Little Guy Wrestling by Danie

Little Guy Wrestling by Danie - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

Little Guy Wrestling

I have volunteered many hours working for my schools Little Guy Wrestling team. A team that consists of kids that are in kindergarten, all the way up to middle school. I chose to volunteer at Little Guy Wrestling, because i myself have been a manager of the high school wrestling team for the past three years. I got to see the love, and dedication that's put into a highly misunderstood sport. I witness high school boys starving themselves, and depleting themselves of water just so that they can wrestle at a certain weight.
The commitment that i have seen put into this sport is the reason i volunteer today. I spend a total of 8 hours at every meet that i attend. I sit at the scoreboard table, timing the matches and awarding the winner. There is a surprising amount of children and parents shoved into a small gym just for a one day tournament. No one quite realizes how hectic and hostile it can be. During the hours i spend volunteering, i get screamed at by angry wrestling parents, who don't realize i am just doing what i'm told. I am so busy working matches, that i usually don't have time to eat, or even use the restroom. There are days i get lucky, and a worker will bring me a plate of food after hours of sitting without being able to get up and move around. Spending hours working with younger kids, and their occasionally difficult parents, has taught me patience, and kindness. Kids constantly running up to me asking where their next match is, or if they won or not, can often be difficult. I personally have never been good with kids, but learning to work with dozens of them at a time has taught me how to be patient when i'm frustrated. The parents of the kids competing get defensive when their child doesn't get the outcome they expected or wanted. Which leads to anger and resentment towards the wrong people, in these situations you have to learn to stay calm, handle the situation, and resolve the issue with kindness and understanding. No matter how difficult, being a volunteer for a sport i adore, is always worth it in the end.