Michele Weldon | July 19, 2012
Every year thousands of wrestlers from all over the country come to Fargo, ND to battle for the stop sign – the plaque that says you are the best high school wrestler at your weight in either Greco Roman or Freestyle in the nation.
For four years Sam has come to Fargo and he’d gotten very close six times, but he’d never gone home with the stop sign – until now.
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Michele Weldon | April 23, 2012
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.
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Michele Weldon | December 28, 2011
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.
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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 | August 31, 2011
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!
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Michele Weldon | August 21, 2011
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.
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Michele Weldon | August 4, 2011
Now our state is sending four wrestlers to be part of U.S. team that will take on the world. Those wrestlers will compete in the 2011 FILA Cadet World Championships in Szombathely, Hungary August 23-29. To help defray that you are invited to the Illinois’ World Championship Party! on 8/13, 6-10 p.m., a benefit to raise money for Illinois wrestlers competing in Hungary.
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Michele Weldon | July 10, 2011
As wrestling parents we all make hard choices. My children, especially Sam, have been given amazing opportunities because of wrestling. I would like to be there as they take advantage of those things, but it’s not always possible.
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Michele Weldon | June 29, 2011
Speaking of off-season work ethic, Coach Mike Powell is in San Diego with some of the team training with the Vista wrestlers for a week of twice a day wrestling practices. Colin is there and working hard. The Vista wrestlers come to Oak Park in two weeks to train here.
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Michele Weldon | June 12, 2011
It’s Saturday night and I have the rare opportunity to do whatever I want. My three sons are all young adults and elsewhere at this point in their lives. You might think I’d pull out that romance novel I’ve been looking forward to (yes, I know they are trashy, but I love them) or put on a chick flick I haven’t been able to watch.
But no, I have a better guilty pleasure in mind, wrestling.
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