Favorite wrestling memory

[Frank]

Change of pace!
My favorite wrestling memory of my son career comes from middle school. but there is a back story that I have to tell first. It starts back in youth wrestling in the coalfield conference. I'm going to use names, I don t normally but in this case it will be taken as intended. roughly my son third year into his wrestling career we meet the Trippletts from Braxton co. It was Braxton Co first year in the coalfield. Gavin Tripplett was one of the states better wrestler and he was in my son Liams weight class. Several conference meets had taken place and Liam and Gavin still hadn't wrestled. The Coalfield at that time used a pool system for reg. season tournaments and had a bracket tournament at the season end. I believe Liam and Gavin both knew that they were faviored to win this partical year. It was probably the last regularly season meet that those two were finally paired. The meet before, I think Gavin had had his shoulder injured, and it might have been reinjured in the match before Gavin and Liam were to wrestle in the final reg. season meet. I Knew his shoulder was injured and I believed it was really going to be an issue for Gavin in his match with Liam. I never told Liam about Gavins shoulder. But anyone from the coalfield and that era know that Liam attack kids shoulders with a nasty half. And Liam would run it on both sides with the same intencty. I sure Gavins coaches and parents, pretty much one in the same, knew this about Liam. When the match came, Liam attacked both shoulder, as always. The ref that was assigned was new to the trade, and in this case, a little interested in rules and not enough about the youth wrestler safety. The ref info was important bit of info. At one point of the match, Liam was on top cranking on a half, Gavin was clearly in pain and was fighting with everything he had not to be turned. Gavins mother was just off to the right of me, I was in my corner of the circle and the boys were wrestling right in front of us. With Gavin clearly and audible in legit pain, the Liam gave no pitty and neither did the ref. Gavins mom was shouting word of encouragement and all I could do was wish this kid would just roll and get pinned so it would be over. But Gavin didn't. In the middle of this I told Shannon, Gavins, mom to just say the word and I would pull Liam off of Gavin, It was obvise that the ref wasn t. Well the match continued and I'm not sure but I believe the match went the distance and Liam won. Now that's not my faviorite memory, not even close. Now Liam and Gavin ended up wrestling off for two different Coalfield Conference Championships plus a few more matches in the offseason and in middle school. I can honest say that the Lushers and the Trippletts became friends, good friends. In fact if Gavin ever needs to leave Braxton Co. for any reason he s got a home with me. Now back to the topic. My favorite wrestling memory. It was both Liam and Gavins sixth grade year. Braxton had came to the Eastern Greenbrier Duels. Liam was on the left side of the mat that was on the right side of the gym paceing back and forth getting ready for his match. Gavin was on the right side of the mat on the left side of the gym pacing back and forth getting ready for his next match. I did nt see either boy make eye contact with the other even though they passed each other a dozen or more times. Finally both refs for both mat called the wrestlers to the center. Liam and Gavin both turned slapped hands and went to their mats and wrestled. Just for good feeling and ending I believe they both won their matches. Sorry for the mspelling and bad grammer. and no proof reading the story is a little long for my ADD.

[Eersfan]

Last year at the Army National Gaurd Tourney my son JD McCallister, a freshman at the time, was taking a pretty good butt kicking from a boy that looked much stronger and older than JD. I'm mot sure what school he was from. Late in the 3rd period I think the score was 14-3 or somewhere around there. Then opposing wrestlers coach was screaming "finish this boy, finish this boy" over and over until he was red in the face. With 15 seconds left in the match JD reversed the boy and pinned him with 4 seconds on the clock. He has had his share of big wins since he was little but there was something about it being his freshman year and all the butt kickings he took that year and finally gettting over that hump.

[Shannontrip]

Frank, I have to agree, meeting you guys and watching our boys compete through youth and middle school is one of my favorite memories as well. I love the friendship that has developed between Gavin and Liam along with the rest of our families. Since first meeting we have created many memories together and I'm sure there will be many more throughout their High School years!

[Gator]

Good memory Frank. I think you hit on something that defines wrestling like no other sport. It's the relationships and friendships you make over the years that mean the most. Wrestling only last a few years, but friendship last a lifetime. Good story about Liam and his friend though.

[aacoach75]

A lot of good memories from 13 years of coaching. But my favorite is the state finials match last year.
I have been coaching my son since he was in first grade....traveling all over... all times of the early morning and late night back and forth to youth tournaments.
When he was in 8th grade I became the high school coach... So I coach him all 4 years of HS. As a freshman he had to defeat a wrestler in the blood round that had beat him earlier in the season...He did and went on to place 4th.As a sophomore he lost to the runner-up to place 3rd. As a junior he lost to the champion (MOW) in the quarters and placed 3rd again. In his senior year he finally made it to the big one. His opponent was wrestler that he had wrestled earlier in the season. ..that match was tight.. it took OT to be decided with him getting the take down for the win. We came up with a plan for the match...my son strength was on his feet vs his opponent so we wrestled from natural as much as we could and just wore him down. We felt the 3rd period he would have the advantage because of his conditioning. And with about 40 seconds left in the 3rd with a 4 point lead he threw his opponent to his back ...right in our corner. ..I was hollering lock it up...LOCK IT UP. He did... I new it was over...then the ref hit the mat. We both were jumping and shouting with joy...He went to the center of the circle shook his opponent hand ..than ran to me lifting me in the air and saying the words I will never forget...WE DID IT DAD...WE DID IT!
Long journey...well worth it...12 years of work.... for 6 minutes of glory ...but a lifetime of memories.

[Panther_coach]

Over my 27 year career I visited some fantastic hospitality rooms! No, Seriously- I was, of course, coaching middle school and had no heavyweight. I was a teacher so I walked the halls looking for big kids. I found one shy, sort of doughy looking kid. I asked " Ever thought of wrestling? We really would like to have you and you would be an AUTOMATIC STARTER!" He replied, " No one ever asked me to be on a team before, I was always too fat. Will you call my Mom?" I did and he was not very good at all, only won a few matches but it really opened up his personality and got him into much better shape. He lost about 30 pounds and could even do pull-ups. At the end of the season banquet, he got most improved. We told him to stick with it in high school. Miraculously, he did and ended his career as AAA state champion. His name is Byron " Big Sexy" Wellman.

[mattman]

Over my 27 year career I visited some fantastic hospitality rooms! No, Seriously- I was, of course, coaching middle school and had no heavyweight. I was a teacher so I walked the halls looking for big kids. I found one shy, sort of doughy looking kid. I asked " Ever thought of wrestling? We really would like to have you and you would be an AUTOMATIC STARTER!" He replied, " No one ever asked me to be on a team before, I was always too fat. Will you call my Mom?" I did and he was not very good at all, only won a few matches but it really opened up his personality and got him into much better shape. He lost about 30 pounds and could even do pull-ups. At the end of the season banquet, he got most improved. We told him to stick with it in high school. Miraculously, he did and ended his career as AAA state champion. His name is Byron " Big Sexy" Wellman.

Good stuff coach. Many coaches forget that to be a great team you have to develope every wrestler. You have to push the first year kids the same as you do the stars of the team. So much talent walking the halls that never put a toe on the line or taken a snap. Good find by you coach!

[johnroberts]

I like this subject. There are to many of us that want to discuss all the negatives on the forum.
Brayden was 9 wrestling the 10U division and had wrestled Shelek from Wheeling the year before. Andrew is a year older than Brayden so he would have to work extra hard to beat him. We knew he would have Andrew in the West Virginia Jr. States if they both made it through the bracket. So we decided to prepare for it. We was at Mineral Wells but didn't have many kids his weight so we decided to call Greg Humphrys with Mihindra and he let us come down to practice with them. Three times a week my wife or I would take the 1.5 hour drive to their practice room. During the tournament it worked out exactly as we had planned. Andrew and Brayden in the finals. The match went the distance tied. First overtime, no one scored, second overtime, no one scored!! Ride out came and Brayden chose down (if I remember correct) and Andrew rode him out to defeat Brayden. It was a great match and the effort that both boys put out to prepare was awesome. Brayden ran over to me after shaking Todd and the coaches from Wheelings hand jumped in my arms without a tear and said "dad, I can win that match". We changed from Mineral Wells to the South Junior Patriots team and Brayden ended up matching up with Andrew two years later in the finals at the Jr. States again and Brayden came out on top that time and was a heck of a match. Now they are all in high school and have to prepare for the same kids they had when they were little. Seems like the kids that prepare and work harder than the rest are still winning. From Parkersburg South to Musselman, down to Beckley we all have kids that strive to be the best. Keep the positive attitude, hard work ethics and it will pay off in the end. Good luck during the season!!

[dunbar76]

I have many great wrestling memories. Many of which come from kids, now adults, who tell me how much being treated fairly and pushing them to be tough not only on the mat but in life had huge effects on them. Means the world to me. I too coached a son to the State tournament in hs. He didn't place, but I never went to the states. Means the world to me. Like the previous coach, getting kids have never wrestled before and watching them get their first win and then they were hooked. Priceless.

[Geoswaff]

.than ran to me lifting me in the air and saying the words I will never forget...WE DID IT DAD...WE DID IT!
Long journey...well worth it...12 years of work.... for 6 minutes of glory ...but a lifetime of memories.

That teared me up. Every dad would love be to hear it. Definitely worth it.

[Bearhugger]

Last year at the Army National Gaurd Tourney my son JD McCallister, a freshman at the time, was taking a pretty good butt kicking from a boy that looked much stronger and older than JD. I'm mot sure what school he was from. Late in the 3rd period I think the score was 14-3 or somewhere around there. Then opposing wrestlers coach was screaming "finish this boy, finish this boy" over and over until he was red in the face. With 15 seconds left in the match JD reversed the boy and pinned him with 4 seconds on the clock. He has had his share of big wins since he was little but there was something about it being his freshman year and all the butt kickings he took that year and finally gettting over that hump.

This kid got what he deserved. Running up a big score to only then get pinned.

If I was a coach, I would keep a statistic of how many times you put your opponent on his back in relation to how many pins you have.

40 near falls and 7 pins is terrible.

You get a man on his back, he should get pinned. Get it done, get off the mat, save energy, avoid injury, avoid getting pinned and maximize your team points.

[MaleMatMaid]

Last year at the Army National Gaurd Tourney my son JD McCallister, a freshman at the time, was taking a pretty good butt kicking from a boy that looked much stronger and older than JD. I'm mot sure what school he was from. Late in the 3rd period I think the score was 14-3 or somewhere around there. Then opposing wrestlers coach was screaming "finish this boy, finish this boy" over and over until he was red in the face. With 15 seconds left in the match JD reversed the boy and pinned him with 4 seconds on the clock. He has had his share of big wins since he was little but there was something about it being his freshman year and all the butt kickings he took that year and finally gettting over that hump.

This kid got what he deserved. Running up a big score to only then get pinned.

If I was a coach, I would keep a statistic of how many times you put your opponent on his back in relation to how many pins you have.

40 near falls and 7 pins is terrible.

You get a man on his back, he should get pinned. Get it done, get off the mat, save energy, avoid injury, avoid getting pinned and maximize your team points.

To say that the kid got what he deserved is beyond inaccurate and a tad rude as well. I am not saying that it was the case here, but way too often kids stall or ball up and do not "wrestle" their opponent. If a kid does this, I believe that having the more dominant wrestler continue to try and score until it breaks the opponent is the mentality that everyone should have. The objective is to try and score as much as possible if pinning is not a certain wrestlers forte.

[Bearhugger]

Last year at the Army National Gaurd Tourney my son JD McCallister, a freshman at the time, was taking a pretty good butt kicking from a boy that looked much stronger and older than JD. I'm mot sure what school he was from. Late in the 3rd period I think the score was 14-3 or somewhere around there. Then opposing wrestlers coach was screaming "finish this boy, finish this boy" over and over until he was red in the face. With 15 seconds left in the match JD reversed the boy and pinned him with 4 seconds on the clock. He has had his share of big wins since he was little but there was something about it being his freshman year and all the butt kickings he took that year and finally gettting over that hump.

This kid got what he deserved. Running up a big score to only then get pinned.

If I was a coach, I would keep a statistic of how many times you put your opponent on his back in relation to how many pins you have.

40 near falls and 7 pins is terrible.

You get a man on his back, he should get pinned. Get it done, get off the mat, save energy, avoid injury, avoid getting pinned and maximize your team points.

To say that the kid got what he deserved is beyond inaccurate and a tad rude as well. I am not saying that it was the case here, but way too often kids stall or ball up and do not "wrestle" their opponent. If a kid does this, I believe that having the more dominant wrestler continue to try and score until it breaks the opponent is the mentality that everyone should have. The objective is to try and score as much as possible if pinning is not a certain wrestlers forte.

1. If pinning in not a wrestler's "forte", then he/she better fix that aspect of their game. Putting an opponent on their back is more difficult than pinning them.

2. If a wrestler can score 14 points, then they had to have put their opponent on their back at least twice. Finish the job.

3. I am sorry if I offended you. The only thing I see rude in this story is the rude awakening the wrestler got when he was winning 14-3 and got pinned in the final few seconds.

[MaleMatMaid]

This kid got what he deserved. Running up a big score to only then get pinned.

If I was a coach, I would keep a statistic of how many times you put your opponent on his back in relation to how many pins you have.

40 near falls and 7 pins is terrible.

You get a man on his back, he should get pinned. Get it done, get off the mat, save energy, avoid injury, avoid getting pinned and maximize your team points.

To say that the kid got what he deserved is beyond inaccurate and a tad rude as well. I am not saying that it was the case here, but way too often kids stall or ball up and do not "wrestle" their opponent. If a kid does this, I believe that having the more dominant wrestler continue to try and score until it breaks the opponent is the mentality that everyone should have. The objective is to try and score as much as possible if pinning is not a certain wrestlers forte.

1. If pinning in not a wrestler's "forte", then he/she better fix that aspect of their game. Putting an opponent on their back is more difficult than pinning them.

2. If a wrestler can score 14 points, then they had to have put their opponent on their back at least twice. Finish the job.

3. I am sorry if I offended you. The only thing I see rude in this story is the rude awakening the wrestler got when he was winning 14-3 and got pinned in the final few seconds.

1. There have been a lot of dominant wrestlers that do no pin their opponents as much as you might think. This is even more the case whenever it comes to Collegiate and International wrestlers. Brent Metcalf for example, was a brute that wore down his opponents and often scored in the mid teens every single time he stepped on the mat in college. Sure, he pinned some opponents but more often than not he majored them and still displayed the same or even sometimes more dominance than what a high school kid might show if he pins a "not so good" wrestler. There are several others that fit this scenario as well.

2. Ever heard of a tilt? It is a wrestling move that the top guy uses to expose the back of his opponent to accumulate points. It is not intended to pin an opponent. Again, it is difficult to pin someone or even sometimes score on someone that does not wrestle you back. Or a wrestler could get 7 takedown, and/or an escape.

3. Definitely did not offend me. But, I have seen several posts get deleted and people get banned for less, so just looking out for you It is not a rude awakening if they were dominating a match and then got caught and pinned. It happens, not often, but it does. I would never advise a wrestler to quit wrestling and just lay back whether they're up or down 14 points. You should never stop wrestling regardless of the situation. The kid getting a pin while being down 14-3 is just another example of that, because anything can happen.

[sfc1]

Let's get this thread back on track. I really enjoy hearing these stories because my son and I have so many great memories because of this great sport. My son is a senior this year but due to tearing his ACL in football he is missing this season. I've been reflecting a lot about all our memories so its hard to narrow it down to one. One memory that sticks out is his last year in youth wrestling.We are at the junior states and he never ppreviously placed after going g every year so that was his goal that year. He was in a class with over 20 kids and drew the 3rd seed in the first match. Lost that one so him placing looked bbleak but he was determined. I think he won 3 hard fought matches in a row and he was one match away from placing. When you get to that point there is not much rest between matches in Parkersburg. Maybe 10 minutes. His last match was with the 4 the seed. He ended up winning the match 3 2 in a hard fought match in which he was wore out after running the gauntlet so to speak. As soon as the buzzer went off he ran and jumped in my arms in celebration. I even stepped on and broke my glasses in the celebration. I'll never forget that moment as long as I live.

[sfc1]

Let's get this thread back on track. I really enjoy hearing these stories because my son and I have so many great memories because of this great sport. My son is a senior this year but due to tearing his ACL in football he is missing this season. I've been reflecting a lot about all our memories so its hard to narrow it down to one. One memory that sticks out is his last year in youth wrestling.We are at the junior states and he never ppreviously placed after going g every year so that was his goal that year. He was in a class with over 20 kids and drew the 3rd seed in the first match. Lost that one so him placing looked bbleak but he was determined. I think he won 3 hard fought matches in a row and he was one match away from placing. When you get to that point there is not much rest between matches in Parkersburg. Maybe 10 minutes. His last match was with the 4 the seed. He ended up winning the match 3 2 in a hard fought match in which he was wore out after running the gauntlet so to speak. As soon as the buzzer went off he ran and jumped in my arms in celebration. I even stepped on and broke my glasses in the celebration. I'll never forget that moment as long as I live.

[P.H.D.]

My favorite wrestling memory(true story): I took my boy to a tournament, he won first place, he also won most outstanding wrestler, I won the 50/50 for $240 and they were giving away the left over pizza afterward. The End

[Bearhugger]

My favorite wrestling memory(true story): I took my boy to a tournament, he won first place, he also won most outstanding wrestler, I won the 50/50 for $240 and they were giving away the left over pizza afterward. The End

INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bearhugger]

To say that the kid got what he deserved is beyond inaccurate and a tad rude as well. I am not saying that it was the case here, but way too often kids stall or ball up and do not "wrestle" their opponent. If a kid does this, I believe that having the more dominant wrestler continue to try and score until it breaks the opponent is the mentality that everyone should have. The objective is to try and score as much as possible if pinning is not a certain wrestlers forte.

1. If pinning in not a wrestler's "forte", then he/she better fix that aspect of their game. Putting an opponent on their back is more difficult than pinning them.

2. If a wrestler can score 14 points, then they had to have put their opponent on their back at least twice. Finish the job.

3. I am sorry if I offended you. The only thing I see rude in this story is the rude awakening the wrestler got when he was winning 14-3 and got pinned in the final few seconds.

1. There have been a lot of dominant wrestlers that do no pin their opponents as much as you might think. This is even more the case whenever it comes to Collegiate and International wrestlers. Brent Metcalf for example, was a brute that wore down his opponents and often scored in the mid teens every single time he stepped on the mat in college. Sure, he pinned some opponents but more often than not he majored them and still displayed the same or even sometimes more dominance than what a high school kid might show if he pins a "not so good" wrestler. There are several others that fit this scenario as well.

2. Ever heard of a tilt? It is a wrestling move that the top guy uses to expose the back of his opponent to accumulate points. It is not intended to pin an opponent. Again, it is difficult to pin someone or even sometimes score on someone that does not wrestle you back. Or a wrestler could get 7 takedown, and/or an escape.

3. Definitely did not offend me. But, I have seen several posts get deleted and people get banned for less, so just looking out for you It is not a rude awakening if they were dominating a match and then got caught and pinned. It happens, not often, but it does. I would never advise a wrestler to quit wrestling and just lay back whether they're up or down 14 points. You should never stop wrestling regardless of the situation. The kid getting a pin while being down 14-3 is just another example of that, because anything can happen.

I am sure Brent Metcalf pinned plenty of people at the high school level in his high school days. College wrestling has the nation's best wrestling the nation's best. On a weekend tournament in West Virginia, you might have some kid they picked up out of the hallway on Monday, taught him a cowboy and a cradle and throw him out there once he gets enough practices in.

I saw a kid get pinned with a tilt tonight at the East Fairmont/North Marion/Independence Tri.

As for anything can happen? I saw that tonight too. Anything did happen a few times. The better wrestlers lost. One got caught early. One got caught with little time left.

If you put your opponent on his back, then you should try to pin him. There is no good argument to let him off.

[coach_williams]

I have a lot of great memories with my son in his wrestling career so far. His first pin was a pretty cool one. It was funny because my son and the kid he was wrestling with were so green that when the ref on another mat blew his whistle our guys just quit wrestling and got up and walked away, until us coaches (who were all freaking out) convinced them to keep going.

But the big one that sticks out in my mind is this past year at WVYWA States Championships. My son Jordan was wrestling in the semi-finals against Matthew Jenkins from Moorefield. At the start of the 3rd Jordan had chosen bottom (Frank would be proud) and in the midst of getting a reversal he lifted Jenkins' leg to step across and Jenkins yelled out in pain. We found out later that Jenkins had severely injured his hip a couple of times and it had never been right. In spite of being in a lot of pain Jenkins decided to wrestle on. Jordan ended up winning the match, I think by a score of 4-0. At the end of the match Jordan got off of Jenkins and walked to the middle of the mat like normal. Then he realized Jenkins wasn't coming and looked back to see Jenkins in a lot of pain and still trying to get up off of the mat. He went back over, helped Jenkins up who couldn't put any weight on his one leg, pulled Jenkins' arm over his shoulder and helped him off of the mat. The ref had to stop Jordan and pull his hand free just so he could raise Jordan's hand for the victory. Jordan was more concerned with helping his fellow wrestler who was injured than getting his hand raised for the victory. I won't deny, I shed some tears. The combination of seeing Jenkins fight on through an injury that was clearly overwhelmingly painful and Jordan putting sportsmanship before recognition for the victory was almost too much for this old man to handle. I was and am still very proud of both of them.

[hurrmat1]

.than ran to me lifting me in the air and saying the words I will never forget...WE DID IT DAD...WE DID IT!
Long journey...well worth it...12 years of work.... for 6 minutes of glory ...but a lifetime of memories.

That teared me up. Every dad would love be to hear it. Definitely worth it.

Definitely pulled at the heart strings on that one......... I have seen that moment in my mind a million times and imagined what it would feel like. Last year my son was close......lost in the semi's 1-0. It was gut wrenching to see the look on his face when the run was over. He is a senior this year, working hard, so one last chance.

My favorite memories are threefold. So bear with me, they come from the angle of a dad and a coach.

1. When my son's first started wrestling, they were 8 and 9 years old. My youngest son, Kaleb, never won a match his first year, through the regular season. You could tell it ate at him a little because his older brother was experiencing some success. He was always kinda nervous and a bit timid, but he worked hard in the room and tried hard. In the conference tournament he finally scored his first win. I know it was small, but to him it was like winning the Olympics. As a dad, you cannot put a price on how that feels to see your son do something he didn't think he could do. He no longer wrestles, stopped his freshman year, but the sport really gave him work ethic, confidence, and helped him become more outgoing.

2. My other son, Joshua, who is a senior this year......the bond that this sport has given he and I is unable to be matched. The road trips to National events, open tournaments, the countless hours in the room together, breaking down film together.... I can't ever give enough back to pay back what wrestling has done for us. I am just proud of who he is, he is never boastful, never rude or a bad sport, has never been the most talented, or been considered the top dog. but has never been outworked, and he tries to represent himself and his family with class. I have been approached by numerous coaches who comment on those qualities about him, and it just makes me proud.

3. I was contacted by one of the wrestlers I helped coach a few weeks back. He was a senior last year, graduated, and was going into the Navy. The night before he left for boot camp, he called me and thanked me for being his coach and for everything I had ever done for him. Choked me up, made me proud. That is the kind of thing and memory I love about this sport......helping shape and lead kids into being good people and productive adults.

Sorry so long......

[cp813]

I also have many great memories, most of which just watching with my dad(never had perfect attendance in school growing up as we always missed thurs and fri for state tournament); I loved wrestling myself but never very good for I lacked the ability to "flip the Switch" when I was younger. But back to topic; I had just turned 22 years old, still in college and lost my dad just a month b4 the state tournament. I just went down for Sat only that year with my uncle, mom and soon to be wife. I had many a tears that day but I will never forget watching Brandon Rader become the first 4x champ in PHS history and thinking how happy my dad would have been and for some reason the rest of that night the pain of losing him faded away with peace and happiness coming over me. I now get to make great memories with my son as we continue our family tradition of attending the state tournament every yr and hope one day he will have favorite wrestling memories as I do.

[Geoswaff]

So I had mine this weekend at Braxton. In his 4th three round Battle, and after losing to Triplet for the the third time this year (well get him again next weekend), my boy is exhausted and getting totally spanked by Kee from Hoover 13-1. He somehow fights out of a chicken wing, gets neutral and immediately he gets taken to his butt on a single leg. I don't know where it came from, but he digs deep and reaches for the leg, laces in the other leg, and cranks over the spladle for the the win and 3rd place at 132 at Braxton.

[sugarbear]

I actually have a picture of it but couldn't get it to attach but my oldest son Trey was 8 years old. He had been wrestling since he was 3 for the East Fairmont peewee program and was competitive but we called him the king of 3rd place. It never really mattered where he went he could find away to lose the first match of the day and battle back the rest of the day. It didnt matter if it was at the Panther Open, Jr states or the viper pit he would come up a little short of his goal. His little brother started that year and I believe was the #1 seed something that Trey had experienced once and got introduced to Josh Humphries, Hunter Moore and Zane Hinesman in 3 consecutive matches I believe., Soooo long ago. Anyway, Gavin was feisty and ended up in the finals match battling a little boy by the Name of Cale Nick It was a great 4u 40lb match lol. Full of locked hands and illegal headlocks and such but in the end Gavin won. He had no idea what was going on really, he won all the time it really came natural to him or maybe it was little brother syndrome. His brother knew, I remember wondering if he would be green with jealousy or maybe even a little bitter. I remember it like yesterday his response was beautiful. The ref was turning Gavin around raising his hand for the cameras along side the mat in Parkersburgs Gym. Gavin had this confused look and was wondering in what direction to go to shake hands with the other coach. After shaking hands, the memory or moment happened, as Gavin turned to come to us in his corner Trey like a bullet from a gun grabbed him, held him up in the air and held him as huge tears ran down his face. His brother has just won what was the Olympics to him when he was 8. So I have a picture of that moment in my office and burned into my mind of my two boys!