Our high school wrestling team had some battles with Wisconsin Rapids in the 90's. They were the object of our focus when it came to setting team goals and it's easy to revel in those glory days. We were determined to stop their run of consecutive state titles and win our school's very first team state title. We had some great teams and even though we were close on a few occasions, we never pulled it off.
Coach Brandvold was obsessed with figuring out a way to dethrone the champions. He schemed and adjusted the line-up the best he could and we sure knew the ins and outs of those Rapids teams in the 90's (all pre-TrackWrestling, by the way...ironic). Coach knew it would be important to see them in December and attended their home dual tournament. It gave us an opportunity to get up close with our rivals and every little detail mattered. He left no stone unturned and neither did Coach Lewie Benitz. I learned a lot about being a coach by watching those two prepare for battle. Brandvold always stepped off the distance between the mat and the chairs before our dual with Rapids started because he was convinced Lewie had sneaky ways of gaining an advantage. One year, our chairs were 12-feet from the mat and their chairs were 8-feet from the mat despite what the rule book stated. An honest mistake, right? There was a time we had one of their studs dead to rights on his back and an inadvertent buzzer forced the official to blow the whistle that forced a re-start from the referees position. Another honest mistake, right?
On top of the team memories, I have a plethora of individual memories in this town. I first competed here at the Freestyle State Tournament when I was in 4th grade and I finished in 6th place. I lost my very first [freestyle] match by technical fall to Nick Malanche in 12 seconds and I'm still upset with getting pinned in a "cow catcher" by a kid from Viroqua for 5th place. He dug his long finger nails into my side and left claw marks that went with my tears. It took me a few years to figure out how to be competitive in freestyle and I finally won my first freestyle state title as a Cadet in 8th grade. I beat two high school state qualifiers in that tournament and also had my first 5-point throw when I stood up with a double leg, hooked an elbow and back arched. That weekend alone gave me the confidence to set the goal of being a high school state champion the next year as a freshman.
Throughout my middle and high school wrestling career, I developed a friendly rivalry with Justin Tritz. He founded TrackWrestling and I'm working alongside him this week. We had a couple of showdowns right in Rapids at freestyle state and also had an important match in the Kohl Center's first year of holding the WIAA state tournament our senior year. I was chasing my 4th title and he was on a "vision quest." That was over 20 years ago and people still like to ask questions and reminisce with me. All of those are great memories (I probably enjoy them more than he does ;) ).
All competition aside, the thing I sincerely remember most about Wisconsin Rapids is the kindness from the athletes, parents and coaching staff that we received every time we came to town. There's no doubt, they thought about us daily just like we were thinking about them. Brandvold pushed Lewie to be his best the same way Tritz pushed me to be my best. Through it all, there was mutual respect and genuine kindness all around.
We attended their team dual tournament my senior year and after a long bus ride in inclement weather, we were a bit late for weigh-ins. I showed up to the check scale slightly over weight. Lewie made sure I had a place to workout and made sure the weigh-in process lasted as long it could so I could make weight. He wanted us at our best and it showed me a genuine gentleness that wasn't always seen in the heat of competition. He was a fierce competitor, but is also a very good man. He always treated my dad well as the site host of the WWF State Tournaments and they developed a strong friendship. I also appreciate how well he treated my mom.
The wrestling tradition is very strong in Wisconsin Rapids and their program is on the rise. So is ours. I'm finding myself scouting them in anticipation of future individual and possible team match-ups with big implications. Team Sectionals will be in River Falls this season and it's possible that Rapids will come to our gym with a lot on the line (both teams would need to win the regional tournament to set-up the dual meet to qualify for Team State). Additionally, Individual Sectionals are in Wisconsin Rapids, so many of our current athletes will begin creating memories of their own from this old mill town on the Wisconsin River. It sure would be sweet if they could reminisce in 20-plus years with great memories.
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