I didn't expect it to be honest. I wasn't sure if Jake would make it or not. So many years of watching Jake wrestle and lose. Watching him have a bracket of 3 people (because he was a pretty big kid for his age always) and come in 3rd. Because of Jake's growing pattern it seemed like his body was always outgrowing his skill in wrestling. When he was young, his brackets were small and he wrestled fat kids even though he wasn't fat. And just when his skill would catch up with his body he'd grow again. And then his legs....Jake's legs were always so long and right there for the taking of any wrestler because he didn't know how to defend them. So there was that. And then, there was his head game. It's not that he didn't have great moments, or that he didn't try, but he did always live a little in his imagination thinking he wrestled the BEST in his life when perhaps he didn't wrestle so well, so he didn't evaluate his skill and where he was in comparison with other kids.
But one thing everyone has to give Jake is he kept getting up and he never quit. Most kids that lose that much do quit. I told him many times that he had learned what I wanted him to in wrestling and if he wanted to quit he could. He always looked at me like I was crazy. Jake kept trying and working and putting in the time and then I saw him wrestle his first match this year....and it was AMAZING...Jake's skill caught up with his body. And I started to have hope as he placed at his first tournament and then placed at his second tournament and then wrestled three rounds with the #1 ranked wrestler in our state and didn't get pinned or teched. I started having hope. I get the state rankings every week too and guess whose name started showing up as someone that should be at state...Jake's. I didn't want to tell him because I didn't want to get in his head with all that. Wrestling is such a head game, but in my heart I was so excited for my boy who never gives up.
We went to regionals. The regional brackets were strange. They bracket according to how the kid did last year rather than how they did this year and that made a kid who didn't even go to state this year get the #1 seed and Jake and the number two kid wrestle each other first (Jake was ranked third in our regions). Ugh, you hate when stuff like that happens because, again, wrestling is so mental and you never know how that will affect your kid. And then to boot, Jake had an ankle that he had sprained the week before so his mobility wasn't as good. And yes, he lost his first bout. Then, he came up against the kid that was supposed to be #4....
See the ref's hand raised? That means the kid in red just scored. My heart sank (these tournament are two losses and out and the stats favor the kid that scores first to win). But Jake didn't give up.
2nd period starts. Jake has to choose and chooses neutral. Jake gets his takedown in the second period tying the score, but he's unable to turn him for back points. The match is tied.
3rd period starts. Choice is his opponents. He chose neutral thinking he will get another take down on Jake. Instead Jake gets the takedown.
and some back points
and wins....and wins....and wins.
He took 3rd at regionals and secured a spot for himself at state.
And then I rushed home and made a bunch of sweatshirts for the boys' team qualifiers, the girls' team qualifiers and myself. I'm always proud of these sweatshirts.
There was a send off for both the boys' and girls' teams. They looked sharp in those sweatshirts I made.
Brad and I packed up and headed to Denver soon after. It was the weekend of Valentine's day. Oh ya, don't let me forget to mention here that I almost DIED driving to Denver. My car almost got stampeded by a herd of Elk. I mean STAMPEDED, like lion king stampeded. I'm on the highway driving along and a car is pulled off to the side. I look at it and at the same time I see this huge herd of elk running toward me (If only I had a picture they were so big and coming at me so fast). I couldn't stop right there, I would have been dead for sure. Instead I screamed, woke Brad up and stepped on the gas and survived.
And also, don't let me forget to mention here also that Jake's very first day at the Ball arena he got lost...or rather, left the site of the coach and team...and was required to hold the coaches hand entering the arena every day. I do have a picture of that.
And a picture of him where Jake looks like a giant and his coach, Coach Silva, looks like a hobbit. It makes me laugh every time so I will include it here right now.
Ben, Riley, Jordan and Molly were able to meet up with us and cheer for their little brother. McKenzie couldn't because she had a big test that weekend. It as the first time she hasn't been there. It was hard for her. Jake was sure excited to have us there as you can see in this picture.
I think Jake's first opponent was beatable. However, being at the Ball arena is a little intimidating and I can't say Jake wrestled his best match. Jake lost 9-1 (three takedowns, one escape).
Every match of Jake's was a blood round after that. Two losses you're out so everything is on the line. His second match...he won. I think he stalled a lot, which I HATE as an observer but he pulled the win in the end 5-3.
His third match was against a wrestler we had seen twice before. I was ranked 4th or 5th at state going in and have beaten Jake each time we had seen him before, soundly. He was one of those wrestlers that looks like a full grown man, facial hair and all. I was nervous to say the least. His opponent scores a take down and 4 back point immediately in the first period. Period ends 7-0 Mountain View. Jake chooses neutral period 2. No one scores. 7-0 end of period two. Period three Jake's opponent chooses down. It's pretty easy to stall in down position. Jake works pretty hard to turn him and with a little over a minute left he is instructed to cut him and Jake does. Score is 8-0. Jake then gets a beautiful takedown and almost pins the kid.
Score is 8-7. Jake is on top. Coach instructs Jake to cut him again and Jake does (9-7) and comes so close...one second away...to another takedown. He lost and was out, but I was proud of the loss. He really wrestled well and he lost as a champion, never giving up.
One of Jake's favorite songs when he was little was the song from Damn Yankees,
You've got to have heart. I actually have a recording of him singing it
here. The lyrics say:
You've gotta have heart
All you really need is heart
When the odds are sayin' you'll never win
That's when the grin should start
Jake has heart.
Another part of the song feels, to me, like he had it as his mantra this year:.
When your luck is battin' zero
Get your chin up off the floor
Mister you can be a hero
You can open any door, there's nothin' to it but to do it.
And the final four lines of the chorus in the song will be my mantra next year:
You've gotta have hope
Mustn't sit around and mope
Nothin's half as bad as it may appear
Wait'll next year and hope
I can't wait to see what next year brings for this kid.
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