Great post Spartacus. I know you mean what you say, I have seen you live it in the practice room and on the mat.

• Parents before living your dreams through your child put on the shoes and hit the mat. Do the workout, up-downs, push-ups, set-ups, run the stairs, and then try out the drills, and wrestle with some of the big kids, then on the day of weigh in, make weight with your kid by cutting the same percentage of weight they are. I know that after this you will have more of an appreciation for what these kids go through and you’ll recognize the importance of having fun. This is still kids wrestling and I fear that far too many good and potentially great wrestlers are burned out on the sport.
• Coaches, let us do our best to instill love for the sport and do everything possible within the rules and with sportsmanship to provide the best opportunity to win as possible. When winning does not occur, let’s teach lessons that can be carried on for the next match and later on off the mat. Realize that sometimes our job is to help our athletes accomplish the fullest measure of their abilities. I firmly believe a great coach cannot be determined until we see what kind of adult their wrestlers turn out to be. State Championships while in jail, or broken relationships exist are not really worth much. An adult who has learned to give back to others or a hard working and loving parent who has learned to stick it out and prevail are the true measuring sticks for who does and does not become champions.
• Now for the referees, realize that your job is to provide a fair playing field within the rules. Also remember this, the best of the best are hardly ever noticed.

I say these things because in my 10th year of kids wrestling, I have realized my many mistakes; it is amazing to see many go along the same journey. I hope that they will also change, if not, then they will join the ranks of those many that used to be involved in this sport.