At 20, Ellis is the youngest member of the Olympic wrestling team and one of the most successful wrestlers in the wrestling room coached by Mike Powell. All of us who watched Ellis’ career bloom from 2005-2009 can recall Coach Powell kissing Ellis on the top of the head before each match. And then Ellis would go out and annihilate his opponent.
Headed to state tonight to watch our Huskies wrestle at Inidivual Illinois High School Association, Class 3A. Go Huskies!
If you are like me, you have been hooting and hollering about all the new viral “S—” different people say. I thought it was about time to give wrestling moms our due. I have so much material stay tuned for Part II.
The team’s amazing first-time ever in OPRFHS history feat of advancing 14 of 14 wrestlers on the roster to regionals in hopes of sweeping at state was a nerve-wracking blast to witness.
It’s Friday night and I am in a Coralville, Iowa hotel room, a little weary from the four-hour drive from Chicago west on 88 and then even west-er on 80, past texting truck drivers and horizontal snow winds, miles of empty ice-dusted fields and about 1,000 signs for Subway. I just finished putting six turkey, cheese and spinach sandwiches I made this morning and about a gallon of Vitamin Water in the small humming refrigerator for Colin to eat tomorrow after the weigh-ins for the Iowa City West quad against Apple Valley and Marmion.
You know you’re a wrestling parent when: Beyonce sings about all the “single ladies” and you hear “all the single legs” and wonder why Beyonce has a song out about wrestling?…The smell of wrestling shoes brings back memories of matches rather than makes you sick to your stomach (ok, it might make you sick to your stomach as well)…You know more about rashes than your doctor.
In the stands every wrestling season since 2004 I have had plenty of anxiety attacks about what work I needed to do once I got home, what I needed to get accomplished for the house or for life, how to keep all the pins juggling in the air. But it was always worth it to go, spend most of the day in a gym wearing the orange and the blue just to see what splendor my sons could create. And it was splendid, even if the gym smelled bad and the other parents were sometimes hostile and some kids cried when they lost.
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.
Nothing could be worse than sitting in the stands all day or even just an evening only to miss your son or daughter’s six minutes, right? Well I have discovered what could be worse – traveling overseas to watch your son wrestle and missing it!
At a fundraiser held in a bar near Midway Airport recently, wrestling moms, dads, aunts, friends and a three-time world champion shared pizza, meatballs and world-class encouragement from three-time world champion Lee Kemp for a quad squad of Illinois wrestlers headed to Szombathley, Hungary this week to compete in the World Championships. All of it to help four Illinois wrestlers; Matt Rundell, Darius Henry, Sammy Brooks and Zane Richards, with the costs of the overseas trip.
Do you know how much your child weighs down to the ounce? Do you avoid making eye contact with your child after he or she loses a match until your child approaches you? Do you find yourself wearing the school colors every day whether or not you are attending a meet or tournament?
Then you're a WMD. A Wrestling Mom or Dad.
And we'd love to hear your stories. Submit a guest column, a few photos, videos, or comments and we will publish them on the site.
breast cancer
brendan
brothers
Caryn Brooks
coach
coaching
Coach Powell
Colin Rogers
high school
High school wrestling
making weight
mike powell
mom
mother
oak park
Oak Park-River Forest High School
parenting
powell
recovery
Sam Brooks
single parent
tournament
training
weldon
Weldon Rogers
winning
wrestling
Wrestling Family
wrestling mom
Youth Wrestling
