The Other Side

           

                Their names can be found on the right side of the summary.
The right side.
The wrong side.
In a wrestling match summary, 
an individual’s name on the right side
 means but one thing - he lost.  
And it doesn’t really matter if it was by 
decision, major decision, superior decision,
 tech fall,
 pin or even a draw, the simple fact is 
he didn’t win.
It’s right there, in black and white, 
for everyone to read.  There are no 
footnotes, not even the smallest 
explanation that 
he may have lost on a reversal in the last
 seconds of the match, or that he had big 
lead and was dominating his 
opponent before he got
 caught in a careless move and was pinned.
It’s all there on the line.  A raw 
reminder 
of what transpired the day or night before.
It isn’t like baseball,
 when a batter gets three or 
four trips to the plate.  It isn’t like 
basketball, 
when a guard or forward can redeem himself 
with another shot, a big rebound or some
 dashing defense.
  It isn’t like football, when a ball
 carrier can erase the nightmare of 
a fumble with a long run or a lineman
 can make up 
for a missed assignment with a crushing 
block two plays later.
For the wrestler, there just isn’t 
any place to hide.  During a match 
it’s one on one 
in front of his teammates, coaches, 
friends, family and, at times, a bleacher 
full of fans
 who just love to cheer and jeer at his 
every wrong move.
The day after, he notices 
his name is rarely if ever mentioned 
in a newspaper story and, of course, 
is there
 on the right side of the summary.
For someone who puts in as much time 
and as 
much sweat as his more fortunate 
teammates - the guys who are in the 
headlines and, yes, always on
 the left side of that wrestling 
summary - there doesn’t seem to be
 many rewards.
 People, all of us, have a 
tendency to ridicule the loser. 
Why is he out there? 
Why doesn’t the coach put someone 
else into that weight class?
Coaches and parents are probably the only 
people who fully appreciate and respect 
the wrestlers who rarely win, and u
nderstand that a wrestler doesn’t 
have to win
 every match or even have a winning 
record to feel
 good about himself.  Coaches are in the 
practice room, where they see them 
put as much if not more effort 
into the drills as
 their more reputable teammates.  Coaches 
are in the gym, where they see them 
running
 endless laps to lose a pound or two
 just like their more reputable teammates,
 and just to get an 
opportunity to go back out on 
the mat and maybe lose another match.
Parents are at home, where they see their
 sons retreat exhausted with sore ankles, 
knees, elbows and shoulders; 
where they see their sons sacrifice 
delectable dinners for the sake 
of making weight; where they see their 
sons often 
grasp for even the smallest 
compliment for his otherwise 
unnoticed efforts.
For the rest of the fans, well, they have a 
difficult time even remembering 
the names on the right side of the
 summaries.
  The rest of the fans seem to 
forget that, 
despite their win-loss records,
 they are sacrificing quite a bit week in and 
week out and battling often cruel 
physical as 
well as mental challenges,
 for the sake of helping their team, and don’t 
forget, those more fortunate teammates.
Everyone should remember, 
it takes more than mere physical talent 
to wrestle.
It takes very special young athletes.