Today I had the pleasure to attend the Westhampton Beach Wrestling Awards dinner on an invite from my friend and former coach, Coach Paul Bass.
If I had to describe Coach Bass in one word, that word would be PREPARED.
The dinner was first class in every aspect.
My favorite part of the day was the speeches Coach Bass asked his seniors to give on what the sport of wrestling has meant to them in their lives.
To hear what came out of these young men’s mouths and from their heart, really resonated with me because I realized that they got what the sport of wrestling is all about.
There was no doubt that all of the graduating seniors are better prepared to enter life because they wrestled for Coach Bass.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the event.
“The only limit that you have in your wrestling career is time.”
“Coach you bought into us just as much as we bought into you.”
“Self-review is precious.”
“When they were freshmen, my nine seniors had a combined total of only ten wins.
Look where they are now.
More importantly, look who they are now.” – Coach Bass
And that coach is because of you and the program you have built. A program where it is just as important for you to prepare young men for life as it is for you to create champions on the mat.
That’s how life champions are made – from the thread of their coach.
You know you have a great coach when the look of pride on your coach’s face watching you give your senior speech is even brighter than the look of pride he had when you got your hand raised in the County Finals.
If a second word could describe coach Bass, it would have to be FAMILY. Over and over today I heard the word family woven into every wrestler’s speech.
While leaving the dinner today, I had an overwhelming sense that each and every wrestler was a valued part of the Westhampton Beach Wrestling family, and each is now prepared for life.
What more can you ask for from a coach and a program?