I was about to leave for West Point as a young 18 year old
knowing that I had some tough years ahead of me. My wrestling coach, Gary
Mimms, sensed my apprehension and simply stated a fact. He said, "Paul,
you are a wrestler and if you can wrestle you can do anything." I
have kept that thought with me my whole life and it has stood the test of time
from West Point to the Army to marriage and beyond to my two boys who I am
proud to say are wrestlers. Always remember what my great coach said as it will
be a motto for all wrestlers to live by whether they take wrestling from the
Olympics or not!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Story by Carlos Flores
What does wrestling mean to me:
I have a history with wrestling. My Uncle Ernie wrestled for the youth program in Hart Michigan when we were young. I was one of my many cousins that became his practice dummies. I recall the many times he locked up a crossface cradle squeezed the hell out of me. Later, in the 8th grade Doug Twa, my science teacher at Steele Junior High told me that that wrestling is starting after school and he wanted me to come out for the team. I worked really hard and right before our 1st home meet he named me captain of the team. I was successful early in middle school and in the 9th grade some of my teammates from middle school went out for the high school team. I remember us freshman walking in to the wrestling room for the 1st time. New Coach Mike Wenk did an awesome job as a 1st year coach with a team full of novice. Coach Wenk invested a lot in me and I remember the many things he did off the mat that helped me become a better athlete, student, and person. In my 10th grade year Coach James took over the Big Red Wrestling Machine and things started to change. Coach pushed us and challenged us to push ourselves, he immediately demanded a new attitude and work ethic. The years on the mat under Coach James defined me and taught me many lessons. We became successful, we didn’t win a state tournament but we gave it a good run. There are many memories that I still recall and smile. Beating state ranked Grandville, Hesperia, and dominating the city tournament. I did pretty well on the mat but my best memories are from the team hardware we brought home. I remember a band of brothers that worked their assess off to achieve a goal. We pushed ourselves past our limits, to this day I wonder what my lifetime push up count is. Some thing happened along the way.
I have a history with wrestling. My Uncle Ernie wrestled for the youth program in Hart Michigan when we were young. I was one of my many cousins that became his practice dummies. I recall the many times he locked up a crossface cradle squeezed the hell out of me. Later, in the 8th grade Doug Twa, my science teacher at Steele Junior High told me that that wrestling is starting after school and he wanted me to come out for the team. I worked really hard and right before our 1st home meet he named me captain of the team. I was successful early in middle school and in the 9th grade some of my teammates from middle school went out for the high school team. I remember us freshman walking in to the wrestling room for the 1st time. New Coach Mike Wenk did an awesome job as a 1st year coach with a team full of novice. Coach Wenk invested a lot in me and I remember the many things he did off the mat that helped me become a better athlete, student, and person. In my 10th grade year Coach James took over the Big Red Wrestling Machine and things started to change. Coach pushed us and challenged us to push ourselves, he immediately demanded a new attitude and work ethic. The years on the mat under Coach James defined me and taught me many lessons. We became successful, we didn’t win a state tournament but we gave it a good run. There are many memories that I still recall and smile. Beating state ranked Grandville, Hesperia, and dominating the city tournament. I did pretty well on the mat but my best memories are from the team hardware we brought home. I remember a band of brothers that worked their assess off to achieve a goal. We pushed ourselves past our limits, to this day I wonder what my lifetime push up count is. Some thing happened along the way.
I stopped getting in to trouble. My grades went up
(enough that I was eligible at least), and I learned about sacrifice, hard work
and toughness. Coach always said, “there is no substitute for hard work” and I
still can hear him sayin it. I also remember him telling us to take the lessons
from the mat & apply them to life. I remember the tough times later,
working 12 hours, 7 days a week in a factory and still taking a full load of
classes at GVSU, barely sleeping, a non existent social life but I did it, when
times got tough I recalled the days of 5 am runs, loosing 4-7 pounds in a practice,
running after I got out of work at Plumb’s Grocery Store at night, and of
course eating approximately 3 days a week. I knew if I could make it through
wrestling season I can make through anything. My wrestling career didn’t end
the way I wanted, I didn‘t wrestle in college, or at all after high school. But
that’s ok.
I stated coaching very young. I was 20 when I got the coaching job at Steele Middle School. I remember sitting in the athletic office with Mr. Heckaman and him telling me the main reason he is giving me a shot at the coaching job was because the dedication I showed as a volunteer assistant at the high school and how hard I worked as an athlete in high school. He would let us in the pool room to run during gym class because we had to make weight. The years coaching Steele were some of my favorite times. We had great teams and kids still stick out. Antwon Jones, Floyd Banks, Mario Bradford, Joe German, Chad Forward, Ed Knox to name a few but there are many others. Later I became the varsity coach and I was so excited to take over. I remember all the time I spent with the kids and I remember loving every minute of it. I stepped down from coaching so I could get my degree. I finished school and got a job teaching at my alma mater. Later I was named head coach again and I was back at it. Teaching and coaching is a 90+ hour job but it’s the best job on earth. There was a new batch of kids, My captain, Fluarry Jackson, Desmond Colvin, the hardest workin kid in my wrestling room, Kiara Lane my fireball 103 pounder, Carlin Landingham my heavyweight and many more awesome kids that came though the program. It is immeasurable what a wrestling coach does. It’s long hours for the love of the sport and our student-athletes. To this day, many of the boys that wrestled for me over the years are friends now, many have accomplished great things, the most important they know honor, character, dedication, discipline and hard work.
So in regards to the queston: I would not have achieved the things I have in life without wrestling. You can look at the data of the future of a young Hispanic youth from a broken home, living in poverty with parents that didn’t graduate from high school, what is the statistical future of a youth with my background? The data suggest that I wouldn’t graduate from college or be 6 credits from earning my Master‘s Degree. To be blunt, I wouldn’t have achieved the things I have without the lessons from the mat
I love that we are different, we can go hard, the fight we have, I am honored to be in the fraternity. I’m honored that I helped the boys in any way I could because it is the only way I can repay those that invested in me. I will be 40 this year, and I can honestly say I am still worried that my coaches are proud of me, I see some of them once in a while I hope they are happy with the path I have chosen. I hope one of my wrestlers will feel the same. My kids deal with a diverse set of challenges in the area we are in, but they can grind through it. I want to build a toughness in them on the mat and I want them to rely on that when things get hard in life. I am thankful for wrestling, wrestling is my 1st love, my heart starts pumpin when 2 guys are about to do battle, I want success for the Big Red Program and I want young wrestlers to dream big and work towards the highest stage, the middle mat where glory is won.
I have stepped down as head coach because I have a daughter and being a good father is my first priority, Coach Crowley welcomes me back in the room and lets to run some drills. I am hopeful that someday I will have my own program again.
Losing wrestling in the Olympics will cause a ripple effect that will decline collegiate and scholastic participation and program cancellation. In almost every city here and communities around the world wrestling is teaching the principals needed to be successful. The greatest loss will be the life lessons that help us when the life presents challenges. “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy” Coach Gable
Carlos Flores
I stated coaching very young. I was 20 when I got the coaching job at Steele Middle School. I remember sitting in the athletic office with Mr. Heckaman and him telling me the main reason he is giving me a shot at the coaching job was because the dedication I showed as a volunteer assistant at the high school and how hard I worked as an athlete in high school. He would let us in the pool room to run during gym class because we had to make weight. The years coaching Steele were some of my favorite times. We had great teams and kids still stick out. Antwon Jones, Floyd Banks, Mario Bradford, Joe German, Chad Forward, Ed Knox to name a few but there are many others. Later I became the varsity coach and I was so excited to take over. I remember all the time I spent with the kids and I remember loving every minute of it. I stepped down from coaching so I could get my degree. I finished school and got a job teaching at my alma mater. Later I was named head coach again and I was back at it. Teaching and coaching is a 90+ hour job but it’s the best job on earth. There was a new batch of kids, My captain, Fluarry Jackson, Desmond Colvin, the hardest workin kid in my wrestling room, Kiara Lane my fireball 103 pounder, Carlin Landingham my heavyweight and many more awesome kids that came though the program. It is immeasurable what a wrestling coach does. It’s long hours for the love of the sport and our student-athletes. To this day, many of the boys that wrestled for me over the years are friends now, many have accomplished great things, the most important they know honor, character, dedication, discipline and hard work.
So in regards to the queston: I would not have achieved the things I have in life without wrestling. You can look at the data of the future of a young Hispanic youth from a broken home, living in poverty with parents that didn’t graduate from high school, what is the statistical future of a youth with my background? The data suggest that I wouldn’t graduate from college or be 6 credits from earning my Master‘s Degree. To be blunt, I wouldn’t have achieved the things I have without the lessons from the mat
I love that we are different, we can go hard, the fight we have, I am honored to be in the fraternity. I’m honored that I helped the boys in any way I could because it is the only way I can repay those that invested in me. I will be 40 this year, and I can honestly say I am still worried that my coaches are proud of me, I see some of them once in a while I hope they are happy with the path I have chosen. I hope one of my wrestlers will feel the same. My kids deal with a diverse set of challenges in the area we are in, but they can grind through it. I want to build a toughness in them on the mat and I want them to rely on that when things get hard in life. I am thankful for wrestling, wrestling is my 1st love, my heart starts pumpin when 2 guys are about to do battle, I want success for the Big Red Program and I want young wrestlers to dream big and work towards the highest stage, the middle mat where glory is won.
I have stepped down as head coach because I have a daughter and being a good father is my first priority, Coach Crowley welcomes me back in the room and lets to run some drills. I am hopeful that someday I will have my own program again.
Losing wrestling in the Olympics will cause a ripple effect that will decline collegiate and scholastic participation and program cancellation. In almost every city here and communities around the world wrestling is teaching the principals needed to be successful. The greatest loss will be the life lessons that help us when the life presents challenges. “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy” Coach Gable
Carlos Flores
Story by Harley Williamson
- Well I used to go to my big brothers wrestling practice with him all the time and I loved it but i had to stop for a little while but a year ago he got me in a club (tri-citys wolf pack) and my parents noticed that I loved it and put me in a tournament after three weeks of practice. I was so happy that my brother could come and watch me wrestling in my second match. This was during freestyle I got a college move pulled on me and I landed strait on my head. My coach went out there and picked me up of the mat and went to shake the other coaches hand. I did not know my name after that for a while and I went to the next practice and my coaches were surprised I came back. I've worked hard every day after that. Now I’m the rookie state champ of the 85-pound division and the captain of my wrestling team and I will love wrestling every day of my life!
Story by Cedrick Miller
Here is my family, most of them graduated in 2011 however we are a huge family. We fight, laugh and compete with eachother. All of us have our differences, either we are gay, straight, color blind, deaf etc... we don't care about that. Wrestling teaches us how to use our differences to win a match. For instance; I thought I was too skinny, but nope my coach took that out of my head quickly, he turned me into a skinny machine, he taught me the advantages of being tall and skinny.
I started wrestling in Germany at age 12, I had no repect for the sport but I only did it because my older brother was my mentor and I wanted to be just like him. During my wrestling journey I grew to love it dearly! As a kid I always got picked on because of my girly habits, being called a fruitcake hurt me but I never did anything about it. Wrestling helped me release that anger, putting my sweat, blood, and tears actually made me feel better. Stripping this sport away from the Olympics takes dreams away from kids, it takes that courage away from the one who gets bullied, it rips away hope for that one with the low self esteem. Most of us are only good at one thing in life and that's wrestling. After college what do wrestlers look foward to in the future if Olympic wrestling was taken away? Exactly nothing at all but that fake WWE crap! Keep wrestling in the Olympics because it teachhes kids discipline, kids like me how to stick up for themselves, and also a endless friendship with fellow wrestlers, because wrestlers understand wrestlers, we do what we love, and just like a real match expect us to keep striking until we get that win, be warned we won't stop until its put back past the year 2020. Wrestling was the wrong sport to mess with! Thankyou.
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