The Road To Nick's Youth State Championship---Part 6

Chasing Down A Youth State Championship---Part 6

2011 OAC 95 lb. State Runner Up!

Let's move right into the 2011 OAC State Tournament as all the background information leading up to this tournament was given in the preceding post.

Needless to say we were very excited to get down to the OAC. And it wasn't simply because Nicky won the OYWA State Championship.  To be honest we truly felt that the officiating was the main reason Nicky didn't make it to the Finals last year. We were determined to keep it out of the hands of the officials this year.

At the 2011 OAC St. Ignatius District tournament Nicky picked up right where he left off at the OYWA State tourney. He opened the tournament up by pinning Jaezin Tytko from the TNT Wrestling Club. He then tech falled Ian Mound from Black River Falls 13-0. In the Finals he pinned a familiar opponent, David Crawford from Canfield Red.

While waiting for The OAC State Championships we decided to wrestle Nick in the OURWAY District Championships.  It was a tough tournament, with some solid kids there who would provide Nick with great matches in preparation for OAC States. 

He opened the tournament by pinning DJ Skiba from WestShore and then pinned Zach Madison from N. Olmstead in the Quarter Finals. Those were his tune up matches as he had to wrestle Cody Surratt from Wadsworth and Jaret Lester from the AWC in the Semi-Finals and the Finals.  He defeated Cody (6-2) in the Semi's leading to a much anticipated Finals match up between Jaret and Nicky.

Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of wrestling to occur. Within 30 seconds of the first period they both shot in looking for a takedown and BOOM!  They collided and smacked their heads together. Jaret dropped like a sack of potatoes.  It was very loud and we were all relieved when Jaret stood up. He was unable to continue wrestling however and so Nicky won by injury default.  Not a way any true competitor wishes to win. Afterwards Mr. Lester came up to me and said "Well we definitely know who has the hardest head."

A few weeks later we were at the Covelli Center in Youngstown Ohio for OAC States. This was the first year that the tournament was being held in this MUCH improved venue.  It was much cleaner and fan friendlier that the old Marion Coliseum.  Big improvement.

However Nicky wasn't 100%. He let Pam and I know that he wasn't feeling great the 1st day of the tournament. He was beginning to come down with something. We felt confident that he would be able to still do very well...especially that first day.  And we were correct. Nicky opened up the tournament by pinning his first opponent, Lucas Hughey.

His second match was against Dereck Wilson from New Lexington who Nicky tech-falled 14-2.

His Quarter Finals match resulted in another another pin against Josh Doherty, a wrestler from Circleville. Josh was a bit upset after losing, but you can see Coach Mike Heil at the end of the video keeping Nick focused.  The Quarter Finals is when it all boils down to the most talented and competitive wrestlers and that was an important match to win.




The Semi Finals and the Finals matches were to be held the following day so we hustled Nicky out of the Covelli Center so he could get some food, hydration and much needed rest.  We asked him a few times during the day how he was feeling and he said he was feeling "alright." We could tell at dinner though that he was feeling ill.  He didn't eat that much at all and fell asleep earlier than he normally did.

In the morning he was feeling worse.  He had a fever and said he was a bit nauseous. We asked him if he felt like he could wrestle today and he said yes. We knew he was going to have to face Jaret Lester, an opponent he wrestled many times before, so it was probably going to be a close one.

When the Semi-Finals came around it was apparent Nick wasn't himself.  The match went the full 3 periods as we expected and Jaret wrestled an excellent match.  He took Nicky down 3 times during the match. Nick's mat wrestling was the difference. This I attributed to Mike Heil's taking Nick out of State and into Pennsylvania as many times as he did. He was able to secure 2 reversals and a set of 3 backpoints when he locked Jaret up in a cradle.  

Nicky won by decision 8-6. Jaret was in on a shot when time ran out. His coaches tried to argue. but one of the refs told me later (about 6 months later when I ran into him) that there was no way he was going to let Nicky get ripped off. Having fell short at the OAC the previous year due to sloppy officiating that was much appreciated to hear. 

There were several hours to wait before the Finals were held in the evening.  Nick said he was fatigued and that he felt like vomiting while he was wrestling Lester.  He knew that his performance was compromised because he was sick.  If he was any younger than he was I probably would have not allowed him to wrestle...even if it was the Finals.  My kids health and well being have...and will always...take priority over anything else. But he worked extremely hard and it was his call to go ahead and wrestle in the Finals match.

His Finals match was against Drew Hobbs from Team Miron. They are a club out of the Columbus area and definitely a premier youth club. Nicky wrestled Drew tough, but was just a little too spent by the dog fight he had against Jaret Lester to get anything going. And credit of course goes to young Drew Hobbs. He wrestled an excellent match and won by decision 4-0. Nicky didn't hang his head, and neither did we. We knew Nicky wasn't 100% and felt that sooner or later they would probably run into each other again. They did...but it wasn't until high school at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament.     





And that, my friends, was the end of Nicky's youth wrestling career. An OYWA State Championship and an OAC State Runner Up finish! He faced many challenges, much adversity, but I feel he lived up to his youth potential.  We were very proud of Nicky, and because there were hardships within our family that began towards the end of his youth career, he was always a beacon of celebration because of his wrestling exploits. More important was the fact that he was always respectful and likeable to everyone who crossed paths with him...both opponents and adults. He was always quick to smile and get into something fun. Here's a few pictures of Nick up on the podium and with his youth award collection that he put together by the time he was finished with the 6th grade.  The kids love the bling! 

    
Man it was a lot of fun to put this together. Taking trips back down memory lane is always fun when it's about your kid. I hope everyone who comes across this blog enjoys it also.  There's also a lot of little life lessons that one can pick up and use for themselves or for their own kids journey. This blog's original purpose is to be a source of inspiration and positivity for anyone who comes across it. I enjoy spreading a positive message.  We all contribute something to the universe...why not make it something healthy & helpful?

The next few installments will go over the two year journey to Nicky's next big wrestling achievement...his Ohio Jr. High School State Championship! A lot happened in that two years and I'm sure you'll find it pretty interesting.  New names, faces and personalities enter the picture.  Until then...take care! 

Persistence

Persistence Succeeds Where Nothing Else Can!

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."...Calvin Coolidge

"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success."...Napoleon Hill

Persistence succeeds where nothing else can. I'll swear by this statement. We all have seen it time and time again.  That little boy who was average at best when they began a sport...but who persisted until they were a force to be reckoned with. The little girl who was told she would never be good enough at singing who went on to become a platinum selling artist. The business person or inventor who was told their vision was "crazy" or unobtainable who summarily discounted those opinions to achieve enormous success. We're all very familiar with these types of stories.

I read a great meme the other day. It said: "Tired of starting over? Quit giving up." Man...how true is that? I know there are at least 500,000 things that I could have mastered had I stayed with them. Okay maybe 10...but you get the point.

And we all know this beyond a shadow of a doubt. All of us have at some time or another persisted in something till we got what we wanted or achieved a goal. And the payoff that comes with doing such is incredible.  The emotional payoff is what I'm talking about here. There's very little that compares to the feeling of taking on something that others say you can't or won't achieve...and then achieving it.  It's like BAM!  Perhaps we all need to remember those victories when we are encountered by the obstacles and setbacks that too often derail us. 

It's important to stay motivated.  Things go wrong.  Mistakes are going to be made.  We just can't let these things crush our souls. Every mistake IS truly a stepping stone for another opportunity. There is, undoubtedly, a lesson...a takeaway from every experience we go through in life. Some of the strongest and wisest people I've ever known or encountered went through unbelievable adversity. Some of their stories were heart wrenching. The types of things you couldn't image experiencing. But they came through demonstrating remarkable resiliency and persistence.

Persistence.  That's what it takes to achieve anything worthwhile. Here's the formula: Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence + Persistence = SUCCESS! 

Until next time:

#YouMatterTremendously
#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy

Here's today's video: 

Discipline

Discipline.  The Creator Of Achievement.

"Discipline is the bridge between GOALS and ACCOMPLISHMENTS."...Jim Rohn

This is such an important word to grasp the complete meaning of early in life.  I am absolutely convinced that you can be the most well intentioned person in the world.  You can have the best idea's and dreams. You can have charisma dripping from every pore in your body. You can have creativity and imagination in abundance. You can be bursting with energy and optimism. You can have all these wonderful attributes...but without self discipline you will still fall way short of your goals. The all important character trait of discipline has everything to do with a person realizing their biggest dreams.  It is the creator of achievement.

Without applying discipline to our lives we tend to let things slide. A little bit here, and a little bit there. And there within lies the problem.  The "little bit here" and the "little bit there" all adds up. Outside of a really horrendous life decision being made that can alter your life in an instant, a person failing to reach their personal or professional goals can usually be traced back to the moments when they "should have"...but didn't.  You could be a college student, for example, who has an important exam coming up and instead of studying like you "should have," you decided to go to the big game.  When you take that exam and don't do as well as you could have done there is nobody to blame except yourself.  If that type of poor judgement and lack of self control is repeated throughout your academic career, this can be a problem.

There is nothing I have ever achieved that wasn't the direct result of utilizing self discipline.  On the flip side most of my life's failings, with the advantage of hindsight being the great teacher that it is, were the direct result of not utilizing self discipline or self control. Having personal responsibility and accountability requires a high degree of self discipline.  They go hand and hand like peanut butter and jelly.



Talk to ANY successful person about what it took for them to reach the level of success they enjoy, and you will most likely come away with a lesson on how to properly set priorities...and more importantly...see them through.  They use words like sacrifice. They delayed the instant gratification that was before them many many times because they were focused on the bigger vision/goal that was lying in the distance.  That takes discipline.  Everybody wants to go to the big game.  Not everybody does however.  Some want the A+ on the exam instead. Discipline. 

Being able to say NO to others is an important skill to learn.  Being able to say NO to yourself is absolutely vital to your success.  This was perfectly demonstrated using young children in the famous Stanford Marshmallow Test.    

Until next time...

#YouMatterTremendously

#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
#LiveYourLifeWithPurpose

The Stanford Marshmallow Test video. 
     

The Secret Sauce Behind Your Effort

What Is Your Why? 

"Every character is asking: 'What's my place?  Why am I here?'  I don't want the answer to be 'Just because.'  You find your own purpose.  Each finds the reasons to be here and contribute."...Sharon Creech

I'm pretty sure everybody would agree that in order to achieve anything in life you have to give forth a certain amount of effort. And it stands to reason that the more effort you put forth, the more you'll get in return.  As the saying goes: "Hard work pays off."  The secret sauce behind your very best effort however, is knowing what motivates you.  It's knowing the answer to the question: "What is your WHY?" 

Everybody has reasons behind whatever it is that they choose to do in this world. Based on everything I've learned from knowing, observing, and studying high achievers, all of them have a very clearly defined WHY behind their tremendous efforts and achievements.  Having a very clearly defined and compelling reason WHY is a prerequisite to success.  It will provide you with the extra motivation and desire that you need to overcome the challenges and obstacles that you are sure to encounter in pursuit of your goals. 

Your WHY is usually personal and deep rooted.  Often...but not always...a person's WHY originates from a place of pain.  It may be that a person has hit rock bottom in a situation and they made a promise to themselves that they were going to make a substantial change.  It may be stemming from a type of loss that one suffered, or that one possibly faces if strong action isn't taken.  Or it could be that a person recognizes a special talent or skill that they possess, and are challenging themselves to become the all time best at something.  They realize that they owe it to themselves to self optimize.  Or it could be that somebody's WHY is very altruistic. The reason they do their best and give it their all is for other people. To provide for them.  Once again, your reason is personal. I mean, of course you can share it with other people, but it comes from within...it's something that you don't have to justify to others.  It's something that has deep meaning to you, and that you feel passionate about.  It could be connected to a big dream you have.

I would advocate writing your WHY down on paper and connecting it to your goals. Don't just write it down, but review it several times a day...especially in demanding moments.  This can serve as an excellent source of motivation.  For example if you're a salesman you could write "I want to be the number one salesman in my district by the end of this year in order to give my family the dream vacation in Europe that they always wanted." That's something specific...it's tied to a goal...and the why is clearly stated. It's to deliver pleasure to this salesman's family.  His/her WHY is stemming from something altruistic...although I'm sure the emotional payoff is pretty big for themselves also if they can pull it off.  A win win situation for sure!

The very most powerful WHY's are when we have them for what we consider our life's purpose.  We can find the drive within ourselves to accomplish anything we desire with a calling such as this. The life we live should have meaning, and with meaning comes deep purpose.  It's impossible to separate the two.  It is no small wonder that many peoples life purpose centers around serving others.  To contribute to the betterment of the human condition.  The "SELFLESS WHY'S."  I am convinced that this is the Secret Sauce to the 10th power! If you've never given serious thought towards what your lifes purpose is...if you feel that your life has no meaning...than perhaps some serious spiritual and self inspection is necessary.  We all have a purpose.  Every single one of us.

Until the next time...

#YouMatterTremendously

#GoldenRuleLifeStrategy
#LiveYourLifeWithPurpose