Ahhhh, the Kohl Center - Remembering 1998

I've made the annual pilgrimage to the Kohl Center since 1998. The last weekend in February is the grand daddy of them all in the state of Wisconsin...the WIAA Individual State Wrestling Tournament; there's nothing like it.

From my days as a competitor on that cold arena floor to my collegiate years watching from the bleachers to one year mat side as a coach and to now from the media booth, my memories in this facility are countless, precious and timeless.

The immediate memories that come to mind are obvious and accompanied by a smile and sense of acheivement. A few others bring back sore memories and some force pain to the forefront of my mind. All of them, however, are valuable moments that have helped shape my life.

Remembering 1998

The Kohl Center opened its doors to the high school state tournament in 1998. I was a senior looking for my fourth consecutive state title and hoping to cap off an undefeated career. In the moment, it was all surreal - the abundance of media attention, the plethora of good wishes and the tension and nerves that were impossible to escape. I wasn't "nervous" to compete, though, I was nervous for how it would all work out.

As a wrestler, the mat is like a sanctuary where all of our troubles and concerns disappear. I was obsessed with my routine and moving from "the Barn" to the Kohl Center greatly affected it. What locker would I use, where would I go to the bathroom? I thought my world was upside down because I wasn't able to fulfill some of my supersitions. This was a very big deal to me. Not only did that provide a possible distraction, but I had the KARE 11 news team following me around town that weekend. They were everywhere - they video tapped me in the car, getting dressed, warming up - it was overwhelming, but I was privileged to be in that position.

It could have all gone wrong, but I was fortunate to have a coach who understood the situation very well, parents who loved me and fans who were extremely supportive. For me, everything was set up like perfection for perfection. I won the matches and my name is in the program, but it wasn't done alone. I was proud to share that moment with my coach immediately after my hand was raised. Following a hug from Coach, I didn't know what to do for the first time that weekend, so I ran to my mom. She was there as she always had been - with one eye opened, and one eye closed. Hugging her, then my sisters and my dad, is my fondest memory from the state tournament in 1998.

Of course, there were other significant moments that weekend. My semi-finals bout with Justin Tritz is recalled most often when I talk to youth wrestlers and fans. A few mind games that took place surrounding that match are still fresh in my mind. Following my quarterfinals match with Chad Dercks, I slapped Justin on the butt to wish him good luck. He needed to beat Trevor Spencer in an exciting match to get his chance against me in the semi-finals. My subtle gesture forced him into a frenzy. I'm not going to pretend it wasn't intentional and calculated even though it was done in good sportsmanship. I was on his mind and I wanted him to know that I wasn't going to be shaking. I welcomed the challenge. "How could he beat me?" I remember asking myself and I think that mindset showed in that moment. That's when the match was won.

When the match finally arrived. I was amped more than ever been. The crowd of 14,000 gave us a standing ovation BEFORE the match! It was an amazing moment. Coach Brandvold and I looked at each and laughed. We couldn't believe it. He told me to enjoy it and "go have some fun." And I did. It was the most fun I had on a wrestling mat in my high school career. The 360-spin into a double leg takedown early in the match is the number one requested technique from coaches at clinics that I perform. It was done in the heat-of-the-moment and I did it because I wanted to put on a show. I think I did. After the match, we received another standing ovation. Talk about fun! I often see Justin at wrestling events because he owns and operates Trackwrestling. Everytime I see him, I take a short trip down memory lane and relive our six minutes together.

That weekend was full of other great moments. My brother turned in one of the most dominating performances that I've ever seen or heard of at the Wisconsin state tournament. It was his first state championship and he won it in style with three technical falls and one pin (which would have been a tech fall). He outscored his opponents by an astonishing 67-2 cumulated score. Joe Cudd also won his second straight undefeated state title with a pin in the finals. He had an epic showdown with Dave Neumyer in the quarterfinals. It was one of the best heavyweight matches I've seen in this building. Who would have thought that Neumyer and Joe would become great friends?

The tournament was tremendous, but so was Lombardino's, Mickey's Dairy Bar, the hotel stay, my blankie and mixed tape, the ride home, Hoag, and of course, the Super Nintendo. During the break prior to the finals, Tony beat me four times in a row in Madden Football and I told Brandvold I wasn't leaving the hotel room until I beat him, even I had to miss the finals. Brandvold understood. He always did when it came to things like that. I'm still not clear if Tony let me win the fifth game out of fear that he'd miss his finals match, too. I think he knew I was serious. I think I was.

This building is chock full of memories from 1998. They're not limited to that storybook ending to my career, though. They've continued year after year and I'm going to tell you about them in the blogs to follow.

Ahhhh, the Kohl Center...