Winning and Losing

Two Consecutive Championship Titles

First and foremost I want to congratulate Nashon Garrett on his second consecutive California State wrestling championship. Garrett won the title as a junior in the 103 pound weight class, and this year took the 119 pound title. This is an amazing accomplishment. To understand just how impressive Garrett’s consecutive championship wins are you need to know a little bit about California wrestling.

Most states divide their championships into divisions; so you may end up with three or four different champions in the same weight class. California throws all the wrestlers into one tournament; the winner in each weight class is the single champion for the entire state. Add to that the fact the overall population of the state and the competitiveness within the wrestling community, and the odds of winning one championship, let alone two consecutive titles, are slim. A wrestler who makes it to the California state championships needs to make weight, stay healthy and bring their A-game. Apparently Garrett did all this and more, as he defended his title in dominating fashion. I watched his final against Josh Rodriguez from Rhigetti High; Garrett won the match 5-0 by using a combination of skill, strength, quickness, and probably most importantly, incredible endurance. That final was a clinic in focus and toughness.

A wrestling match is broken up into three two-minute rounds – a total of six minutes. That may not sound like much if you haven’t wrestled, but let me tell you, those are the longest six minutes you will ever experience. A wrestling match is a constant struggle that uses every muscle in the body. To get an idea of the experience you might try doing a combination of push-ups, pull-ups, rope climbing, and jumping jacks, for six minutes straight, with a ten second break every two minutes.

My Own Private Purgatory

Myself I did a little wrestling in high school. I might have been the polar opposite of Garrett, who seems to have a genuine passion for the sport. I was talked into it my sophomore year by a friend of mine who promptly quit the squad. Wrestling for me is a form of purgatory. If I die and end up in that ambivalent state of being, I am sure it will look a lot like a wrestling tournament. There was so much about that sport I did not enjoy, from weighing in, to the between match jitters, to actually taking to the mat. I guess you could say I hated the sport; but I suffer from a streak of loyalty, and so I couldn’t bring myself to quit on the coach and the team.

I’ll tell you what though, that sport helped to make me who I am. It is the purest form of competition – two people in the ring, one winner. No teams, no special gear, no gloves; out there on the mat you win or lose on the basis of your own merits and talents. You can share your successes with your team-mates and your coaches, but when you lose, you lose on your own.

madbob@madbob.com