Middle School Glory!

Well, as some of you know "Big John" succumbed to a broken right ankle at the beginning of wrestling season. Not to be sidelined, he was present at every practice, competition, or meeting all season- crutches and all. Originally, he was slated to compete at the 167lb class. But, due to a fairly sedentary lifestyle for two months he "Bulked up" to a whopping 189lbs.

Three weeks ago, his mother and I began a fairly heated discussion about the possibility of an early return to competition (against the recommendation of the Orthopaedic). Obviously, neither of us wanted to end up with a permanently deformed tax deduction but, Julie decided that no silly boo boo was going to sideline her son in his quest for middle school glory! I on the other hand, held a very conservative view of the matter.

So, early last week John shows up to practice sans the crutches and brace. He indicates to the coach that he has doctor's clearance (Doctor Mom) and, asks if there is any chance for him to "wrestle off" for a spot on the conference team. The coach indicated his appreciation for Johns' dedication but, indicated that his roster for the big conference meet was complete.

But, as Julie has come to believe- the middle school wrestling gods determined that John would not be denied! For alas, the young man wrestling at the 185 lb class tore his ACL in the last regular season duel meet of the year. (It is also important to mention at this juncture, that this particular kid boasted a regular season record of 0 -12. So, his chances of contributing to the team conference title were slim to none anyway.)

With days to spare, the coach called "Big John's" Number. So, with an undefeated season team record on the line, and a shot at the team conference title- John entered as an unseeded participant at the 185lbs class. The balance of the team was seeded in one of the top three spots in each of the weight brackets, so not much was expected of John, especially since he was really out of shape and was nursing a broken ankle. As the coach indicated to Julie, John was just filling out the roster.

Not only did Big John do more than "fill a hole", his 12 points and win against a superior wrestler from the number two team in the conference provided the three point margin that propelled his school to the conference team title! and Middle School Glory!