Double Leg Takedown

February 14, 2013

The sport of wrestling and I have had a unique relationship. My grandmother loved to watch "wraslin" on Channel 2, the St. Joe station, much to the amusement of her grandkids. Who knew that that type of "wraslin" would grow into the entertainment industry of the WWE? That "wraslin," however, is not my focus today.

Wrestling came into my life when my son decided to go out for wrestling his freshman year of high school. I had managed to keep my boy out of football because I feared him getting hurt, and somehow I got talked into letting him wrestle. Thus began my full introduction into the sport of wrestling with its many styles: from folkstyle to Greco-Roman to freestyle. I learned the scoring, the weigh-ins, the history, and the tremendous amount of practice these athletes put in and the stamina that is required.

When modern day Olympics debuted in 1896, the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling was a focus of the games. The games of 1904 had not only Greco-Roman but also introduced freestyle and its weight class system into the Olympic sport. Now, in a stunning announcement, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has decided to drop wrestling in the 2020 summer games.

Please tell me it isn’t so! How many youth in wrestling clubs and high school teams are training and dreaming of Olympic gold?  How do you feel? My son put it very well, "I think wrestling should always be in the Olympics because it is one of the oldest tests of strength and athleticism."

Linda H
South Independence Branch