So, my very match was like 2 1/2 weeks after I started wrestling.
Was I:
A. super nervous
B. feeling unprepared
C. still sore from my first practice
D. all of the above
HAHA.. you guessed it.. all of the above. It was this little JV tournament.. but I was still scared out of my mind. I knew 2 takedowns, 1move from on top, 1 move from on bottom (none of them very well). And I knew to fight like hell if I got put on my back. But my coach told me if I knew one takedown and how to run a half I'd be fine cause I could pin the guy and be on my way..
First two maches I get completly rawked.. ok maybe not completly; I know I lost and I know I broke my nose. But turns out I was wrestling guys that had been wrestling for years; they just happened to be JV cause they were behind Seniors in the line up.. FANTASTIC.. seriously, these guys' arms were the size of my head
3rd match I go out there; and I am facing this guy; who's name is Mack. (don't remember his last name) The kid looked kind of scrawny compared to the other 140 pounders I had just wrestled and I figured at least he wouldn't kill me; obviously my confidence was a bit down. My coach and one of the Varsity guys that was there helping out took me aside and tried to pump me up. By pump me up I mean piss me off.. saying the guy was talking trash about me being a girl.. that he would pin me is less then a minute.. blah blah.
So I want you all to try and picture this..
I'm 16 years old; 140 lbs; built like a swimmer (cause that's all I did for years was focus on swimming); I have the beginnings of two black eyes, my nose is already starting to bruise, and my coach (who is like 280 on a good day) and our 215 pounder are in my face shaking me around smacking my arms trying to get me pumped up. Just for claritys sake I will mention that these guys are both black.. I really want you to get a good mental picture of this whole thing.
So now not only is my pride hurt, but I am pissed too, and my nose hurts, and the two guys that beat me have decided to rally behind me and are yelling advice to me as I walk onto the mat. Great.
My coach grabs my arm before I walk out and says "Just wrestle smart"
Ok.. I barley know how to wrestle, let alone wrestle smart. What I do know is that wrestling is about catching your opponent off guard; even if it's just for a second. I also know the sooner I get off the mat the sooner I can go ice my nose. I've also decided I'm not walking out of this tournament 0-3.
We go out and shake hands and the ref blows the whistle.
I don't even think it was done sounding before I shot; what has to be the worst shots in the history of the sport; I mean.. I don't know for sure but I bet it looked real bad.
It also caught the guy off guard cause he went down, right to his back.
My coaches are screaming, the two kids I wrestled are screaming and I can barely hear them cause the gym is loud.
I'm so stunned that I actually took the kid down that he gets to his belly before I have a chance to try and pin him. We scramble along for a bit and go out of bounds; and my nose is bleeding..
So I get blood time and as the 215 pounder is shoving cotton up my nose my coach is telling me that he will kick my ass if I ever take someone to their back and dont at leas try for a pin again. His actual words "I will kick your ass".
So now I'm being threatened too. Not that it matters; cause I'm winning! I am now pumped. We start wrestling again and the guy tries to shoot and I sprawl back as hard as I can. He goes down and I spin behind him for more points.. yea me!
I look up and my coach is doing all these crazy hand gestures.. basiclly taking his right arm and arching it in the air across his body.. he wants me to run a half.. so I do.
And I pin the kid!!! Everyone is pumped (except the kid who looks like his world just ended) my coaches are hugging me my team is screaming.. and oddly.. so is everyone else.
Turns out even though I went 1-2 I was still the crowd favorite that night. What makes it even more awesome was one of the kids that beat me went to the same school as the kid I beat. (his whole team was cheering for me too)
It was one of my most memorable moments. It may not have been if I didn't become friends with alot of the guys that were there.. they always liked to tell the story of the girl that had her nose broken and came back to win in her first tournament ever. Even after I won states or moved out to the OTC it was always.. yeah thats great.. but do you remember when you wrestled Mack...
Negative thing today- I was doin power cleans and as I was coming up with the bar I slammed it into my bad knee. HOLY SHItBALLS did that hurt. 
Positive things today- I was able to shake of my sucky knee pain and finish my lift (and bump up my squat weights.. yea!
You're perhaps not in COS during Xmas?! Sad! Well, if you have to be back by January 2, I should still be there, so we should do something if you have the time. That's pretty coincidental that you were in Chula Vista at the beginning of this year, though. If only I had known...
I cannot even believe the "La De Da" set was rejected! No way! Well, that was a really stupid decision on the part of SG, then. I have to admit, now that I know it was a set, I'm dying to see the whole thing!
Art majors rule! I majored in music at CSUDH (a California State University in L.A.), so I'm speaking from experience. I worked really hard there, but we also had some amazingly great times with some brilliant people. (You know, I haven't thought about it in a long time, but it's sad that I'll probably never see most of them ever again. So, treasure your time there, you know?) What school are you going to?
Did you just have knee surgery? At 23? Dang. What'd you do? You sound pretty intense in your wrestling, so did you tweak it in a match or something? I've actually never skiied before in my life, but it's not for fear of the lift, more like a fear of fucking up my knee or killing myself. (Not really, though. I just never really had that much of a drive to do it, I suppose. Not saying I wouldn't, just haven't yet.)
You know, I heard that people are generally kind of nasty and ill-tempered in Florida, especially Orlando. But then, of course, I also heard completely the opposite, so how did they seem to you down there? How did you like living down there in general? I'm sure you still have many friends down there, so don't think I'm trying to dis, I'm just saying what I've heard.
Anyway, you sound like a great, intriguing person, so I hope to hear back from you soon. And I hope you're having a great night up there in cold, wintery land...