My son is heading into his fourth and final high school State Wrestling Tournament and wrestling his 13th year on the mat. I know that there are a lot of youngsters who will be trying to get to State in the Kids' Federation circuit in the coming weeks. Parents, Coaches, family members and wrestlers alike will be feeling the stressors that I did; will they stay healthy, make weight, avoid injuries, not have a bad day on the mat in Subs or Districts, etc? I thought that I would share a few funny memories that I have from Garrett's Kids' Federation career to help you all get through the next few weeks.

1) Garrett won his first two Novice Tournaments when he was 6 going 6-0. His third tournament he lost his second match to a tough opponent from Junction City. After having his first emotional melt down, he came off the mat and knocked the video camera from his mom's hands when she came to console him. I still chuckle about that today.

2) In his first attempt at Subs he wrestled a young lady and was winning with relative ease when she suddenly threw him in a tight headlock and almost pinned him. He held on to win the match by 2 or 3. After they shook hands on the center of the mat, she took her head gear off and her long hair came out and she swished it around like a young model. We always told him that she liked him and was trying to impress him although she just about finished his tournament with that impressive headlock.

3) His first tournament when he was 9 he went to the restroom before a match and came out with his team wrestling shirt half soaked. I said "what happened to your shirt?" He said, "I dropped it in the toilet." That was the first time I purchased a tournament shirt for him although it wasn't the last (not because he dropped more team shirts in the toilet but because we thought the tournament shirts were pretty cool).

4) When he was 11 he started out the season going 0-11 in his first four tournaments. It was a tough time for both of us but I told him that he was just wrestling a lot of tough competition and finishing in close matches. He went on to win 13 out of his next 21 and made it to his first Kids' State Tournament. The local paper picked up on his story for the season and wanted to interview me for an article they wanted to publish in their youth sports addition of the paper. When they called I was in a hospital room with my wife when she was in labor with our third son and I was able to complete the interview before they started the final pushes. She still brings that up and it is a great conversation piece with family and friends.

Anyway, I hope that I helped lighten your load. Remember, the most important thing is to get your wrestler on the high school team and through their Senior year. You will have some great memories and some very tough memories as I have had with my son through his high school career. This is the final tournament for him and I hope that he is satisfied with the results.

If you have some funny memories to share, I would love to hear them. I need a few laughs too heading into State.

Although our wrestling time has been brief so far, my two favorites are:

1) My seven year old was in the middle of a match. I shout some encouragement so he stops what he's doing, looks up at me, and smiles.
2) My 9 year old is taken off his feet with a nice double leg and returned to the mat rather forcefully. He's just fine, and mom yells out, "He threw my baby!"

C. Andrews

Although our wrestling time has been brief so far, my two favorites are:

1) My seven year old was in the middle of a match. I shout some encouragement so he stops what he's doing, looks up at me, and smiles.
2) My 9 year old is taken off his feet with a nice double leg and returned to the mat rather forcefully. He's just fine, and mom yells out, "He threw my baby!"

C. Andrews

My 7 year old lost a hard match by 1pt this year. Needless to say he was very disappointed. My mother (his grandmother) was trying to make him feel better. She asked him if he wanted to hit the concession stand and get something to eat. He looked at my mom with the most serious look and said "I don't deserve to eat!" Don't worry I assure you I didn't let him starve he was fine after about a hour.

I remember your wife driving from Lawrence to Overland Park three times a week, in the winter, through snow and ice, with the young ones in tow, while you were deployed just so Garrett could continue wrestling at STA.

Sharon, she did fill in nicely while I was gone. As for Garrett, we gave him a couple of alternate options so they wouldn't have to be on the road as much but he wouldn't have it any other way, he wanted to continue wrestling with a great club and one he loved to wrestle for. By the way, one of my favorite pictures is of the group of six or so STA wrestlers standing for a photo op at the end of season banquet in '07 and Luke was kneeling down while holding Baby Bryce. Priceless! Good luck at State.

Here are a few funnies - they may be older than 13 years.

My nephew was wrestling and came walking dramatically to the edge of the mat (like Fred Sanford - Sanford and Son's) crying when he was about 7 yrs old at a Novice tournament. He said Uncle Sean he is choking my tummy (tight waist) - I calmly said get back out there and get on top of him and you choke his tummy and put in the half nelson. Not sure who won

Another time one of my young wrestlers was pinning a guy - he was on top with a reverse half but he was on his knees. I said "get on your toes". He did get on his toes - he got completely off the guy and stood up and walked around on his toes. I couldn't get upset with him he did exactly what I had asked him to do. I can't remember who won the match.

This one applies to me more than 13 years ago. I was over in Topeka at the Kids State Tournament. I drove over the night before to be there in time for the parade. I parked next to one of the families that had a tow behind camper with their 5 kids in the Expo Center parking lot. The plan was a great cookout and some shut eye. When it was time to go to bed I jumped in the back of the pickup for a good nights sleep. About 1:00 or 2:00am a hail storm came and started pounding my aluminum camper top and then the heavy rains set in for a while. It is a little funnier now than it was then. The cookout went as planned, the nights rest - not so much.

My first competition(about 40 years ago) in 6th grade 8 man bracket with 1 bye in the bracket. I have 3 older brothers and I did not know what day my birthday was until I was in 9th grade. My brothers and their friends beat me 365 days of the year - OH I had fun tagging around with them and their buddies. Anyway, my first tournament I did not get the bye guy and had a match and won, the second match went well, the third match was against a State Champ and the HS Coaches son. My opponent was warming up professionally (I did not know how to warm up yet), he had a jump rope, medals and pins on his matching warm up, cool singlet(they were itchy). By the way head phones, video games, and cell phones were not invented yet. Anyway he was jumping around with swagger, stretching, etc., I looked at him like what are you doing and then he came over and talked to me and told me all these tournaments he wrestled in and won and that he was a state champ. I stood there with my hand me down cut off gray sweats for shorts, white tank top t-shirt, high top converse shoes with the metal eyelets, and a used head gear. Oh boy I was ready for him when he said "I think we wrestle each other next". I told one of my older brothers that my next guy was pretty good. I thought to my self this is going to be fun wrestling this guy - he is my size and I knew all the thrashings I had taken and future beat down lessons from bigger brothers and their friends. The match went well and my opponent became my friend.

One more - I was at another kids tournament coaching and running around and it was near the end of the day and my feet, back, brain all needed a rest. So I was standing by a table worker(towel boy & HS wrestler) and I asked him if I could sit in his chair. He said NO! Well - I said I use to wrestle 98 pounds in high school and I was pretty good - before I could even finish my story about when I was 98 pounds he said it looked like I swallowed 3 - 98 pounders. That was a quick whitted comeback by the young high school wrestler - but I did end up getting his chair. I found a new friend and demonstration partner that day.