It's been a while since I've been at the Dojo, and I miss everybody and everything. Wrestling is coming to an end soon, the sectional tournament will be in a couple weeks and then wrestling will be over. Wrestling has been a tough and fun experience. Wrestling has humbled me, challenged me, taught me and sharpened me up. We have had a good season, and I have made a lot of good friends. Ones I will hold forever. Going into wrestling I thought I would be very good, I thought I would dominate, and be able to beat other wrestlers. However that was not the case. The transition from BJJ to wrestling was a big one. The first habit that caught me every time was: not turning on your back. In BJJ turning on your back is a good thing, you can fight from there, defend. From your stomach in BJJ you get choked, but in wrestling. Back = Pinned and stomach = win. So that was a hard thing to get use to, not turning on your back and stuff.
I remember my first match ever. The coach bumped one of our wrestlers away from a state finalist. Now you might not get what bumping means, so think of it as running away from a wrestler so that you can you can use a good wrestler to win a match, because a wrestler can only wrestle a match a meet. It's hard to explain...anyways. I got paired up with a state finalist, and I got pinned in less than a minute. It was horrible and degrading, but I went back to the drawing board and kept on going. A couple weeks later Brendan and I had a wrestle off because we were both in the same weight class (132lb) and only one could be varsity. A wrestle off is basically a grappling match and whoever wins gets the varsity spot. So we went at it, and I felt like I was winning, after a bit I was called for locking hands. Because in wrestling, you can't lock your hands, but in BJJ you can. So the coach gave him a point for my mistake, and it kept going and I kept locking my hands, it wasn't something I was trying to do...It just happened. So after the 4th or 5th time, I was disqualified, and Brendan had won the varsity spot. I felt frustrated, because I felt I had more control and I was winning, Brendan after the match agreed with my statement. After the match he said "You should've won". At this point of the season I started meeting with Coach Garelick, a first year coach who was a state finalist and sectional champion. I was tired of losing, so I trained. When others would be done with practice I would stay a bit after to train with Garelick. Garelick taught me a lot, he worked with me, he made me understand. With time, I became a better wrestler. However I was still loosing matches, but I also barely got matches because I was a JV wrestler. When I lost JV matches...that pissed me off even more. Losing to people who are supposedly "bad". Those were the matches that humbled me, showed me what I wasn't but what I could be. So I kept going at it, with Garelick. Day after day. When the team had Fun Runs (3 mile runs on our day off, sunday) I would go. Whenever I went on fun runs, I never saw Brendan, When I trained with Garelick, I never saw Brendan. That's what is different between Brendan and I. Nothing against Brendan, he's a great guy. 3 to 4 years of wrestling experience and a freshman. He was always very nice, even though we were always competing with each other. Before each wrestle off he would say "good luck" and end it with a "good match"
A few weeks later another wrestle off was to occur. Coach did wrestle offs right before big tournaments, it was just how they ran things. So this wrestle off was for a tournament called the Lowell Tournament. The Lowell Tournament is supposedly the hardest and biggest tournament in all of New England. All the best teams were there. But lets go back. So I wrestle off Brendan, and I win...by one point. At one point of the match I was giving up back points without my knowledge. Then I was down 1 point in the last 10 seconds of the last period. We were both up on our feet, and if I got a takedown, I would win. Because a take down is 2 points, that was my only option. I charged in with everything I had left. I won. It was amazing, it was progress. I got up, thanked Garelick and shook his hand. He smiled back and said "Jason's going to Lowell!"
So a few days later...we went to Lowell. Biggest wrestling stadium I had ever seen
This is Lowell
8 Mats with all its glory and 70+ teams there. We woke up early like every wrestling meet ever. After what seemed like hours of waiting, I had my first match. The guy started off strong, he was aggressive and strong. I was scared. I knew I was at Lowell, 72 Teams all having their best wrestlers. Yet I still went. It was hard, but I kept scoring points. By the middle of 2nd period the guy was gassed. I knew I was in better shape than he was. I put in my hours, which won me this match. At the end of the match I beat him 11-3 with a pin. That was a huge confidence booster. I was happy as can be. I was hopeful, hopeful I could maybe stand a chance. 2nd match was no good. The guy was what wrestlers refer to as a "stud" he was all over me, doing crazy moves. I was pinned very quickly. I came out of that match demoralized, but ready for my next. That next one was no better. The guy wasn't as good, but my BJJ habits came back, I turned onto my back when I wasn't suppose to. I went home with that 2-1 record at Lowell. I was still happy though. Winning at least one match in the hardest new England Tournament
So I went back, back on the mat, and back with Garelick. Drilling and drilling and drilling. I asked many questions, and got many answers. The next match was coming up. It was a quad meet. meaning 4 teams would be there, and we would wrestle all 3. I packed my backs, set my alarm, packed the food. With no prevail. I slept through my alarm, through my calls. I woke up, panicking, yet relieved at the same time. I hated matches, they were too much pressure, and I was extenuated. So I assumed, whatever, Brendan will take care of it. Oh and boy did he, he took care of it and the next few matches. Coach had kicked me off the varsity spot because of my absents, and my "lack" of commitment. I was annoyed. I earned that spot, I fought for that spot. Now I lost it, just like that. Brendan wrestled, and wrestled matches. I sat, and sat.
Shortly after I got ringworm, I had no idea where it came from, but I assumed it was Lowell. Because other kids who came from Lowell also had ringworm. So I was out of the room, and did not wrestle for a bit. I still worked out, but I couldn't drill or touch anyone. Later the team was going to Boston Latin for another quad meet. I didn't bring anything because I assumed I wouldn't wrestle. So I went but I didn't weight in, and boy was coach pissed off yet again. He said I could wrestle because I had the doctor's note in, and he would give me varsity matches. I was surprised, but then I realized I had nothing to wrestle with or my note. At this point I started hating Coach Chase, the head Coach. I hated how he ran things, his decisions, everything. I hated how he treated JV's like nothing and praised varsity guys for everything. So I wanted to prove him wrong, I wanted to show him I wasn't worthless, and that I am a good wrestler. So like always, back to drilling with Garelick
In fact, I hated Coach Chase so much, I wrote him a strongly worded email. To no surprise, he wasn't happy haha. I called him out on his unfairness. How I was kicked off varsity for missing a match when Charlie nor Javier were kicked off for their tardiness. That was a stupid decision, I shouldn't have spoken where I had no idea. Charlie was screamed at, and scolded behind close doors, and Javier was in the ER. I felt stupid, that I every questioned the head coach Chase.
A few days later was the JV tournament, I didn't want to go, because I didn't want to lose to JV's because people would think less of me. If I lost a varsity match, people would understand. But not a JV match. I know...I was a egotistical idiot. Yet I went, and I won. I was the 132 champion! It was a huge confidence booster and I was ready for my wrestle off later.
A week later, I got my wrestle off, to get my varsity spot back. It was an easy match this time around, for one, I had gotten a lot better, and two, Brendan was sickly. I beat him 6-0. Every since I have been wrestling varsity
Not too many exciting things happened from there to now but the sectional tournament will be in a few weeks and our team so far is undefeated and we are DCL champs. I can't say I contributed that much in those accomplishments, with me being varsity then JV then varsity. Yet I have learned a lot this season and I also need to cut this short because it is 10 PM at night on a Wednesday and I still have homework.
Hopefully I will be back at the dojo soon. Wrestling has been a crazy, hard, frustrating, fun experience, and I can't wait to go back and share all that I've learned.
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