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#15452 11/10/03 01:27 AM
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My seventh grade son was recently given an assignment at school to do an essay about a personal life changing event. I thought you might enjoy what he wrote. I know I did. I edited it just a little bit for spelling and punctuation.


The Beginning


I was just a little boy, only seven; I was in the first grade. I had no idea what I was getting into at the time. My teacher passed out a notice, one of those little booklets with sports and stuff in it. I was excited to get home so I didn’t pay any mind to it. I just put it in my backpack and left. As I got in the car I had no idea I in my mind that the little notice was going to change my life forever.
I got into the car and my mother asked for the notes like she always did. She saw the notice and didn’t pay it much mind. We got home and I went off to play. My mom laid the note on the counter. I was playing tag outside with my sister when my dad got home. We went and gave him hugs, and he sat down and looked at the notice. He spent about ten minutes looking at the notice, and then he asked me if I wanted to wrestle for a wrestling club. I thought about this for a moment and decided to wrestle. I had no idea what was going to happen later on in my life, I was just a tiny boy. So I said with a smile, “Sure dad.”
The next week I didn’t think about wrestling at all. It kind of surprised me when my dad told me he was taking me to practice. On the car ride there I looked out the window at the sunset, wondering what wrestling would be like. When we got there I had to put on my shoes. I got out on the mat with about sixteen other boys. I was ready to wrestle.
It was a boring first practice. I just learned the rules to the sport and ran a few drills. I had no idea what practice would be like later on and I didn’t care, I was very tired because it was past my bedtime. As I went to bed I dreamed I was the wrestling champion.
Practice got harder and I was ready to wrestle when the first meet came around. When I entered the area I heard the crowd roaring and my ears hurt. When my first tournament was done I had a third place medal in my hand. The tournament lasted all day. We stopped and got dinner on the way home.
Five years later I was standing there with the crowd roaring at the state finals, I was never so happy in my life. This had been my dream for forever. The other wrestler came up shook my hand and the ref raised my hand. I had won the state title. I was so thrilled. I couldn’t believe it. My parents were proud of me too.
So how did I go from third place in a little meet to being the number one wrestler in the state of Kansas, I have to say it was all the hard work I went through to get there. It was all worth it. I can tell you that. I can’t wait until next season. Practice will be starting in a month. It is a lot harder now that I am older, but still I think it is worth it to wrestle. I am never happier than when I am on the mat.
If someone told me I would be state champion some day, I would have told him or her they were crazy. I can’t tell what is in the future for wrestling and me, heck no one can. All I know is I will never stop working hard, and that this is only the beginning, only the beginning.


Vince Nowak
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#15453 11/10/03 12:13 PM
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Vince,
That is a great story, brought tears to my eyes!! Jacob is a great kid and I wish him all the luck this season.
Genia Vincent

#15454 11/12/03 10:16 PM
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Vince,
That was a great story. I think that speaks for many, many Kansas wrestlers. I know that you are very proud of your son and he deserves those feelings. I think you are a very good parent/father and coach. I have wanted to thank you for the nice things you have said in your posts. My computer got sick...and I have to use a library computer and I never had my login info with me before. I will look forward to seeing your son wrestle and talking with you this season.
Marvin Tischhauser

#15455 11/12/03 11:44 PM
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Thank you, Genia and Marvin for the kind things you have said about Jacob and me too. I enjoyed meeting both of you last year and look forward to seeing both of you again in a few weeks. You both have great sons who are both dominant wrestlers. I look forward to watching both of them this season and in their future high school and no doubt college careers.

Marvin, you are welcome about the posts I made about Marvio last year. I really enjoyed watching him and I made sure that Jacob did very chance he had. Marvio is an incredible athlete and wrestler. I like to encourage bigger wrestlers and their parents to watch Marvio on the mat because he really shows how a bigger kid can be athletic, quick and use great technique on the mat. I know that Jacob and I learn a lot when we watch him wrestle. I also posted so much on the forum about him last year because he has accomplished so much that I truly felt he deserves a special bit of mention and recognition.

I'm not a coach though, Marvin. I did get a bronze card so I could be at his side on the mat sometimes. I wish I knew as much about it as I know you do. I was a football player and not a wrestler in high school, but wrestling is definitely my first love now and Jacob's too. Well only a few more weeks and here we go again. It should be fun.


Vince Nowak
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#15456 11/13/03 12:34 AM
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My son just finished reading your post of your sons school assignment.I think it's great that your son has such a great understanding of what hard work and dedication can help a person accomplish.It was great for my son to read how another young wrestler feels about this sport.Good luck to your son and all wrestlers this upcoming season.

#15457 11/14/03 11:19 AM
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Vince,

Oh yes! We have seen who he picks for practice partners. I know the coaches feel good about this kid on and off the mat. We'll see you in a couple of weeks.

#15458 11/14/03 11:47 PM
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I should mention that Smokeycabin runs a very challenging practice room and that some of the older boys on the STA club have been very instrumental over the last three years in Jacob's success during this time. These older boys have on a regular basis given Jacob many challenging moments three nights a week. I'm sure that is what Jacob was referring to when he said in his essay that practice is harder for him now that he is older and that a lot of hard work helped him accomplish his goal. Smokey also known as Coach Sean McCarthy and his other coaches with the STA club definitely work the kids hard and get them ready for the meets. I am very pleased with the job that Sean and the other coaches that have helped Jacob thru the years have done with him and his practice partners. And as you know Smokey there are still some 8th graders on our club that will continue to make practices challenging for Jacob this year. See you in December, Sean. Vince


Vince Nowak
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#15459 11/17/03 03:03 AM
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Great post Vince. I still look forward to meeting you and your son at one of the tournaments. Good luck this year and may the practice time pay off.

#15460 01/06/04 10:57 AM
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My son Jacob just had his above story "The Beginning" printed in the January Edition of the " Kids Sports News, The Sports Page for Kansas City's Young Athletes". A coach from the Olathe South youth wrestling club had read this forum topic back in November and he notified the publication about it. They contacted me and asked to print the article and a picture of Jacob.

I ordered the monthly publication which is only $15 for a year. The first one I received was the December publication. The first two months that I have received have each had a page devoted to youth wrestling. They want articles promoting wrestling and encourage you to submit them. They will promote your club or tournament.

Besides wrestling in the January edition they have good mostly full page articles (four sections of about 50 total pages) on hockey, ice skating, youth basketball, martial arts, soccer, football, cheerleading, fine arts, school news, sporting good health, gymnastics, volleyball, motorcross, baseball/softball, swimming, chess, and cross country/running. My nine year old girl has been running cross country the last two years so I especially enjoyed that section which was almost completely about the amazing SM Northwest program that Coach Van Rose has led to 15 State Boys titles (10 in a row) and 11 Girls titles. This was great reporting on this incredible program and its coach, athletes, parents and alums that all contribute to its success. You just don't find this type of reporting on cross country that often or on many of the other sports that it reported on in this month's issue.

I really recommend this publication for people in the Kansas City area that love youth sports and would like to see more reporting on them than you get in the Kansas City Star. You can order the publication at:

http://www.kidsportsnews.com

Cindi Jerore, Public Relations Director, was the person I worked with in getting Jacob's article printed. If you have a tournament to promote or an article idea to print, I would recommend contacting her.


Vince Nowak
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