Cary-Grove Matmen

Dear Parents, The Cary Jr. Trojan Matmen Wresting Club will be holding registration Saturday October 8th, 15th, & 22nd, from 8:00am to 12:00pm at the Cary Grove High School wrestling room. We accept registration from kids 6 to 14 years of age. Our season begins November 1st and will run through mid March for those who qualify for the state tournament. Our practices run three days a week, two weekday evenings and on Saturday morning (schedule may vary). The club competes every Sunday; the wrestlers are matched by age and weight, costs run $10 to $15 per tournament. Our club is sanctioned by USA wrestling through the IKWF. Click on the registration link to get fees, registration and medical forms. Once you register, a mandatory parent participant meeting will be held 6:00pm Thursday October 27th at the Cary Grove High School wrestling room. At that time you will meet the coaching staff and we will answer any and all questions you may have pertaining to the program. Registration is limited to 50 wrestlers on a first come first serve basis.

He was a man of flesh and blood. He wasn't made of rock. Angel, Devil, child - a man of ordinary stock. But some how he was different-true athletes always are. For though he cursed, and bled, and sweat, his pride did not scar. They told him to win like a man, no matter what the cost. So many times he ventured forth; so many times he lost. And when he turned around and said: "It's okay, son, you tried...", He clenched his headgear in his fist, and like a man he cried. And so he worked relentlessly; he struggled and he strained. His conscience whipped him mercilessly for every ounce he gained. He ran on legs like pistons; his muscled arms grew sore; He'd tell himself, "I have to", then he'd ask himself, "What for?" And then, at last, the reckoning; the final hour was here. His stomch lightened dangerously, his muscled tensed with fear. Weak-kneed, he shook the challengers hand - and then as one possessed, His instincts gave him power, and his body did the rest. It was suddenly ended. His body seemed to scatter. A crowd was cheering somewhere, but to him it didn't matter. A thought was gleaming in his brain, a thought that made him smile, He'd given all he had, and that is what made it all worthwhile. He stood and faced his teammates, with pride instead of shame. He knew not that he'd won or lost, but that he'd played the game. And some called him the wrestler, and some called him a man. But he called himself a winner, and the ref held up his hand.

When a boy walks onto the mat, he stands alone. No one will run interference; no one will pass him the ball when he is under the net. No one will catch a high fly if he makes a bad pitch. He stands alone. In other sports where individual scores are kept, the contest is determined in times, distance, and height. But, in wrestling, the score is kept on a boy's ability to overcome an opponent in a hand-to-hand contest, where at any second, at any time, it can mean a loss or a win. If an opponent gains an advantage, there will be no help, no substitutes; there will be no time out, and all can be lost in one second. Yes, the boy stands alone. From the spectator's standpoint, attentions are focused on the two boys; not from 100 yards away, as in some sports, but in most contests, just a few feet away. Every move can be seen, every act detected. A failure in endurance, in technique, or in courage will be spotlighted. There is no place on the wrestling team for the lazy, the showoff, or the half-hearted. When the whistle blows, a boy puts his ability, his determination and his courage on the line. We who are close to the young men on our wrestling team have watched the full range of emotions from elation to heartbreak. We have seen coaches with tears running down their cheeks as they try to console a young man who has given his all.... yet lost. Wrestling is a tough, hard sport, and like life, it is survival of the fittest. The young men who enter and stay with the team know this. They know that when the time comes and the whistle blows.... They Stand Alone.

To compete in life requires the same kind of preparation to compete in wrestling or any other sport. To be successful in either requires full preparation. You must prepare yourself in such a way so that you can do your best at all times. To be successful in citizenship as in wrestling, it is necessary to train faithfully, which requires self-dicipline and often makes it necessary to give up some pleasures that would be temporarily pleasant, but in the long run would defeat your effort. One of the most important parts of preparation is obtaining an education. Much of the success you can have later in life will be determined by how well you apply yourself during the early stages in your life. In life, as on the mat, you should always strive for excellence and do the very best you can with what you have. At first, it may seem that you can accomplish very little - but everyone has talent, which can be developed through determination, dedication and with responsible guidance, which is always within reach of those who really want to try.