Tomorrow begins one of the most fun events of the year for me - state wrestling. It's a tournament like no other. With hundreds of wrestlers competing, hundreds of coaches yelling and thousands of fans and parents screaming at any given time, it's crazy. The energy on the floor keeps everyone going.
Some of the matches are back-and-forth, could-go-either-way, too-bad-someone-has-to-lose. Others aren't even close. It's like any other tournament, I suppose, except the stakes are higher. State titles and gold medals are on the line. Bragging rights for the next year are up for grabs.
I love seeing this culmination of a season's worth, or more in many cases, of work. For some guys, it's two and done. Others get a win or two before bowing out. The toughest round is what's commonly known as "the heartbreak round." Those are the matches that are wrestled Friday night - the championship semifinals and the consolation quarterfinals. Winners in the championship semis keep their dreams of a gold medal alive. Losers of those matches won't finish higher than third. But the consolation matches are the most intense. The winner is assured of a medal. The loser gets nothing.
Those are the hardest matches to cover, I think. It's tough to watch someone you've covered for an entire season (or longer) finish just short of their goal. I've seen tough guys leave the mat in tears, having seen their dream of a state medal evaporate. But on the flip side, the exuberance and excitement in the winner's corner are awesome. They're getting a medal! It might end up being a sixth-place medal, but it's a state medal nonetheless. Yeah!
I've got 23 wrestlers competing beginning tomorrow - five from Seward, one from Milford-Dorchester, four from Centennial, six from Malcolm and seven from Friend. I'm excited to see how they all do. Good luck to all of them.
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