Guess I must have missed something on the way to the wrestling mat. I was always under the impression that wrestling is or was supposed to be kinda scary and painful. Bumps, bruises, black eyes, sprains, broken bones and bloody noses are all a part of this sport.

Wrestling is a form of martial arts. That means close quarters hand to hand physical combat w/ a few rules kicked in to keep'em from actually killing each other. If you want to have fun try dance classes. They still might require some physical contact but it's usually in a nice friendly manner. So, if you have a problem emotionally and physically with getting beat up once in awhile or possibly frequently, then wrestling is probably not your sport.

Honestly, don't kid yourself. This is and can be a very dangerous sport regardless of what rules are in place. It only takes 6 lbs of pressure to break a bone in an arm or leg if applied properly.(I got a whole bunch of other simple neat ways to be injured, but for brevity I will refrain from that list.) So it doesn't really matter how big or small you are. You still run the risk of an injury any and every time you step on the mat against anyone, irregardless of the weight differences.

I do respect the kids for their efforts. It takes a ton of guts to dedicate themselves to a sport where they go out on the mats week after week for sometimes 6 to 9 months of practices and/or at tournaments. Fighting all those little natural instincts to run away from confrontation/pain/public humiliation and getting physical with people they often don't know or at best know little of. Toss in the occassional injury and a diet loss regimen and you have one tough kid. Funny thing is, we don't often stop to acknowlege that and see them as they really are.