The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
After watching the Flin Flon wrestling tournament last weekend, it reminded me of an episode on The Wonder Years. In this specific episode, Kevin, who is played by Fred Savage, participates in a tournament and his coach has him face the best wrestler in his weight group. As the match starts, Kevin pulls a clever move and earns the first point - it was also his last. Throughout the entire match he squirmed enough to avoid being pinned, but his competitor piled up the points. His coach used the opportunity for Kevin to prove himself because he could talk the talk, but hadn't walked the walk. When he was done, he approached his coach, who reminded him of the score. He replied by saying "I told you I was good," and walked away with a smile. His coached also smiled. His teammates congratulated him for his efforts. Fortunately for local wrestlers in this tournament, most had better success. Hapnot's Eric Skeavington faced TWC's Ken Wark in a game that caught the watchful eyes of spectators. It was entertaining as both wrestlers competed. The worst thing about the match is that someone had to lose, but lots can be learned from losses. Freestyle wrestling is a sport in which wrestlers need strength, but most importantly smarts to execute their move and it must be fast. One of the unique things about this individual sport is the support received that goes beyond the coach. Spectators get into it, but fellow wrestlers help with coaching during the match. Having wrestlers compete in their own weight class ensures a level playing field. Though in this tournament, Eric Skeavington competed in a higher class for better competition. Talking to some of the coaches and wrestlers, dedication must be there. That can be said of any sport, but there are athletes who get away with less effort and still perform at a high level because of natural talent. Hapnot coach Mike Nychuk said that his athletes who put in the effort during practice did well, while the newcomers got a real eye-opener. If wrestlers want to do well in the sport, they can't pull a Kevin. They're better off to leave the ego at the door and be prepared to break a sweat.
