championship. Today we'll just warm up and practice basic
moves. Our journey together has built team spirit. Each of
you plays an important role in the overall success of our
team, but for the next two days, you need to focus on your
own matches. You need to dig deep and make a decision...are
you a champion or not? I already know the answer, but my
opinion doesn't matter when you're on the mat. Good luck
and I'm proud of you."
On Saturday morning, the team gathered in the athletic
building parking lot at 7:00 AM to board their regular bus.
The shuttle bus was already packed with students. When they
arrived at Newton High thirty minutes later, they were
amazed by the sheer size of the auditorium. Eight wrestling
mats covered the center of the room surrounded on all sides
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by bleachers. The sixteen schools with the best overall
records from the regular season were competing.
One of the refs walked to the center of the auditorium with
a microphone, calling for the crowd's attention. "Before we
begin the first round today, I would like to explain how the
next two days will commence. Today will consist of two
rounds. In the first round, sixteen wrestlers in each weight
class will be reduced to eight. In the second round, those
eight wrestlers will be reduced to four. Tomorrow there will be
three rounds. The first will be semi-finals. Next, the wrestlers
who do not win will wrestle to secure third and fourth place
for their weight class. The finals will take place last,
determining the champions. Once the top four places at each
weight class are determined, team points will be tallied. First
place wrestlers earn four team points, second place wrestlers
earn three team points, and so on. The schools with the top
three overall team scores will be recognized. The champions
will receive a school trophy and banner. I want to wish
everyone good luck."
By the end of the day, seven of the eleven wrestlers on the
Brampton team progressed to the semi-final round: two
wrestlers in the lower weight classes along with Derek, Frank,
Scott, Josh, and Power. Only five wrestlers from the
Lexington team moved on along with eight wrestlers from the
Waltham team. Waltham held the advantage because they
had more players guaranteed to earn team points, no matter
whether they came in first or fourth. To win, most of the
Brampton wrestlers would have to come in first or second in
their weight class.
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The sun was still high in the sky when Derek got home.
Restless and excited he decided to go for a run. He would
only hurt himself and his team if he allowed his nerves to get
the best of him. Heading towards the river, he began thinking
about wrestling, but pushed his thoughts aside.
At the Foot Bridge, he stopped and leaned against the
railing, looking down over the water. It seemed angry,
creating small whirlpools where it rushed past the cement
legs. This water wanted to flow and nothing was going to stop
it. A few feet past the bridge, the whirlpools reintegrated and
the water's surface returned to one mass of raging,
tumultuous motion.
Derek wondered what the water would say if it could
speak. I'm going to get where I'm heading. A temporary
obstacle is not going to stop me. If someone told the water it
could no longer flow, it would have laughed and continued its
journey, only mildly hindered from its goal.
An image of Scott entered his mind and, along with his
observation of the water, something clicked into place. Scott
was the water and the bridge legs were the obstacles he had
faced. Mr. Thayer was just a bridge leg. Derek laughed at the
image, but only for a moment. Mr. Thayer may be the bridge
leg, but Scott hasn't found his way around him yet. He was
still an obstacle that kept Scott from being the person he was
meant to be: a happy and daring person; a person who rose
above the stresses which caused most people to freeze; a
person who appreciated the things others never noticed.
Derek wanted Scott to find his way around this bridge leg, his
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father, and get back to the roaring flow of continuing his
journey downstream. But what can I do to help him?
* * * *
The next day the whole team showed up at the athletic
building for the ride to Newton High. The auditorium was
much less crowded than the previous day. Most of the
wrestlers who had not advanced to semi-finals and a few of
the schools which had been completely eliminated chose not
to come. A partition had been erected to split the auditorium
in half with two mats on either side. This gave spectators
more room to crowd around and watch the final matches of
the tournament. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]