- Aug 16, 2011
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So there is one kid on the wrestling team - a senior - who has been on the team since he was a freshman. Hardest working, most earnest kid you can imagine. He has made remarkable development over the years, but never quite got 'it.' He got strong, got in great condition (plays other sports, does parkour, etc.), and has eagerly learned a lot of technique. He just never hit that spot where he grew into his frame and got all the coordination needed for something as demanding as wrestling. It has been frustrating to see him work so damn hard for so long and always seem to make that one mistake during a match that brought disaster. As a senior now, he has come to terms with it all. He is a real leader on the team, works well helping the younger wrestlers, and is a sponge for new technique. Well, tonight against a really tough opponent, he put on a clinic! You could see in his face that everything was just falling into place. He hit a string of high-degree-of-difficulty moves in real competition like he'd been dominating for years. At the end of the match, the ref raised his hand and the team went nuts. Sure, it was just one match in one meet after so many years of frustration, but it was worth it to see how validated the kid felt after working so hard for so long and learning so much. When all is said and done none of this will alter the course of human history, but it doesn't hurt to see little triumphs of the human spirit once in a while.