Wrestling-Week One

The 2008 wrestling season is under way and it started for me officiating a Varsity Tri-match at Lakota East high school this past Friday. East were joined by Princeton and LaSalle. There also was Reserve wrestling on a neighboring mat.


There was actually supposed to be three of us officials but a fourth showed up so he could get some work before his following big week. Dedication, you gotta love it!

Two of my fellow official's got to the school first and did the weigh-ins. Then we got started. I must say that I had some serious cobwebs to shake off. I found myself a little to quick a couple of times on calling takedowns. They were takedowns but I should have waited a little bit longer before making the call. As the night went on it felt like old times.

It's funny because no matter how much officiating I may have done during football season, I still gotta get the joints to cooperate when officiating wrestling.


It was not only the beginning of the season for myself but also the most important people for the sport, the wrestlers. They seemed to be glad to get back at it. I can tell the beginning of the season will be an adustment for a lot of them.

Because of the new rule pertaining to the Referee's starting position (the placing of the hand of the offensive wrestler on the belly of the defensive wrestler first followed by the other hand placed on the elbow) I had to give out a lot of Cautions. It's definitely the most I've ever given out in a day. I don't make the rules but I have to enforce them.

There were some good matches and I did have one overtime match. Everyone was behaved for the most part.

I did get questioned by the coaches on a couple of calls and I definitely understand why. They were all class and had valid reasons for the questioning. I've said it a gazillion times and I'll say it a gazillion more, 'There's nothing wrong with competitive disagreement, but there is no place for disrespectful disagreement.' As usual the coaches were fine. Despite how things may seem we don't have that many problems with coaches overall.



In the end it was a successful beginning to the season. I'm not even sure what teams ended up on top for the night since the Tri's were split up in half team duals (which I like that format a lot).

My wife actually showed up and took the pictures (Thanks hun!) and after the match was over I had to meet her at Children's Hospital in the emergency room because our infant daughter had to get tested for Whooping Cough. We'll find out this week about that. However our baby girl is doing fine. We pray over her all the time and appreciate any prayers you want to send our way.

You didn't know that refs like prayer too? I'm not talking about you praying for our eyes to open because you think we can't see anything when we're officiating. I'm talking about everyday life just like anybody else.

However you can pray for my eyes to be open because I don't want to miss any calls.