Retrospect - Part 1 Tenacity....since I cant run it is driving me nuts so I find myself with this advent of cold winter weather reflecting on my self and life to date. Last Monday at One Trick Pony...ole Coach from TF South HS, Jim Long, stopped in to get a growler. I recognized that face...albeit older...and he still has that buzz cut on his hair. Hes a board member of Lansing Park District these days. He didnt recognize or remember me specifically from that 1968-1972 era I was at TFS, but then again he was if I recall correctly...coach of sophomore football squad...among other things. My only sports in TFS was wrestling...freshman year. I know I ran a pretty decent mile and I think that was the next year in 69 and dont recall who the PE teacher was at time I ran that mile, but I do recall I gave it my best effort. I just tried to keep up with then already on the X-county team, Jim Griffin (?). And in my vague memory...I did finish those 4 laps around the black-cinder a few strides behind the Griffin. Sitting on the grass at the edge of the interior grass oval that has the football field....and panting and heaving out what felt like pieces of my lung...I have a recollection of that coach/teacher coming up and inviting me to try out for track and x-country. At that moment...I was thinking...why would anyone ever want to do this ever again! And I didnt pursue it. Now if I recall correctly, this 1-mile run preceded a year of training and wrestling at the 127 or 133 pound classes. In freshman year I weight about 124-125 pounds....was lean and strong. That strength is probably why Coach usually had me entered in the higher weight classes. And during that wrestling training they always had us do these laps inside around the gym running up the stairs to the balcony then back down and round and round again...meat grinders as I knew them by. It was all high-aerobic intensity training...intensity that undoubtedly was red-line and in that 90-100% HR capacity. It probably explains why I came to that one-mile class run and fared as well as I did. How fast was it? Dont know...school doesnt keep records of individual students...only records set in track or x-country events...but it was good enough for some coach/teacher to ask for you to try-out for the team. Although I was a 127-lb weight class wrestler...often I was assigned to the 133-lb class. And often I fared quite well later in the season as the skills and moves were better perfected...both strength and speed my asset to compensate contending with somewhat heavier wrestlers. And at tail-end of season when sectionals and such were held...was even elevated to the sophomore squad in tournament because they had no one on sophomore squad to assign to 133 class. I never questioned anything...just did what was expected. And so I showed up for that sophomore tournament and it was over before I could think...pinned in 30-seconds from the start. Wow...those sophmores had skills and moves I never expected or dreamed of. I walked away from that embarassing loss and tried to keep my head up...I had done what I was called to do. But when it came back to Freshman tournaments...I was back on my own turf in terms of skill level. And in sectionals when I wrestled some dude that seemed far stronger than me in appearance...I did well with speed inj moves and it was a pretty close game...3 to 1 in points in my favor. That put me in the final matches facing off with dude that was ranked very highly in state. He wasnt strong...very lanky...very fast. And I was always lagging behind him and he was way up on points on me based on his ability to escape from position. I recall talking to Coach Scanlan (I hope I got that right) at end of 2nd period and it was clear...only way to win...have to get a pin in 3rd period. And I tried...resorting more to strength than to try to match this dudes speed. And I got him on his back and I squeezed hard as I could to pin those shoulders down...but this dude had most awesome neck bridge and able to wiggle way to the outer ring and back to kneel-down position in center of mat. Dont recall all the minute-by-minute action, but I did get him on his back on that mat another time and I have this memory of some referee laying on the mat with his hand slightly elevated...sometimes falling downward a bit like maybe gonna slap the mat as pinned. But that neck bridging ability of that dude I guess being enough to slightly raise that back enough to not be pinned. At one point I recall saying or at least thinkin...hes pinned! Time ran out in that 3rd period with that dude still on his back and all I had to show was more points, but not enough to be victorious. And drained as I was walking back to the sidelines where Coach was...he said nothing but I could see in his eyes...he was not disappointed. I had done what Coach said I needed to do...go for pin. And I really think I did pin that dude and should have won that match. But that dude went on to better and more glorius victories down-state. I like to think I helped him in that cause to be his best. My ride on the bus back home in the darkness was a quiet one. I was disappointed in 3rd place sectional finish and I dont even have that medal anymore...long ago in those tumultous years of 70s...tossing it out in the garbage. But when I reflect on that experience...I know I gave it my best and did what Coach was expecting. Thats what I now call tenacity and digging in and giving it your all. May have not been enough to put me in the books in State records or such...but it was tenacious effort on my part....just fell short of the result. Maybe such tenacity may get me to and through a 6th Boston...maybe not cause I am 60-yrs old and dealing with injuries. But I only hope that any and all of you find your tenacity that gets you through the tough times and leads you to your best ability....that you may find that comfort of who you are and be happy and comfortable with what you end up with at the end of the day. Hope you enjoy the story and if you do...have a few more to recall that you may find of interest or fodder to help you in your quests. And I won that match so long ago...at least I believe I did.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 04:11:01 +0000
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