the past. After all, the events of the past have made me who I am today. I would, if I could, however, want to relive my three years of varsity wrestling. I don’t mean to “relive the glory days”. Rather, I would just want the opportunity to right my attitude and work harder at the sport.
I doubt much would have changed. I grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania where there was some stiff wrestling competition. The weight classes did not suit my body type, per se. (I was 6’2” to 6’3” and wrestling 185—down from a 215 lb football weight.) I wish there was a 220-lb class at that time, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Still, I could have lost better. I could have, at times, had a better attitude. I could have helped my team better at getting better.
My greatest regret came in my senior season. I was going through some personal issues at home and, frankly, acted selfish. I decided that I didn’t want to lose the weight from football to take my position at 185. Instead, I determined to take the Unlimited position that was occupied by my friend, Ken—a Junior. I came out of football with a pinched nerve in my neck and lost to Ken in the initial wrestle-offs. From there, I could never win the two-in-a-row I needed to take the spot. I refused to lose the weight and rode the bench. Later in the season, I finally wised up and dropped to 185. (Our 185-pounder, Rich, was out with the flu and had dropped enough weight to drop down to 165, where he wrestled the year before.) I determined to make weight (i.e., lose 17 lb in 24 hours) so the team did not have to forfeit. I wrestled well, despite being dangerously dehydrated, and remained there for the rest of the season. I never recovered from the dramatic weight loss, however, and had a horrible final season.
I never aspired to wrestle collegiately, though a friend did convince me to briefly entertain the thought of walking on with him at WVU. Subsequently, I never put the energy into the sport I could have. I worked hard, but I could have worked harder. I succumbed to being the better side of mediocre.
Despite my missed opportunities, I benefited greatly from the sport, my teammates, and, especially, my coached. I owe much gratitude to my coaches—David Kling, Dave Colley, Dave Connelly, Robert McGregor, Skip Fisher, et al. Many of the lessons may have been deferred, but I owe a great deal of my success to them. Besides my son’s interest in the sport, I believe that much of my renewed passion for the sport came following the passing of Coach Kling a few years ago.
Yes, I would probably still have been an average Pennsylvania wrestler in ’81, but I could have been better. I should have stepped on the mat earlier in the season rather than later and been a better leader. The past is the past. Today, however….
Be your best today; be better tomorrow!
Carpe momento!