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Sportsmanship at is finest!!!

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leanin' H

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We live in a screwed up world a bunch of the time. It's surely easy to become jaded and feel like maybe not much good happens around us, especially in bigger cities. That is simply not the case if we can take a look around us and notice the good that happens. Let me tell you about the GREAT I got to see yesterday.

We had the annual Tintic Battle at the Mine wrestling tournament yesterday at our little high school. For some background, we are the smallest school district in Utah and our graduating classes are in the teens for numbers. We had 18 schools come up and wrestle. Had five wrestling mats going simultaneously. It took all hands on deck to say the least!!! We had teachers and parents and students all pitch in and help. We had ladies put on a huge breakfast and lunch for officials and coaches and even a few wrestling teams, that had come from as far away as Nevada. Nobody went hungry. We also had a tremendous raffle set up with a grundle of donated prizes raising money for the wrestling team. I talked to many coaches who praised how well things went and were impressed with the tournament and want to come back. Our head coach and his staff are some of the finest men and leaders of young people, you'll ever meet. They deserve all the credit for such a successful tournament.

Now for the unbelievably amazing part of the day. I told y'all that my wife and I donated buckles for outstanding wrestler awards for the tournament. The kids were all really excited to try and win one of the three buckles. Some exceptional wrestlers showed up and the battle was fierce. We only have two young ladies on our girls wrestling team. One is one of the top wrestlers in the state and she was so excited to go for the girls buckle. Well, when the dust settled and the coaches all turned in their votes and we tallied them, Addison Kriegh, from little Tintic high school was voted outstanding girls wrestler!!! But here's the tremendous part- the Duchesne High School girls team ( who came from eastern Utah and had never won a girls team title, ever!) had a team of scrappy young ladies who all wrestled really really well. They ended up as girls team champs and were overjoyed to win the tournament sliver shovel award!!!

One of their wrestlers has spinal bifia and it's all she can do to walk. She wrestled her guts out and tried her very best. But as you might imagine, didn't win a match. But she fought so dang hard and was a fan favorite for her guts and her try and her determination to step on the mat!!!! Each girl who wrestled her showed such wonderful sportsmanship. She was in a little lower weigh class, so she didn't wrestle Addison.

When the team award was over it was time to give the buckle. The PA announcer called our Addison as winner and the roof about blew off our gym!!!! I presented her with the buckle and she was so excited. Then she whispered to me that she wanted to give her buckle to the young lady from Duchesne!!! And so we called her up to the front and Addie gave her the girls outstanding wrestler buckle!!!! It was unbelievable. People went crazy and most were crying. So proud of a 16 year old girl who sees what truly important in life!!!! So proud of her parents for raising her!!!! So proud of her coaches!!!! And teammates!!!!!

I won't ever forget that display of sportsmanship by Addie. Angie and I will order her a replacement buckle Tuesday and present it to her at the wrestling banquet. (I bet at least 10 people came to me afterwards and asked to quietly pay for a replacement buckle.) lots and lots of great people. I'm waiting for pictures to be sent to me and I'll try and add them when I get them.

I have two new hero's this morning- a little tough ranch/farm girl from Duchesne county who NOT would allow life to overcome her desire to try and fight and win!!!! I never even got her name in all the chaos. And Addison Kriegh, who provided a shining example of what's right with youth and sports. She showed us all what's truly important and essential. And she did it with grace and humility and class!!!!
 
Addie on the left and Briely on the right. And Aspen from Duchesne in the middle. Some amazing young ladies. It's an honor to know em'!!!!
DD6B021C-982A-495B-9FC7-DC37D3B1BC39.jpeg
 
Well y'all know me. I write when I'm inspired. And how could ya not be inspired at what happened yesterday with Addie and Aspen? So here is my latest-

Addie taught us something

When it comes to wrestling, this young lady can't be beat.
She wins bout every match she has, hardly ever feels defeat.

She doesn't ever says much, does her talking on the mat.
She is fiercer than a wolverine, just steam rolls opponents flat.

She wrestled, just last Saturday, won five straight with pure ease.
Stood a top another podium, as easy as ya please.

And when the votes were tallied, she was awarded MVP.
Outstanding girls wrestler, of the entire girls wrestling tourney!

The award was a slick belt buckle, and I got to hand her that cherished prize.
But Addie didn't keep it, what she did sure filled all our eyes.

A little gal from Duchesne, had wrestled that day too.
She had all kinds of disabilities, but her heart, well, it never knew.

She did her best, gave her all, left it all there on the mat.
Never won a single match, but nobody noticed that.

Cause Addie called her from the crowd, and gave her, that shiny buckle bling.
The crowd went crazy cheering, and, man our hearts, did sing!!!!

Addie taught us something I hope we never do forget.
Kindness, is better than personal gain, it's something you'll never regret.

To think a girl of 16, would have that kind of compassion.
It's rarely seen in youth today, like it's all gone out of fashion.

But Addie clearly showed us all, what it means to love another.
That's a fine daughter, who is being raised, by an exceptional father and mother.

All of us are better, who stood there in the gym that day.
And watched a humble, selfless champion, give her belt buckle away.

Darrell Holden
January 23
 
webfoot said:
It is a tear jerker. Sitting here it made me remember a couple things my son did. I thought about sharing them. But then thinking about it. They were things which were good and made me proud but they don't measure up to this standard.
Click to expand...
Share them anyway. We don't get enough good news, especially about young people.
 
DosArroyos said:
Tear jerking for sure,but these types of things go on in small town America all the time.You just don't hear about it.

Not minimizing what this young lady did at all.Just letting all here know that there is still hope for the "Fly Over" parts of the good old US of A
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Couldn't agree more. Small town America still gets it. And those are the kids who give me hope for tomorrow. Amen Dos!!!!
 
Faster horses said:
Share them anyway. We don't get enough good news, especially about young people.
Click to expand...
OK, so here goes. Both were some years ago as he is now 41 with 3 kids of his own.
The first one he was playing youth football 3rd and 4th graders. I was sitting on my tailgate waiting for the coach to show up and have practice. Part of the kids were there and I was the only parent. An older kid not on the team rode in on his bike. I started pushing the little 3rd graders over. i am several hundred feet away and about to say something. Ryan stepped up to the kids and said why don't you pick on someone your own size. The kid said who is going to make me. Ryan was giving up 2 years, about 8 inches, and 40 pounds. He had his football helmet in his hand. He tossed the helmet down. And stepped forward saying "I will." That big bully couldn't get on his bike fast enough. We went and got an ice cream cone after practice that day.
Next fast foreword the high school. He had hurt his shoulder on his throwing arm in basketball so his position as center field was out. I told him that he should go for first base. His reply was that is Alex's position. He was 10 times the ball player Alex was but it was Alex's only sport so he wouldn't bump him out of a job. Ryan is the captain of the football team. Varsity basketball. Why take Alex's chance to play? So he turned out for track.
At the district(?) track meet There was a bunch of kids from a dozen schools. So they ran in heats. The coaches put their fastest kids in the first heat and slower ones in later heats. Ryan ran in the first heat in the 100 meters. In the last heat was a kid from our school (I can't remember his name so I will call him Bob) This kid was adopted out of an orphanage in South America. He had some physical difficulties. Lets just say track wasn't his sport. He had come in dead last at every track meet all year. So come the last heat. Ryan is sitting on the grass in the infield with some friends. The heat starts. Bob is actually ahead of one other kid. Ryan leaps to his feet and runs down the grass alongside the track yelling encouragement to Bob. Ryan may have won the track meet that day but Bob accomplished something he had never done, he out ran someone. And he was encouraged every step of the way.
 

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