New Wrestling Club

I started a new wrestling club at the city's elementary school for 5th and 6th graders.

They're squirrels. Hyperactive, energy-drink quaffing, squirrels.

I talked with the afterschool director, put in an ad a couple weeks ago, and then got swept away with my work. I never heard back, so I thought, "I should check in. I should have heard back from now." 11 PM Monday night, "You've got 8 kids! You start Wednesday!" Only I had no mat, and no idea what the space looked like for the club. I spent my off moments Tuesday trying to contact the middle school about borrowing their mat.

Wednesday, I had to rush out of my school after trying to fax important documents to rush and be on time for the new program. Five boys showed up, bouncing, chanting, and acting berserko excited. The room we were given was a classroom in a mobile trailer. We stacked some chairs and tables to make room and then I tried to introduce myself as the boys non-stop rattled off questions, talked, and tried to pick each other up. It's amazing the difference a few years makes.

In between getting interrupted, I talked a little about wrestling, learned names, and showed how to "clean your wrists" (No mats limits techniques). I mentioned a stance, a sprawl, matching up by weights, and made them do push-ups with me when they were still wildly overeager. I kept anyone from getting injured ("NO Wrestling!") until the very end someone tried to pick someone up while my back was turned. They somehow bumped his nose and he got a nose bleed ("His nose bleeds all the time! You're going to see more of those!"). Not the auspicious start, I imagined.

I'm not sure I'm going to be comfortable coaching these guys in a trailer on a 9'x9' mat! I'll probably have to get them over to the high school where there's a full mat, padded walls, and a trainer in case someone does something stupid.

It's a start. It's all happened so fast, I can't help but wonder if God meant it to be. I gave up contacting the school last year. I thought they blew me off when it took a month for their principal to get back with "I'll forward your email." When the afterschool director found my months old email in his spam folder a few weeks ago and reached out I was surprised.

The hope is the boys will want to practice with the Buford team when the season starts. I mentioned they'd need physicals. I didn't remember/think to bring a sheet with my contact info for the parents. I'll need to do that next week.