Hello everyone of the Kansas wrestling community:

As most of you know, I am now sitting here with my leg up and my thigh muscles wasting away.

I wanted to start this thread to inspire all the non or half inspired wrestlers of the state for the post-season they are about to embark upon.

All of you guys who need the extra mental push, here it is.

When you are about to lose your qualifing match for state, suck it up and be a champ. Remember all of those people who would like to be in your shoes at that time: the kid you beat earlier, the injured senior, the graduated guys who never had that chance and now miss wrestling more than ever.

It may seem to all of you like a joke or just a game. However, wrestling is not just a game. If it was that simple, I wouldn't be broken-hearted and I wouldn't be writing this.

Wrestling becomes an obsession, a drug. It is easily addictive even though it sometimes hurts you. What makes you want to come back after an injury, after a non-placing at state the year before, or after losing the state finals by five seconds; the obsession. The desire to go out there and beat the piss out of another guy until you are declared the victor. The personal satisfaction of winning for yourself and your team.

I may sound like a hypocrite to anyone who knows what I have been doing. After I found out I was done, I quit going to my team's practices and meets.

"Well, you're not a true supporter and teammate Shoff," you may think or say.

I did that because I cannot stand to sit there day after day watching my teammates suffer cutting weight or going through a grueling practice. I want to be with them. I want to share their pain and their victories, their losses and their triumphs. I want to be beside them as they develop over the course of the season.

I can't and it is the shittest thing in the entire world.

I say this in all seriousness. Go back and read my fifth paragraph. Think about that.

YOU have the ability that some CANNOT do, even if they want it more than anything. They would trade their most important anything to be where you are right now: dehydrated, anorexic, and beaten.

So, if you start to get down on yourself and think you can't do it, remember those who REALLY can't do it.

Wrestle your *** off to show your fans, your team and most importantly you that YOU ARE A CHAMPION.

YOU ARE A FIGHTER.

and that you'll go down swinging for all of us...

Just wanted to put this back on page one for everyone to see.

nicely done shoff! makes the season seem a little shorter and makes me a little less hungry.

He's right, you know. I was not that great at wrestling (getting 4th at my 4a regional and qualifying for state was as good as I ever did). I never knew how much I'd miss wrestling until November rolled around and the Caney wrestling team started practicing. Wrestling is a narcotic. When I think about it, wrestling is what I miss most about high school.

*Sigh* enjoy it while you can because unless you're really good and get a scholarship, you're done in 4 short years...

For real...Day in day out as a senior you say i cant wait till wrestling is over blah blah blah, 4 more weight ins then im done forever. Weve all said it, but the truth is you have no idea how much you miss just those small details such as not eating on wednesday and fridays. You spend your whole career complaining about it but its gotta be done. Then your careers over and wrestling season rolls around again and you can eat whatever you want, you don't have long tough practices and you don't feel like you got hit by a steam roller each day. But to tell you the truth one thing i miss the most about wrestling is weighing in that thursday or friday morning after you worked your *** off to make weight. Just that simple gratification that you made it once again, and now you can eat till next week, its the greatest feeling in the world and once its gone you really miss it. So take advantage of what has been given to you whether your undefeated this year and are ranked first in state, or you are 3-25 going in to regionals, wrestle every match like its your last, because it could very easily be your last match at this time of year. To all of you who don't know what wrestling every match like it is your last entails, you truly won't know until your actually wrestling what you know will be your last match. During that match all your years of wrestling come out, because i gaurantee you aren't thinking about the match. All you can think about is oh my god this is my last match unless i win. This however is not a bad thing because i have realized that i could wrestle asleep. This is because wrestling becomes your sixth sense, and you can do everything subconsiously. Sorry to ramble, but one day you will understand just how important the sport really is to you. Too bad that will probably be one day too late. So make the best of your last couple of matches and don't give yourself anything to look back at and say i could have beat that kid if i would have just taken this shot, or tried that move on top or bottom. Anyway good luck to all these next two weeks, especially you seniors who probably won't wrestle again after february 2004.

Thank god im only a junior.

Prant--what do you think of this topic?

Amen to that one boys. I miss wrestling every day of my life.

I give anything to go back and do it over again

Yea I Agree, lots of people complain about how they cant eat and how they have to cut so much weight, but thats what wrestlings about its what makes it fun. Im glad im only a sophmore, i got 2 more years of it. Best of luck to those of you who this will be your last year.