I'm cursed
I was so close to my wrestling career ending yesterday. I went for a throw-by in the District Semi-finals and the kid pushed into me and my ankle crunched. I went down and got pinned because I was screaming "fuck." I was beating the kid by about 6 and was going to destroy him. He took away my last chance at the District Championship. I don't know if I can put into words the kind of hard work I have put into this sport and how demoralizing it was to not be able to walk off the mat...especially after losing to the 2nd seed who had absolutly no buisiness being on the same mat as me, much less as a seed higher. He knows it too. My ankle didn't hurt nearly as much as my pride, confidence, hope...you name it. I was shattered. I honestly believed it was over. I had to win one more match (that was coming up in an hour or so) in order to advance to regionals. Just one more. But I couldn't walk. I couldn't even stand. My ankle hurt so bad. I threw myself in the corner with my head in my jacket with coach's words echoing in my head from the pep talk the day before... "You'll remember this for the rest of your life. This is your last chance. This is it. This is why I got into coaching, because I couldn't finish at the end of my career and it is going to be something you tell your kids about." That was it. I was finished. Absolutly finished. I would never wrestle again.
About an hour passed, my ankle still hurt really bad, I had called Sarah and told her what happened...she stayed home becuase her older sister came home for a day. I hurt so bad but I refused to give up. I stood up (not easily) and got in my stance on the side trying to simulate a match. I took one step and fell on the mat. I screamed "fuck" and pounded my fist against the mat and put my head in my arms. "No. I'm not going to let this happen. I am going to regionals." I stood up again, went to the trainer and told him to wrap my ankle. I still couldnt really stand. Five minutes later the man with the microphone announced that my match was on-deck. I hobbled up the mat and told coach I was going to wrestle. He goes "we can pull you halfway through the match if we need to. Go get 'em."
My match came up and I hopped on one foot to the table, "Derek Matt...I'm ready to go." The referee watched me hobble toward the center circle, he had seen me snap my ankle earlier. He said "Does it hurt?" "Like Hell," I replied. "Let me know if you need to stop." "Listen for it," I chuckled. The kid stepped in to the circle and the whistle blew. I knew I had to beat him. I had to dig deep. It was my last chance. I grabbed onto him immediatly, he was my balance, and reached down and pulled his ankle out from under him. I took him to his back, holding on to whatever I could, I thought to myself "I'm going to fucking beat him and get out of here." He survived the first minute, I was trying to hold him down but I couldnt post on my foot. The first period ended and I was winning 7-0. He chose bottom for the second period and I hopped on top of him, immediatly chopped his arm and ran an arm bar series. I walked the head with one leg, dragging the other. I put him on his back and arched with everything I had. My ankle was pounding, he had hit it early. The whistle blew and the referee pounded the mat. I did it. I was going to regionals. I gave a fist pump toward the ceiling and got up on on leg. I hopped toward their coach and shook his hand. He met me half-way. On one foot I went back to my coach, who said "We got you to regionals. You're done for today." I got a few hugs from my teammates and made it back to the bleachers with a smile and another bag of ice. I forfeited my 3rd/4th place match against a kid I had pinned last week. I wasn't going to risk it. I was going to regionals. I have a week to get this bad boy better so I can make the splash I know I am capable of at the regional tournament.
I gave it all I had. I dug deep. I still can't walk, but I can smile.
About an hour passed, my ankle still hurt really bad, I had called Sarah and told her what happened...she stayed home becuase her older sister came home for a day. I hurt so bad but I refused to give up. I stood up (not easily) and got in my stance on the side trying to simulate a match. I took one step and fell on the mat. I screamed "fuck" and pounded my fist against the mat and put my head in my arms. "No. I'm not going to let this happen. I am going to regionals." I stood up again, went to the trainer and told him to wrap my ankle. I still couldnt really stand. Five minutes later the man with the microphone announced that my match was on-deck. I hobbled up the mat and told coach I was going to wrestle. He goes "we can pull you halfway through the match if we need to. Go get 'em."
My match came up and I hopped on one foot to the table, "Derek Matt...I'm ready to go." The referee watched me hobble toward the center circle, he had seen me snap my ankle earlier. He said "Does it hurt?" "Like Hell," I replied. "Let me know if you need to stop." "Listen for it," I chuckled. The kid stepped in to the circle and the whistle blew. I knew I had to beat him. I had to dig deep. It was my last chance. I grabbed onto him immediatly, he was my balance, and reached down and pulled his ankle out from under him. I took him to his back, holding on to whatever I could, I thought to myself "I'm going to fucking beat him and get out of here." He survived the first minute, I was trying to hold him down but I couldnt post on my foot. The first period ended and I was winning 7-0. He chose bottom for the second period and I hopped on top of him, immediatly chopped his arm and ran an arm bar series. I walked the head with one leg, dragging the other. I put him on his back and arched with everything I had. My ankle was pounding, he had hit it early. The whistle blew and the referee pounded the mat. I did it. I was going to regionals. I gave a fist pump toward the ceiling and got up on on leg. I hopped toward their coach and shook his hand. He met me half-way. On one foot I went back to my coach, who said "We got you to regionals. You're done for today." I got a few hugs from my teammates and made it back to the bleachers with a smile and another bag of ice. I forfeited my 3rd/4th place match against a kid I had pinned last week. I wasn't going to risk it. I was going to regionals. I have a week to get this bad boy better so I can make the splash I know I am capable of at the regional tournament.
I gave it all I had. I dug deep. I still can't walk, but I can smile.