I grew up in a town that loved wrestling, my husband however had never been around the sport. Our son, Alex, is 6 now. He started wrestling when he was 4. We put him in wrestling at this young of age in order for him to gain confidence and to learn self defense. Alex had played baseball and was great at it. He is an amazing athlete for his young age. When he was in preschool he got picked on and bullied a lot because he was a quiet and small boy compared to the others. He started getting bullied on a daily basis and would never stand up for himself. He was afraid of getting in trouble. As a parent it is heart breaking. The day that flipped our switches was when Alex was asleep at nap time and a kid kicked him in the face. That infuriated us.
I am a high school teacher, so I went to the wrestling coach and asked how young kids could be to join the youth club. We joined the club, but didn't quite know what to expect. Alex was such a quiet and sweet little boy. We were hoping it did not scare him. The first practice he asked us if we were going to put him in a cage...lol...he has seen MMA with his dad. He completely surprised us during the first practice. He did a great job and had fun!
His first year, he was a 2 time Texas State Champ and won 2 of the Iron Man Series Tournaments. From the wrestling exposure his confidence built! He became the leader of his class, he was not a bully but stood up for kids that were getting bullied, he was more confident in his class work. Our little boy came out of his shell!
This year, his second year, he won 2 more Texas State Championships and won 2 more Iron Man Series Tournaments. He is now in kindergarten and is a very "famous" wrestler to his classmates! If he gets picked on now, he warns the kid that he will take him down in a double leg, or tie him in a knot. The kids tend to leave him alone most of the time. He knows to never be a bully, but standing up for yourself is okay.
Alex won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award and the King Pin award for our club this year. He is the smallest and youngest kid on the team. The older kids are wonderful with him. Alex is an only child in our family, but he has gained many, many brothers with our wrestling family!
He is in baseball season right now, but asks every day when he can go back to wrestling. Wrestling is his passion and he loves it so much. His dream is to become an Olympic Wrestler. In kindergarten they ask the kids what they want to be when they grow up. Alex's answer is to be an Olympic Wrestler. The decision to take wrestling out of the Olympics breaks our hearts. We haven't broke the news to Alex yet. We are hoping they come to their senses!
Last year we took Alex to Disney World for our first family vacation. That is where he dreamed of going and we promised when he was 5 he could go. This year we asked him where he wanted to go for vacation. He said he wanted to see Olympic Wrestlers! So, we are going to Colorado Springs this summer to see Olympic Wrestlers. Last year his heroes were Disney characters, this year his heroes are Wrestlers!
I am a huge advocate for the sport of wrestling. It is so different from any other sport. Wrestling has built the confidence in my son they he couldn't find anywhere else. I truly believe that wrestling is the greatest sport in the world!
Sincerely,
Kelli Bilbrey
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