Barrett began wrestling this year (well he kind of did it last year, but never competed). Anyway, today was his first tournament. Ben and I really wanted to make it a positive experience, so that he will continue to enjoy it. The tournament was in Grand Ledge and had a lot of people there! When we first walked into the gym Barrett pulled at me and wanted to leave. I can't blame him. It was loud and full of people with lots of kids scrambling around on the three large mats. But after some pep talking we managed to find the Portland group and warm up a bit. Then the tournament began and we found seats in the bleachers and had to wait for his turn. Once he was up, it was a bit quick and overwhelming. He'd never done this before and there was a lot to think about (ref, shaking hands with opponent, listening for the whistle, red/green bands, etc.). Needless to say the match was over in about 14 seconds. Barrett handled the loss well, shook hands and walked off the mat. We talked to him about what to do for next time and he seemed pretty happy with himself. We are very proud of him, too. :) The next match he didn't win, but he stayed in all three matches (with a late pin by his opponent in the 3rd). He worked hard and had more "fire" in him the second time around. He did great. Now he has experience with what a tournament is like and he can continue to work on his techniques. He's still only 5 years old and we want him to have fun and today he did! :) We're proud of you, Barrett!
