my wrestlers

to my dear friend "A", you may want to skip this post and tune in next week.  might make you nauseous...:)
it still seems surprising to be typing the title above. i guess i never would have thought.  i always knew Jeff loved the sport, and knew i loved watching him wrestle back in university.  but then again, i was smitten and probably would have watched him do just about anything, like maybe even paint a fence...i probably still would if he talked while he painted! :)....early into our parenting days we would have been much more likely to predict we'd be spending hours in the arena watching our kids play hockey.  we love hockey and would both still be playing had i not messed up my knee too many times...oddly, there actually hasn't been a huge interest in competitive hockey here, other than on the backyard rink.  but wrestling is another story.  slowly i'm catching on as well.  i'm becoming that wrestling mom.  the cooler cramming, weekend organizing, sideline spectator (with a hand over my mouth and sometimes my eyes) who is gradually learning to identify moves and point systems and strategies.

this weekend Joelle finished off her grade nine season with a bang!  she had qualified for the Ontario Winter Games in Barrie, and Jeff and I were blessed (thanks sooo much Mom and Dad!) to join her there for the two day event.  so much fun~  not simply because we were away for a break together, but also just to watch her in that competition with total freedom to take it all in without the usual distractions of caring for the smaller ones in a very crowded venue...it was bliss!  i learned a lot more that way too.  stuff like the "re-roll", the round-robin bout sheet versus the eight man bracket, etc...all important things if you are the only non-wrestler in the family!  Joelle did so well.  as is her usual way, she took it all in and eeked every last bit of fun out of the experience.  she loved rooming with her team and hanging with some of her out-of-town wrestling friends. she also radiated great character during her two wins and one very close loss.  that always matters most~ winning with humility and losing with grace....she finished with a silver medal and the rewarding feeling of trying her best and gaining experience and memories.

 horrible picture quality, i know....one day we'll invest in a decent camera, but until then, she's in the blue singlet shaking hands with the gold medalist in the red.

i finished the weekend refreshed and happy to see my crew back home, and slightly disappointed to face the task of laundry and cooking again...