Blog 16 Week 3 Regular Season Freshman Year This last Monday night after another pleasant conversation at the front desk with Tony, the former state champ wrestler turned security guard, I headed into the school’s back gym to try to catch the last few minutes of Dakota’s practice. I noticed two things when I got [...]
Blog 15 Week 2 Regular Season Freshman Year Rushed over to pick up Dakota tonight from wrestling practice. I figured I’d get to see the last ten minutes of this Monday night practice, but unfortunately, I missed it. Dang! I also missed out on finding time this past weekend to get a workout in [...]
Blog 14 Freshmen Wrestling Season Week 1 Wow! It’s finally here. We had a great preseason that ended with the reward of us eating a bunch of turkey on Thanksgiving. And Dakota, my son, and I were lucky enough to hit the gym twice to lift some weights and do a little running [...]
Blog 13 Preseason Week 13 Tonight I took my time eating dinner. It’s my son, Dakota’s last night of preseason wrestling practice with Coach Knapp and Coach West at the KT KIDZ Wrestling Program in Rocky Hill, CT. It’s been one heck of a preseason where Dakota has had a huge uphill battle to face [...]
Blog 12 Preseason Week 12 Dang! It’s Monday night again, and Dakota and I haven’t done any drilling for wrestling at all since his last practice. We did manage to get to the gym to lift some weights over the weekend though. But, even though lifting is better than nothing, it’s still not [...]
Blog 11 Preseason Week 11 Monday’s 45-minute car ride to KT-KIDZ Wrestling was good. During it, I spent some time sharing some of my high school underclassman war stories on the varsity wrestling mat with Dakota. I’m trying to work on Dakota’s self-confidence and mental toughness because I know he’ll have a much [...]
Blog 10 Preseason Week 10 We’re coming up on Halloween, and I don’t know where the time has gone. It’s dark and cold in the mornings now when I leave for work. And it’s dark and cold at night when I get home. My son Dakota has improved in wrestling during this preseason beyond my [...]
Blog 9 Preseason Week 9 My wife and I are a little frustrated right now. When I feel like this, I try to remind myself that Dakota is still only 14-years old. And… it took me 48-years to become the man that I have slowly and sometimes painfully become today. Progress is like [...]
His icy cold stare His fierce determined look He's fearless I admire that; he drives me crazy He's 3-feet tall and 30 lbs His small bark resonates, “No, I won't!” My bigger bark echoes, “Yes, you will!” He's fearless I admire that; it drives me crazy I engulf him in my shadow again [...]
Blog 8 Preseason Week 8 Wow! This week is off to another crazy start. Dakota and I snuck in a quick drilling session with some instruction that quickly wore me out late Sunday night. After about 15 minutes, my shirt was soaked, and I felt exhausted. I was a bit concerned because I shouldn’t have [...]