Wrestling: The Art of Self-Determination
February 23rd, 2018
"Never put the referee in a position to determine the outcome." -Coach Keith Maurer
The first step into the wrestling world for a beginning wrestler involves a soft, cushioned step as his toe hits the mat for the first time in the wrestling room. This brief comfort is quickly countered by a rush of warm air that hits the lungs and instantaneously conveys the level of intensity that will change the life and viewpoint of that young wrestler forever. The wrestling room becomes the arena in which the mind and body will be tested, pushed, and challenged in ways the new wrestler never thought possible. Most athletes quickly realize the value of sports like wrestling in teaching the important ideals of goal-setting, determination, tenacity, leadership, and teamwork. Coaches, teammates, practices, pressure, success, and failure forever change the athlete who experiences them in the arena of competitive sports.
The most important lesson a wrestler learns is the power of self-determination, a sentiment of which is encapsulated in the opening quote by Coach Keith Maurer (current Hazleton Area High School Head Coach and Penn State Wrestling alumnus). In fact, every coach who sat in my corner (my father, Chris Shaud, Joe DeLuca, Jeff Sweda, Dave Shafer, Joe Clifford, and many others) reinforced this value. When a match is won or lost, it is typically very clear which wrestler was able to impose his will during that match. In the very rare instances when a match is close and lost as a perceived result of a bad call by the referee, Coach Maurer's quote taught us that only one person is, in fact, responsible for allowing the match to be close in the first place.
The brand of self-determination crafted on the wrestling mat includes personal responsibility, ownership of success and failure, avoidance of excuses, and inspiration to never consider yourself a victim of circumstance. Continuous learning, focus on improvement, relentless hard work, reliance on teammates and mentors for support, and wrestling hard until the final whistle are powerful habits that are easily transferred and applied to the wrestling match of life.
Wrestling will teach the beginning wrestler mentioned previously many lessons but none more powerful than the art form of self-determination. In the art of wrestling as in the art of life, when the artist paints a masterpiece, each brush stroke represents a decision made by the person holding the brush in front of the canvas. The freedom and the clarity that result from owning all of our outcomes are very powerful. Thank you to my wrestling coaches, teammates, and mentors for teaching me this life-changing lesson.
"Never put the referee in a position to determine the outcome." -Coach Keith Maurer
