They Stand Alone

What sport makes the demands on the individual that amateur wrestling does? When a boy or girl walks onto the mat, they stands alone. No one will run interference, no one will pass him the ball when he is under the net, no one will catch a high fly if he makes a bad pitch. They stand alone. In other sports, where individual scores are kept, the contest is determined in time, distance and height. But in wrestling, the score is kept on a girl or boy's ability to overcome an opponent in a hand to hand contest. Where a two second interval at any time can mean a loss or a win. If an opponent gains an advantage, there will be no help, no substitue; there will be no time out and all can be lost in two seconds. Yes, they stand alone. There is no place on a wrestling team for the show off or the halfhearted. When the whistle blows, a boy or Girl puts their ability, determination, and courage on the line. We who are close to the young men or women on our wrestling teams have watched the range of human emotions from elation to heartbreak. We have seen coaches with tears running down their cheeks as they try to console a young man or women who has given their all...yet lost. Wrestling is a tough, hard sport, it is the survival of the fittest. The young athlete who enter and stay with the team know this. They also know that when the time comes and the whistle blows.....THEY STAND ALONE!