In response to Michel Luellen's post.....
Since this weekend I have had it put on my heart to post regarding the booing. This morning I prayed on whether or not to go through with it and then I opened this post and read Michaels comment. This is exactly what I felt led to write about.

I have to say I was so proud to be part of USA wrestling this weekend when the mats were crowded with people praying before the matches began. Only in Kansas!! I was overwhelmed. But on the flipside, I was ashamed to be part of it when all the booing against TOHK began. I am reading both sides of the arguement about booing, those that say that TOHK get what they deserve and then the posts like michaels. If we truly are the christians that we demonstrated through our opening prayer, we know what the bible teaches and it is not "Do unto others as they have done unto you",(if in fact, they've done anything to you at all) it is "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". This means it has to end somewhere. We have to start by being the example. No one changes through hate. And the sad part is that most people are just jumping on the bandwagon! Hate is contagious. I saw this from the section I was sitting in. There were guests in our section, kids, clapping and joining in because hate is just that contagious. What are we teaching our kids? Wouldn't it be great if love were that contagious? It can be, but it is just not the natural thing to do. It takes practice, it takes going against what everyone else is doing. It takes character. It takes Christs true presence in your life.

From the first booing, I thought about the poor kids on the mat who have to feel like everyone in the place is against them. Even if the coaches can teach the kids to fuel off this anger, in working with children anyone knows how tender an ego is. If we are taught to react to hate, what does that develop? MORE HATE! The greatest commandment is to love. If we cannot do this for the team at least we could do it for the child. A child taught through love is going to turn out much better than one taught to fuel from hate, even if they do win wrestling matches.

Bottom line, the booing is ridiculous, destructive and senseless. What if it was your kid being booed? Could anything good come from it?

I'm off my soapbox. Let the persecution begin.....

Connie Weiss, RWC