As I sat in the stands last weekend waiting for my son to wrestle, tears started to well in my eyes. I realized I was about to watch him wrestle for the last time. Win or lose, it was over. No more nightly laundry bags, full of clothes so sweaty & smelly I shuddered to touch them. No more wrestling shoes drying by the heater at night. Never again to arise at 4:30 to pack your lunch before sending you off to weigh-in. No more riding for hours to towns unknown to sit in a smelly gym all day on hard, uncomfortable, crowded bleachers, in order to cheer you on, waiting for hours between matches so I wouldn't miss that next match. No more triumphs when your arm was raised, no more sorrow when you left the mat after an unhappy loss. Will you wrestle next year? Maybe, maybe not. But it will never be the same.

You see, wrestling has dominated my life for 4 seasons, for 4 years. It is the one sport that you allow me to fully share, and for that, I thank you for taking me on such an amazing journey. I am SO proud of you!