Caryn Brooks | November 14, 2011
Coaches know what a 17 or 18-year-old wrestler cares about. They play to hopes and dreams of championships and gold medals. On one official visit the coaches were sure to take a route that passed the outdoor pool with hot tubs and a waterfall at the rec center. It was an especially warm weekend at the end of August and plenty of young women were working on their tans while wearing very little.
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Michele Weldon | July 5, 2011
See for yourself in this video why being on this team with this coach is an extraordinary experience for the young men on the team, including all three of my sons. Coach Powell talks about the coaches, the Oak Park-River Forest High School Huskies wrestling team, recent 2010 grad Charlie Johnson, and how any man can be extraordinary. Listen to senior Brian Toldeo talk about how wrestling changed his life. Watch Chris Ellis embrace Coach Powell. And maybe you can understand why it is about much more than wrestling.
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Michele Weldon | April 12, 2011
It’s all fine and dandy and true-feeling from the bad coaches and kids who are horrible in practice to the skinny kid, Stemler, who is terrified of wrestling, to the entire team on the bus en route to their own pinning crucifixions. We also loved the brief scene with all the wrestlers piling up the stairs and out of the Flaherty basement in a blur of muscular adolescence. And Kyle’s tatoos. A lot of wrestlers have tattoos.
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Michele Weldon | December 8, 2010
This is a wrestling story…but with a twist. I won’t pretend I “accidentally” got involved; wrestling is a way of life for my town; the town of Grundy, Virginia. Not much of a town is left, the Army Corp of Engineers decided to move our town so we are left with a huge rock cliff [...]
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Michele Weldon | November 23, 2010
Wrestling moms are loud in the stands. We try to be positive and not use the death words. No “Kill him, crush his face,” any of that. We just scream. As you see here, I am not the only one who believes a good mom scream goes a long way while watching your child wrestle.
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Michele Weldon | November 15, 2010
Though the real kick-off to the wrestling season at Oak Park-River Forest High School is Wednesday, November 24 with the St. Patrick’s dual, on Saturday the scores of parents and wrestlers from freshmen, sophomore, JV1 and JV2 through varsity, looked to this first wrestling parents meeting as the start of a great year.
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Michele Weldon | November 5, 2010
The five and a half hour ride to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the 2010 USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals was not anywhere near as much fun as the ride home. On Friday, October 29, Coach Mike Powell drove four OPRF wrestlers in his SUV, while Caryn Brooks and I followed with four more wrestlers in her [...]
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Michele Weldon | April 29, 2010
OPRFHS 2009 graduate Jake Venerable talks about what Coach Mike Powell means to him and why he came back to the varsity wrestling team after leaving for a year. And why this group of teammates who shared “blood, sweat and tears” will be his friends for life.
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Michele Weldon | February 12, 2010
He is responsible for that moment of intense pride. It wasn’t handed to him, it didn’t land on him when he opened the window. it did not come from me. And it gives me chills to witness the satisfaction he reaps from his own determination.
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