I settled my body on the cold bleak grey gymnasium bleachers. I ran my calm fingers along the rough bleachers .This perspective I was sitting in made me feel at the center of the super bowl, staring at the fans taking in this perhaps once in a lifetime moment.this super bowl moment is not really a once in a lifetime moment any more. its a rare moment in life it’s when you are prepared for greatness and greatness happens it can come when that diploma is handed to you at the end of your high school life. it comes when you take your first child home from the hospital.
As I gazed around the giant gym with all of the pure white lights on except one flickering in the corner of the gym like the shy kid on the playground, the gym vibrant with energetic noises ricocheting from wall to wall, the frantic cheers and cries of parents and wrestlers a like. The hard gym floor bouncing as the gargantuan heavyweight from davison walked into the room. His neanderthal face scowling something fowl at me, my eyes could almost not bear to gaze upon his wretched body. As the beast drew closer I could smell the nauseating aroma coming from his swampie pores. “See something you like” are the words that crept out of his revolting mouth.All i could think to myself was how big of a jerk that guy was so I just simply shook my head and glanced at the far end of the gym as he went and slipped back into his grim cave. I saw two parents with rivers of sweat sliding down their faces their hands clenched to one another so strong even the jaws of life couldn’t dare to attempt to fracture their bond. The parents emotions a cascading waterfall flowing directly onto the mat. I look from them directly to where their hearts were, the far mat in the corner of the gym. I did not recognize the wrestler who these parents were cheering for but I did know the other he had been the previous year state champion. I didn’t think much of the match because I knew this nobody would lose but yet I was intrigued by the way he looked. His feet restless constantly moving almost floating clear off the grey soft rubber mat. You could see the confidence burning in his eyes because their was just no room left in his body anywhere else to keep it because he was filled with desire. He looked like a gladiator with the determination and drive to stand tall and come out victorious no matter the expense  I became so lost in the intoxicating presence of this bottom dog circling the helpless road kill he was preparing to leave for the MHSAA news vultures to eat up on that grey tombstone. the champ was not prepared for the attack of this hungry bottom dog to challenge his right to be on top. By now I had reached the end of the gym where this match was taking place and  captivating everyone. I could see the champs body beginning to weigh on him. His wings had been nailed to the ground, his mind had disconnected from his body he no longer believed he was the best rather the worst. two years later when I was wrestling at high school regionals and I was on my back this kid and his amazing match and how even the best can be beat helped me to persevere and come back and win the match which was one of the best comebacks I have ever had His jello legs trying to keep out of his attackers way but he was just too fast he was to close to victory to understand the meaning of  slow. I had already known the victor before the bell rung I saw it in his restless body, the sweat above his brow, the tear swelling in his eye as he came that much closer to a life long dream, the shoelaces gripping his ankles furiously, and the flawlessness of everything that he did. When the final whistle blew cheers ran from one end to the other of the gym that had been flipped upside down. My gaze transferred onto his parents because the tears in their eyes were a bigger victory than anything done on that mat. this victory was greater than when he had won the first tournament he had ever won , because their victory then was just seeing their boy achieve. their victory this time was watching their son become a man right there in the most spectacular way in front of their eyes and thousands more. this moment of sheer grit and determination was the proof they needed to ensure them their son would do great things like the thing he had done today. A tear began to form at the base of my eye chills ran up my body as my skin turned to ice and goose bumps covered my skin when that tear hit my cheek the rest began to follow I learned that I will always prepare and be fully dedicated to the things that mean the most to me so that when the time comes i will have the ability to step forth and shine. It wasn’t until later that day when i saw him walking out of the gym his arm around his mom and dad when i truly understood what he was, he no longer looked like a gladiator but rather a soldier in the heat of battle fighting not for glory but for himself and his family not for the prestige of winning but for the honor behind fighting for something more than victory. looking back his eyes were not filled with confidence but filled with realization, the realization that he can do anything, that he can be a champion no matter the odds no matter the size of the brick wall in front of him he can rise up and blow through any brick wall. I realized a lot about what it means to be me watching this match. I am a wrestler I as a wrestler will always wrestle for moments like this one when all of your hard work comes into one finetuned moment where the world slows down and lets you fly.Today I am a dreamer dreaming of the day when my hand is raised and victory has been earned by my hard work and dedication. I have become this person through years of hard work and lessons taught to me by the greatest sport that tests the boundaries of a person physical and mental strength. The world is my playground and I am determined to experience all it has to over and seek these moments in my everyday life wherever they may be found. this moment had changed the way i viewed life, I now view it as when preparation and dedication come together and help make lifes goals happen.