Two Noble Wrestlers

It must be the end of the wrestling season. I only know this because of two stories that have recently crossed my desk that I wanted to share.
The first is about a home schooled wrestler from Iowa that chose to not compete in his sectional matches. The story reads: “... when Northrup, one of the state’s best 112-pound wrestlers with a record of 35 wins and only four defeats this year, realized that his first-round opponent in the high school finals would be 15-year-old Cassy Herkelman — a girl — he quietly and graciously bowed out of the match, saying that his Christian values forbade him from fighting someone of the opposite sex.”

The important point in this story, however, is not who won or lost an athletic competition, but that a young man chose to sacrifice a goal he had worked diligently for years to reach because he had been taught early on that there are more important things in life than the trophies and accolades given by men.

The second heart melting story is from not only our state but also our county.  Our town's newspaper reported that a local wrestler should have been awarded a victory over the No. 2-ranked 135 pounder in the state. The reining champion, a senior, matched up with our hometown hero, a freshman, at the first round of semi state. The senior, in pure excitement of the moment and filled with adrenaline, accidentally dropped the freshman on his head. The article read: “Since it is illegal to slam an opponent on his head, [the freshman] could have been awarded the victory. In wrestling, if a competitor performs an illegal move that results in the opponent being injured and not able to finish the match, the wrestler that is injured is awarded the victory.”

That could have been the end of the story. But it isn’t. If the underclassman chose to take the victory by default it would have ended the senior’s chances of winning state. It would have ended his high school wrestling career. The article continues, “That’s not what [the freshman] wanted. If he was going to be given a victory over such a high-profile wrestler, he wanted to earn it on the mat, not on a legality that was the result of an accident.”

The freshman withdrew from the completion giving the senior the ability to advance to the next round. He then went onto win semi state and is undefeated. After the completive day the senior’s dad called to see if there was anything they could do for the injured freshman. He could have asked for anything. Anything. But instead his request was simple. All he wanted was the chance to learn from the best and have the champion upperclassman (and his brothers who apparently are great wrestlers also) come to our town and give his team some tips of his trade. The local freshman was quoted as saying, “He is a senior and this is his last year. I have three more years to leave my mark. It was only right not taking away his chance at this. I will be at state rooting for him to win it.”

A true champion is someone who stands firm in defense of a high and noble ideal, regardless of the personal cost. Whether or not any of these young men ever go on to win a state title in high school wrestling, one thing is certain: They has proven themselves champions in my book.