Today we had our first practice. It was about 1 1/2 hrs of hard drilling culminating with 30 minutes of live on our feet and on the mat. Today was interesting because after 2 weeks of strict drilling to lay our groundwork for the system we want our wrestlers to use this was the first real chance we have had to see them implement it in a live scenario. As with any coach, you tend to focus on what the guys are struggling with and where they need to improve and not so much on the things that they do well. This is no different. I am going to give our guys some more time to play with the new techniques we gave them to work on but if today was an indication of the effect 2 weeks of training specific positions can have on our team we definitely need a lot more time to perfect them. There were sloppy shots, forced moves, and the usual exhaustion which is by no means a bad thing. Anytime a guy can wrestle and work himself to complete exhaustion, IMO, he is going to achieve and surpass that exact point the next time he works out and then the bar continuously will creep up towards where we need it to be. Part of me thinks that the team was excited to show Coach Rogers and myself "how bad they want it" and that was also a direct cause of the sloppy wrestling and the mistakes we saw but soon they will fall into the practice routine and Coach Roger's and my feelings should and will be the last things on their minds. As we wound down the workout we made it out with everyone healthy and excited and ready to go for tomorrows 7am workout. I cannot say enough about these guys and how hard they work and how focused they are on giving our (the coaches) system a fair shake. You have to remember that their are no scholarships tying these men to our program and they ALL have one of the toughest curriculums and course loads of any school in the country. Because of these facts and because we trust them after observing them over the last month, Coach and myself feel it is best if we take Wed off and use it as a study day/hold study hall during practice time. This down time will give them the time to heal up both physically and academically from the brutal week of past, present, and future. It is also a great time for the coaches to reach out to recruits and to catch up on any work we have building up from the daytime. I am personally honored to be a part of this program, I am awed by our guys dedication and sacrifice, and am grateful for Coach Rogers, who has accepted me for who I am (I admit I am a bit of a whacky guy) and embraces what I can bring to the program. Coach's support and trust in me has given me a deep passion to make things work here at F&M and has motivated me even more than before to help him and the school rebuild this program. We ask that all of our fans, alums, and anyone who wants to help us keep this ball rolling please feel free to call us anytime to talk and brainstorm. While we might be really really ridiculously good looking and smart we are secure enough in our enormous amounts of masculinity to realize that their are smarter and better people out there that could be of great help to us and our program. We have a monumental task ahead, one that will be filled with highs and lows, happiness and heart break. In the end though we will succeed and we will ALL be the reason for that success.
If you can pass this blog around to your friends or to anyone who might be interested in following a program rebuilding from the ground up I would greatly appreciate it. As always all questions and comments are welcomed at mattg197@gmail.com
Thank you for your time.
MG
"F&M Wrestling, a proud tradition, a new beginning..." ~ MG
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