My
lack of success against top flight wrestling competition was not for
lack of trying but rather an ignorance of the techniques and skills.
I decided to ask the assistant coach for a little extra help with a
few moves after practice. He was more than happy to help and was
running through a couple skills with me after practice. There were a
couple of other guys and their dad doing some extra practice and
staying late with us. We were working on a move called the bow and
arrow where the top wrestler drives his head into the ribs of the
bottom wrestler while pulling in his head and leg into a cradle hold.
He was demonstrating the hold after I tried it a little incorrectly
when he noticed that the other guys had packed it in and he suddenly
realized he was all alone in the wrestling room with a kid. He got
very uncomfortable and jumped up and said that I had it down and
walked strait for the door and was gone in less time than it took me
to get up and get my stuff together. I didn't know what was going on
at the time and thought I had maybe done something wrong. It was not
until I was driving home that I realized that he was probably nervous
about being alone with a student. After that day he never had time
to help me again. He was a really cool guy I felt like I needed to
tell him that I was not worried about being alone with him but I
think with the way the world was and is it is just better for adults
to never be alone with kids just so there is never even a question. I
guess that is smart but too bad for the vast majority of people who
miss out on friendship and mentoring because there are some perverts
out there.
