I have a love/hate relationship with state tournaments.
On the one hand, I love them because they're the pinnacle of the season. They're the ultimate reward for the athletes who have worked and sacrificed all season long to get to this point. On the other hand, they are the finales of the seasons, and that means I won't get to see some of these kids compete in that sport ever again.
We're well into the state tournament season here in Nebraska. State wrestling was last week, and the Seward area sent 20 kids to the tournament. Twenty! That's a lot! And my job was to get action pictures of all of them. State wrestling is a double-elimination tournament, so I knew if I missed their first matches, I had another chance. And yes, I got action photos of everyone - coaches, too.
I love the state wrestling tournament. With 10 mats going, there's action everywhere you look. It's almost overwhelming if you don't know what or who you're looking for. The first year I covered state wrestling, I remember feeling like there was no possible way I could get everyone. We were still shooting film, so I had to carry extra rolls in my pockets. At the time, the tournament was at the Devaney Center in Lincoln. There was barely room for eight mats, and photographers could only cross on the ends or go around through the storage area. When coaches and wrestlers were standing by the mats waiting for their matches, there was little to no space to get through on the sides. Some of those coaches are not small men, so good luck getting past them!
But the atmosphere was off the charts. Fans were practically on top of the mats, screaming and cheering for their wrestlers. "The Bob" was packed to the rafters, and everyone was screaming at someone. Or for someone. Or in the general direction of someone. Today, the tournament is contested at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, and I haven't seen it standing room only yet. I do like having the extra room to move around, although coaches still block the side walkways. I saw one coach stand in the same place by one of the mats for over an hour - ostensibly his wrestler was on deck. Yeah, no.
The best part of the tournament, though, is the Parade of Champions. The lights go down in the arena, spotlights play over the crowd and the mats, and Queen's "We Are the Champions" blasts through the speakers. The crowd, which is already amped, increases the volume on its cheers. The young men who have made it to the championship matches are escorted into the arena and line up on their mats. Many wear serious faces; some even wear their own headphones. Why? I don't know. A few grin and enjoy the moment. That's the way it should be.
Tournament organizers have changed the finals a bit in the last couple years, and I like what they've done. Before each set of finals (each weight class, for those keeping score at home), the lights go down again and each young man is introduced. A spotlight follows him to the center of his mat where he waits for the whistle to begin. I think that's really cool and has been a good addition to the finals.
This year, the Seward area had five wrestlers in the finals, and three of them won their matches. One was a first-time champion, one is now a two-time winner, and one won for the third time. This year's tournament also featured five, count them, one-two-three-four-five, four-time champions. There had only been 19 four-time champs up until this year. It's hard enough to win once, let alone multiple times, so to win all four years of your high school career is awfully impressive.
Congratulations to every state champion. You are, in fact, champions of the world.
