Hey Avallone

sgallan · 01-24-2008, 09:49 PM

Reni is seeded third for Middle School State starting tommorrow. Her record is 29-3.... two losses (and a win) against a Roller all-star kid, and a loss (at 73's) against a long time training partner in an area we want to move to. She would have been seeded first at 68 but they decided to eliminate that weight this year. She'll be giving up weight (weighs 68), but should do well.

I am bringing ten kids in a first year program and have 3-4 others who might place. We get no official money. I let the moms do the fund raising, and I did the coaching (I am the only coach) and the AD type stuff, and whenever donations to the district come in I have to deal with that money (receipts and all of that)..... as it's still a school (unfunded but school board approved) program.

Funny, this all came about because the HS tried to kick me out of the room. I went to the Superintendent of schools (a friend), and the next thing I know is I have my own program. I wasn't expecting all of that but decided if I had it I would run 'real' wrestling practices, even more challenging than our underacheiving HS runs. I figured I'd chase most of the kids off (it is that kind of town), but most of them stayed with it and thrived. We've had more success then the HS, so they are making nice with me now. Go figure.

Avallone · 01-26-2008, 10:49 PM

Hey thats cool Scott, glad to here it.

sgallan · 01-27-2008, 02:14 AM

Reni placed fourth (top four was her goal). She weighed in at 70.2. A couple of dumps, and two hours later, she weighs 67. Yikes. Giving up that weight means she doesn't pin many at this kind of tournament. So she techs 15-0, wins 17-4 (scary match with a good headlocker), wins 14-0, then runs into a really strong, big kid in the semi's and gets beasted 11-4. She did lock up a cradle (Arizona girls and their cradles) for three late. Then she has that 'one bad match', and is down 3-2 to a kid she should handle, gets mad in the third, ups the pressure and takes him to his back and holds him there for a minute to win 7-3. For third and fourth she wrestles well, but the kid had a good game plan and was at least 11 pounds bigger, and she lose 4-2. All in all a good tournament for her and she was the first girl to place in this tournament. Needless to say she was a fan favorite as this part of Arizona hadn't been "indoctrinated" yet. The boys to their credit just treated her as another wrestler with that "fist handshake congrats on placing thing" that is popular around here.

My 104 pounder won it. He had made a bunch of finals but would go brain dead and do dumb things. After the match, or at least after he had cooled down a bit, I would tell him it is all practice until state.... and then tell him what he did wrong. Then of course I would brutally tease him all week about his mistakes.... it's a wrestling coaches thing. Apparently he got the message. But just to be sure I pointed to my head to say, "wrestle smart".

My 93 pounder (the deepest and toughest weight) took fourth. He won two comfortable decisions. Got worked by the champion..... his dad chewed on him a bit. But then I good naturedly chewed on his dad, me; "that kid is a stud", him, "he's still human, me; "no he's not". Anyhow, this goes on to win four close matches until losing a good battle for fourth. Mind you.... my other two placers had to improve a LOT, to even wrestle at this level. The kids they were wrestling have been there and done that.

All but one of my other kids won at least a match, most winning two or more.

An aside...... in the downtime until the finals Reni had a harem. It was Reni and about seven boys in a group (including the boy who kicked her butt in the semi's), and they were inseperable. Her teammates called her a pimp. LOL.

You know the weird thing about Reni's weight was? The kid who won it was a kid that Reni has beaten everytime. A kid that Reni's often training partner ( a 'redshirt' fifth grader) worked earlier this year. He beat the kid who beat Reni for third, and the kid who knocked her into consolations. I guess he got better.... but that much better in 8 weeks?

Hey Avallone

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