A Big Thanks to some great guys/coaches

[jofus]

My son Logan R has had an awesome high school career, with mostly ups, and just a few downs here and there. Yeah, there are kids that have had better careers, but there are a lot more that would love to have been where he's been and never made it. The last month of this, his senior season, was pretty amazing...his third conference championship (missed his freshman year for Staph), 150 career wins (in the regional semifinals), 4th regional championship, and finally his state championship that he had been so close to the last couple years, and the even greater honor of being voted by the coaches as co-MOW, with Cam, coincidentally enough, who may be the reason Logan only has one championship...but like I told his dad last weekend, he's the classiest kid in the gym every time, and behaves the way a champion is supposed to behave, with respect to the sport and everyone involved, opponents or otherwise.

Logan has worked hard, and wrestling has been great for him, it's helped him grow up, and been the start of too many friendships to count.

But...I've told him several times to yes, be proud of all the hard work, of surviving all of the pain and suffering, the blood and sweat (a LOT of sweat, at times), and his many accomplishments...but to also always be grateful for the many great guys that coached him in one way or another through out the years, that there are a lot of kids that love wrestling, but may not have been as fortunate as he has been with his coaches.

At the risk of forgetting someone (and I apologize if I do)....

First, in middle school, Matt and Meador (and later Kenny), for believing in a tiny, scrawny, severely undersized 78 lb 6th grader (he weighed a whopping 63.2 lbs at WSAZ that year), that had never seen a wrestling match or set foot on a mat before, and knew nothing about the sport except it didn't matter as much if you were small, like it did in basketball. They, along with some help, like from Allen and Tommy with the Beckley youth league, took him from that to a WSAZ champion his 8th grade year.

Then, in the transition to high school, Larry, Dereck and Jeff were awesome, as were some of the upper classmen (like Nick and Johnny, who would come to the house to get him and go to all corners of the state for some mat time), and everyone else at Shady, I can't even list all of the guys they would bring in to work with the kids, on wrestling and on life in general. Plus, you had other coaches like Rooney (that VA Beach team duals trip is still one of my favorite wrestling weekends ever), Cliff for taking him to VT team camp, and others always willing to help. One of the really cool things about wrestling is, at least around here, is that almost all of the coaches are truly there for the kids, and just as likely to help kids from other schools when they have the chance as they are their own kids. I'm not sure you see that quite as much in other sports.

Then a combination of our older daughter graduating and my mom having health issues helped us decide it was time to move back home to Greenbrier county, which we had wanted to do for some time, and Jeremy and Stevie, Corey and the other coaches, and all the great kids at West made Logan feel right at home. Yeah, Logan and Jeremy butted heads once or twice (they're both a little stubborn...), but I think they're closer for it now, after all they've been through, and I'm sure they're going to be friends for life. They helped Logan go from a good athlete that could wrestle pretty good, to a really good wrestler that is athletic. West may be a little down right now (part of being in a small community), but their program is still strong, I'm confident they'll be back in the hunt soon.

So, to finish an extremely long post, thanks to all of the coaches out there, for helping these young boys turn into men through this wonderful sport of wrestling (and a few girls, too...), and especially the ones that have worked with Logan at some point, you really deserve more credit and appreciation than you normally get. Thanks and mad props to all the kids that he's wrestled with/against, both in practices and in matches. People that don't know anything about wrestling can't even begin to understand what you guys go through for this sport you love. And thanks to the refs...I may disagree with some of you guys occasionally, and may have even yelled once or twice, but I've seen refs in other states, and I wouldn't want to trade ours for theirs. I ref a high school sport, so I kinda understand what you go through, but no other sport compares to wrestling in how often one call can completely change the outcome, and it may be in the first 20 seconds of the match.

Logy, if you see this, your mother and I are extremely proud of you. Just remember, to quote the Roman Philosopher Seneca (or, if you prefer, the band Semisonic in the song "Closing Time")..

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Joe R

[forthekids]

Excellent post and you should be proud! That is why it is and always will be. THE GREATEST SPORT ON EARTH!

[wv16refgk]

Jofus: It is parents like you that made me proud to do what I did for forty plus years, officiate our great sport of wrestling!!!! When kids wrestle they learn a whole lot more about life than just wrestling.Your son is a fine young man and a true competitor. Over the years i have him develop into quite the wrestler but more importantly quite the man that i am sure you are proud of!! Congrats to Logan for a great career and his state championship. To take the time to thank all of those involved over the years for his wrestling development tells me a lot about you as well!!! You mentioned something that I think is extremely important and that is the life long friendships he has made. I agree that the coaches in your region are top notch guy, tough competitors but all of them you mentioned are lifelong friends respecting each other and helping every kid regardless of school affiliation. GK

[mooreboysdad]

Great young man! Great family! Great coaches! Meeting people like you is one of the many benefits of this sport. Very proud to have shared the last 4 years with you guys. Congrats and best of luck!