Wrestling Blogs - Jim Brown

Because they care

I wish that two of the “enemies” of University of Oregon wrestling had been in Cedar Rapids this weekend. In one of his comments justifying the elimination of the Duck wrestling team, U of O athletic director, Pat Kilkenny, said that, “wrestling is no longer relevant” (to today’s college student). In a recent article in the Oregon Daily Emerald, sports reporter Jeffrey Dransfeldt, implied that no one cares about wrestling.

http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2008/02/19/Sports/Wrestling.Is.Being.Cut.But.Do.You.or.I.Really.Care-3218598.shtml

Well Mr. Kilkenny and Mr. Dransfeldt – I sure wish you had been here for the NCAA Division III wrestling championships.

Families

Wrestlers’ mothers are some of my favorite people. I’ve known and watched many of them support their sons over the years. For many moms the ten minutes real time that a match lasts is pure agony. This weekend I witnessed a phenomenon that I’ve seen dozens of times. A mom in front of me could not remain seated with her friends and family during her son’s matches. She paced, twisted, yelled and covered her eyes. Friday night when her son was guaranteed All-American status she celebrated. Saturday morning, when he lost 2 tough matches to fall to 8th – she cried.

There were also tears of a different sort. The weeping and hugging of the Bonora family when Michael (Rhode Island) won the 141-pound championship was heartwarming. Why all this emotion? – because they care.

Administrators

This was a well-run tournament. I’m sure that someone, somewhere, had some complaints – someone always does. However, every comment I heard was positive and the news that the tournament would once again be in Cedar Rapids next year was generally well received. As one fan told me – “I’m booking next year’s room tonight.”

Why did tournament director and Cornell College AD, Dick Simmons, get out and sweep the mat himself before the finals? – because he cares.

Fans

“L-A-X, L-A-X, L-A-X!” Starting well before Friday morning’s opening session, the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse students made their presence felt. Not to be outdone, the kids from Luther College rose to answer the challenge. Their boisterous competition finally encouraged the larger contingents from Wartburg and Coe to join in.

The Division III Championships face a scheduling challenge - they are almost always on the same weekend as the Division I qualifying tournaments. Many fans choose to go the large school events. This weekend the Big Ten tournament attracted many fans from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois that might otherwise have traveled to Cedar Rapids. Still, well over 7,000 fans (the third largest attendance in DIII history) viewed the championships. Next year we’re going to break 10,000 – and thus – the record. Why? – because we care.

Coaches

As the father of a former college athlete, Saturday’s finals contained a particularly poignant scene for me. Coach Jim Miller’s Wartburg Knights handily won the team title. However, his son TJ was beaten in his bid to win a second individual championship and, in a moment when he probably most wanted to console his son, coach Miller was called out to present the championship trophy to Romeo Djoumessi, Wartburg’s 184-pounder. It had to have been the ultimate in bittersweet moments.

Some Division I football coaches make obscene amounts of money. Wrestling coaches – especially in Division III – are paid considerably less. Because they have no athletic scholarships to offer, the best DIII coaches become experts in selling the academic strengths of their institutions. Such salesmanship could earn them far more in other walks of life. So why do they coach? – because they care.

The student athletes

During the heavyweight finals, announcer Sandy Stevens noted that each of the combatants had 3.85 GPAs: Wartburg’s Bryan Borchers in math and UW-La Crosse’s champion Dan Laurent in bio-chemistry. I don’t know his academic major, but if MIT’s 3rd-place heavyweight, Glenn Geesman, attacks the rest of life’s challenges the way he attacks his opponents on the mat – he will overcome them.

Division III athletes get no athletic scholarships. The chances that any of this weekend’s competitors goes on to Olympic wrestling glory are very slim indeed. Some will become teachers and coaches and perhaps develop the next Cael Sanderson.

Many will become, doctors and lawyers and entrepreneurs – maybe even a Nobel laureate, credited with saving millions from starvation. Some, like this year’s heavyweight award presenter and former Cornell grappler, Richard Small, will endow future educational opportunities for our children and grandchildren. Why do these young men work so hard to be top students and athletes? – because they care.

Why, Mr. Kilkenny, have thousands of people petitioned to save your wrestling team? Why, Mr. Dransfeldt, have hundreds of people responded in outrage to your “opinion piece”? Why have donors contributed over $2.5 million to make your wrestling team self-funding? – because they care.

Help save Oregon wrestling.

www.saveoregonwrestling.com