I was fortunate to spend the weekend watching high school wrestling. Many things came to my attention and most of them don't get discussed on the Internet forums. So, I thought I would bring up a few here. These are purely cosmetic, however, I wasn't able to look beyond them. Feel free to discuss them on the comments below or anywhere else you might see fit.
About 10-15 years ago, a few teams rolled out "finals singlets." They were awesome. Usually white or gold, these special garments were saved for the individuals who reached the championship finals of prominent tournaments, like the state tournament. They were special and gave extra incentive to do well. Now, everyone gets to wear one. Most of the coaches have renamed them "championship singlets." It doesn't sit right at all to see two individuals square off for 11th place in championship singlets. Friends, no matter how you dice it, the 11th place bout is not the championship match. Maybe the kid fought hard and over-achieved to get there. Maybe he overcame an insurmountable amount of adversity, I'm not minimizing those efforts or heroics. Often times, the best stories happen there, but let's not pretend the consolation side, or even 3rd place for that matter, are championship finals matches. They're not.
Tattoos and cauliflower ear are pretty much the norm at high school wrestling tournaments. It was once unheard of for a high school kid to sport a tattoo. Currently, it's a wild fad. Cauliflower ears were reserved for only a few exceptional high school wrestlers and predominantly collegiate and international competitors, now below average wrestlers have them. I'm not against tattoos or cauliflower ears. I have one of each. That being said, I'm not overly impressed with the kid who spent $450 on a bad-ass tribal tattoo that covers his entire shoulder and half of his upper arm when he loses first round of a high school wrestling tournament. Worst yet, when he goes 0-2. The kid definitely isn't as tough as he thought he was when he got inked. Once I believed the dude with the barbed wire tattoo around his biceps was tough. Not any more. To be "tough" that better be real barbed wire wrapped tightly around your arm.
Every wrestling coach on the planet understands that at high school events, only two coaches are permitted to be in the corner of each wrestler. It's so obvious, in fact, that the tournament directors often have TWO chairs in opposite corners, color coordinated to make it easy on coaches and they make announcements regularly throughout the day. They don't have to think where to go or how many coaches are allowed. Just look at the chairs and sit down. Well, if you've ever been to a wrestling tournament, you would see that coaches just can't get this one right. Two in a corner in this part of the state means 2 + at least 1. If you have a stat girl, she gets a spot on the floor. Video? Yep, right next to the coach. Over-zealous parent with a camera? Sure, give the coach 4-5 feet and put them on the floor, too. Of course, the recent graduate who is unemployed and lives at home because he's no longer in college should stand with his shirt untucked directly behind the assistant coach. Oh yeah, the cute 5th grade aspiring wrestler should sit in the corner, too. There are no less than 5-6 people in the corner for most matches. You're an anomaly if you follow this clear and concise rule. I wonder why athletes feel so entitled today. You don't suppose it's because coaches might be leading by example, do you?
Some of the things that people say from the stands are quite amusing. I'm not going to throw them under the bus, though, because they're fans. They don't have to know what they're saying. They're just passionate, which is awesome. It's not awesome, however, when the coach doesn't know what he's talking about. There seems to be a few general cliche statements that have little to no meaning, but for some reason, most coaches use them. "How bad do you want it?" Is that question supposed to be answered or is it rhetorical? It serves no purpose with 30 seconds left to wrestle. "Hips! Hips! Hips!" "Belly! Belly! Belly!" "Go!" "Come On!" Or to the official: "Stalling" "Really?!?!" "Stalling" "Ah, Come On!" "Stalling!" "He's backing up!" "He's stalling!!!!" These words account for nearly 50% of the vocabulary used by wrestling coaches. None of it has an impact that leads to anything positive. It becomes noise to competitors and officials. It's unfortunate because when the coach does have something beneficial or useful to say, their voice is already categorized as noise and is blocked out so it goes unnoticed.
There are several other things that caught my attention, but I'll reserve them for another day.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
The End of the World: I Was There
If you're reading this post, you survived the end of the world that was scheduled to take place last Friday. I don't think many of us actually believed the world would cease to exist on December 21, 2012. However, if you're like me, you secretly wondered "what if it's true?"
As the day approached, I guess I looked at things differently and appreciated the little things a bit more. Coupled with a recent tragic event that shook the US and the upcoming Christmas season, last week was full of reminders to hug your loved ones a few extra times, take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of you and seize the day (carpe diem).
One of my mentors once told me a story about one of his friends who died and how the brother of his friend read a quote that was hand written in the back of his Bible. It said, "when it's your time to die, it better be the only thing you have left to do." When he said those words, they pierced my soul. They were simple, yet extremely profound and, dare I say, haunting. I immediately grabbed my Bible and wrote the same words inside the back cover. If I have anything to do with it, I don't want to leave anything on the table when it's my time.
Do you have things you're putting off for another day that should get done today? Do you wait for a tragedy or an end times prophesy to hug your loved ones a little more than normal? Step into the moment and take advantage of the opportunities that are before you.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this week, I'm encouraged to know that God took advantage of the opportunity to send his son into the world at an exact and perfect time. Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law." God seized the moment and it changed the course of history forever. Let's all do the same.
As the day approached, I guess I looked at things differently and appreciated the little things a bit more. Coupled with a recent tragic event that shook the US and the upcoming Christmas season, last week was full of reminders to hug your loved ones a few extra times, take advantage of the opportunities that are in front of you and seize the day (carpe diem).
One of my mentors once told me a story about one of his friends who died and how the brother of his friend read a quote that was hand written in the back of his Bible. It said, "when it's your time to die, it better be the only thing you have left to do." When he said those words, they pierced my soul. They were simple, yet extremely profound and, dare I say, haunting. I immediately grabbed my Bible and wrote the same words inside the back cover. If I have anything to do with it, I don't want to leave anything on the table when it's my time.
Do you have things you're putting off for another day that should get done today? Do you wait for a tragedy or an end times prophesy to hug your loved ones a little more than normal? Step into the moment and take advantage of the opportunities that are before you.
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this week, I'm encouraged to know that God took advantage of the opportunity to send his son into the world at an exact and perfect time. Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law." God seized the moment and it changed the course of history forever. Let's all do the same.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Living in a mom's world
I'm sure everyone who reads this blog is familiar with the character of Batman. Bruce Wayne acts as an American billionaire playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist by day and caped crusader by night sweeping through Gotham City ridding it of bad guys. I suppose my life is similar in that I play two characters simultaneously. Mr. Mom cooking, cleaning and washing clothes by day and a whistle wielding wrestling coach by night.
We decided to organize our lives in such a way that we wouldn't need to utilize child care. Our system works well for us because Liz works days and I work nights. As a result, I find myself doing many of the things that traditional stay-at-home mothers do during the day. I make breakfast, start the dishwasher, load the washing machine, drive to preschool, switch the laundry, drive to the library, grocery store and, of course, Target. Then I make it home in time to make lunch before unloading the dishwasher and putting the boys down for naps. In the midst of raising two joyful little boys, I've managed to conduct a variety of covert amateur anthropological studies focused primarily on the organization of human social and cultural relations and human behavior (for more context, read Opening scene: an indoor playground). I see many of the same people day-to-day, and as you might guess, not many of them are of the male gender. I'm the only person with facial hair at story time at the library (and the grandmother who brings her two grandchildren doesn't count).
I'm surrounded by mothers and their children everywhere I go during the daylight hours and I've classified the stay-at-home moms into three distinct categories. I've made significant stereotype claims and none of them are intended to be derogatory. In fact, I have the utmost respect for these powerful women that I cross paths with on a daily basis. So, in tongue-and-cheek fashion, here are the categories:
OVERTLY CHRISTIAN MOM
She wears her faith on her sleeve. She's not ashamed of the cross or her godly responsibility to be at home with her kids. And she's not offended by the title, either. In fact, she's probably glad we know she's rock solid in her faith and would be honored to pray for you. This mom offers great perspective during difficult times and is the mom of all moms. She's involved in MOPS and organizes play dates at the park. Most of her kids are still pre-Kindergarten, however, she has her ducks in a row and is ready to begin the homeschool process. She hasn't owned a television since she got married (much to the dismay of her husband), so she read On Becoming Babywise, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Parenting by the Book and several other parenting books. She's quick to take advantage of free opportunities at the public library because she has her family on a budget after completing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. She's very exclusive and works hard to surround herself with other Overtly Christian Moms.
HIPPIE MOM
This mom is similar to the mom above except she doesn't base her decision to stay at home on pressure from anyone other than herself. She hasn't been called by God and feels no guilt from the church (she might not even believe in God). Staying home is just the most natural thing for her to do. Actually, most of her life is based on what is natural - her clothes (and sometimes hygiene, sorry), her child rearing or disciplinary actions, etc. Her kids can become a distraction to others and she doesn't think it's a big deal. She's very "chill" and never overreacts. She doesn't have cable television because she's never been interested in the programming on anything other that public television. The look of this mom is very distinctive and her circle is unintentionally quite exclusive.
TWEENER MOM
She lands smack dab in the middle of the Overtly Christian Mom and Hippie Mom. She wants to be home because she thinks it's right for her children. She might have a spiritual background that guides her desire towards being at home and it just feels right for her. She just wants to spend the formative years with her kids. She's naturally extraverted and mingles with every group so she has friends from every category. In fact, when she has a few moms over for dinner, it's the only time some of her Overtly Christian Mom and Hippie Mom friends interact with one another. She has DirecTV because her husband insists they need it for sports. She quietly wishes they didn't have a television like her other mom friends, but she's thankful for the option to plop the kiddos down in front of an episode of Thomas while she makes dinner (she would never admit this to the others). She shares songs like "Summergirls" by LFO on Spotify and has a Cascada station on Pandora because it reminds her of her college years. Now, she spends her free time Pinning cutesy crafts, gingerbread houses and stocking stuffers or watching old episodes of Grey's on Hulu.
Thank God for moms!
We decided to organize our lives in such a way that we wouldn't need to utilize child care. Our system works well for us because Liz works days and I work nights. As a result, I find myself doing many of the things that traditional stay-at-home mothers do during the day. I make breakfast, start the dishwasher, load the washing machine, drive to preschool, switch the laundry, drive to the library, grocery store and, of course, Target. Then I make it home in time to make lunch before unloading the dishwasher and putting the boys down for naps. In the midst of raising two joyful little boys, I've managed to conduct a variety of covert amateur anthropological studies focused primarily on the organization of human social and cultural relations and human behavior (for more context, read Opening scene: an indoor playground). I see many of the same people day-to-day, and as you might guess, not many of them are of the male gender. I'm the only person with facial hair at story time at the library (and the grandmother who brings her two grandchildren doesn't count).
I'm surrounded by mothers and their children everywhere I go during the daylight hours and I've classified the stay-at-home moms into three distinct categories. I've made significant stereotype claims and none of them are intended to be derogatory. In fact, I have the utmost respect for these powerful women that I cross paths with on a daily basis. So, in tongue-and-cheek fashion, here are the categories:
OVERTLY CHRISTIAN MOM
She wears her faith on her sleeve. She's not ashamed of the cross or her godly responsibility to be at home with her kids. And she's not offended by the title, either. In fact, she's probably glad we know she's rock solid in her faith and would be honored to pray for you. This mom offers great perspective during difficult times and is the mom of all moms. She's involved in MOPS and organizes play dates at the park. Most of her kids are still pre-Kindergarten, however, she has her ducks in a row and is ready to begin the homeschool process. She hasn't owned a television since she got married (much to the dismay of her husband), so she read On Becoming Babywise, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Parenting by the Book and several other parenting books. She's quick to take advantage of free opportunities at the public library because she has her family on a budget after completing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. She's very exclusive and works hard to surround herself with other Overtly Christian Moms.
Overtly Christian Mom: The Stats
Kids names: Biblical names like Jacob, Isaac, Grace, Hope (or Isaiah and Micaiah...)
Vehicle: 2007 Chrysler Town & Country
Workout: A long summer walk pushing the stroller
Breastfeeding in public?: With a paisley "hooter hider," of course
Diaper bag: 16 pockets, fully-equipped with various wipes, powders and ointments
Diapers: Tried cloth, but it was way too hard, settles for bulk deals at diapers.com
Grocery Store: Aldi
Garden: yes
Organic: When it's cost effective, absolutely
Wardrobe: maternity clothes (even when she's not pregnant)
Phone: LG flip phone
Social media: Facebook
HIPPIE MOM
This mom is similar to the mom above except she doesn't base her decision to stay at home on pressure from anyone other than herself. She hasn't been called by God and feels no guilt from the church (she might not even believe in God). Staying home is just the most natural thing for her to do. Actually, most of her life is based on what is natural - her clothes (and sometimes hygiene, sorry), her child rearing or disciplinary actions, etc. Her kids can become a distraction to others and she doesn't think it's a big deal. She's very "chill" and never overreacts. She doesn't have cable television because she's never been interested in the programming on anything other that public television. The look of this mom is very distinctive and her circle is unintentionally quite exclusive.
Hippie Mom: The Stats
Kids names: Theo, George, Harmony, Mabel
Vehicle: 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser (on occasion, a used Prius)
Workout: A challenging hike with a homemade wrap baby carrier
Breastfeeding in public?: Go for it, au naturale
Diaper bag: Reusable eco-friendly bag from Trader Joe's
Diapers: Cloth
Grocery Store: local co-op
Garden: Yes
Organic: Definitely (and vegan)
Wardrobe: Wool, earth tones and Keen's or Choco's
Phone: iPhone 4
Social media: e-mail
TWEENER MOM
She lands smack dab in the middle of the Overtly Christian Mom and Hippie Mom. She wants to be home because she thinks it's right for her children. She might have a spiritual background that guides her desire towards being at home and it just feels right for her. She just wants to spend the formative years with her kids. She's naturally extraverted and mingles with every group so she has friends from every category. In fact, when she has a few moms over for dinner, it's the only time some of her Overtly Christian Mom and Hippie Mom friends interact with one another. She has DirecTV because her husband insists they need it for sports. She quietly wishes they didn't have a television like her other mom friends, but she's thankful for the option to plop the kiddos down in front of an episode of Thomas while she makes dinner (she would never admit this to the others). She shares songs like "Summergirls" by LFO on Spotify and has a Cascada station on Pandora because it reminds her of her college years. Now, she spends her free time Pinning cutesy crafts, gingerbread houses and stocking stuffers or watching old episodes of Grey's on Hulu.
Tweener Mom: The Stats
Kids names: Bella, Ella, Brayden, Aiden, Caden, Madison, Addison
Vehicle: 2010 Honda Pilot
Workout routine: Zumba (with child care)
Breastfeeding in public?: not comfortable/too modest
Diaper bag: A chic Vera Bradley or modern Columbia that doubles as a messenger bag
Diapers: Target brand
Grocery Store: Target or Trader Joe's
Garden: In her dreams
Organic: If it's convenient, sure, why not?
Wardrobe: Joe's Jeans, Tom's, layers and, of course, a scarf
Phone: Galaxy S III
Social media: Pinterest
Thank God for moms!