(David) My oldest son, Nate, took 4th place in Ohio's Northwest District wrestling tournament last weekend--which means he's one of sixteen Division 3 189 pounders to wrestle for the state championship at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center this weekend. Nate won his first two matches, took a fall in the second period of his third match to the eventual district champion, won his fourth match and lost his final match for third place on points.
I don't know of a better sport for developing character in young men than wrestling. Of course, Nathan's coach, Mario, is a real man of God who loves him like a son. In another setting wrestling might not be as powerfully formative as it's proven for Nathan. Personally, I'd love to see PCA churches more eager to develop biddy wrestling programs than art shows for community outreach--though I suspect such an approach would appear dismally lowbrow, even, horrors, baptistic, to many in the PCA.
In the first picture Nathan's wrestling for a place in the state tournament. He wins this match.
In the second and third pictures, Nathan's wrestling for third place--a match he eventually loses.
In the final picture, Nate's resting having just won a place in the state tournament. To his left is his youngest brother, Isaiah, who knelt in his corner with the coaches each match.
