In the 10 and under 55 division Satch took first in the prestigious Northern Colorado Grappler’s Open this Sunday, with two pins and a decision.  Which is cool, because the medal he took home for it is nearly as big as his entire head.

For those who don’t feel like compounding the horrors of Monday — when many of us go back to work, and when the governmental gear begin their slow spin before reaching a crescendo of inefficient autonomy and self-awareness (think SkyNet, but a really really stupid version, one that if it launched an attack against humanity would leave its battle plans open the most basic hacks) — here is a bit of cultural / social / civic sorbet, celebrating the everyday endeavors of Americans and their families, who simply wish to be left alone, to avoid governmental intrusion into every facet of their lives.

Match 1, Satchel vs. a wrestler from the Valley Vikings club (pinfall):

Match 2, Satchel vs. a Brighton Bulldog (pinfall):

Match 3, Satchel vs. a fellow Frederick teammate and frequent training partner (decision):

Part 1 (we stopped recording while some scoring errors were corrected: Satchel took a 7-3 by the end of the 2nd period, not a 5-4 lead as the score keepers indicated; the ref, after my challenge, was able to make the corrections).

Part 2:

In a couple of his matches, I noticed that rather than riding wrestlers for an extended period, which is one of Satchel’s strengths, he would simply release them, giving them a free escape point. When I asked him about this afterward he let me know that he wanted to work on his shots, and that he was willing to give up the 1 point to score the two points.

Given that the last two wrestlers he faced have proven often very difficult to turn — and we still have to work on Satchel’s turns, which sounds nitpicky on a day when he pinned two opponents — I can’t say his strategy was a bad one. I just wish he had told me before hand what he was planning on doing so that I wouldn’t have nearly stroked out.

Also, he’s beginning to try to run a tilt series. He was close on it — many of the other clubs use this series but we’re really just starting it as a way to score cheap points — but he needed to keep his knees pinched and his hips in closer and pull the opponents into his lap. He also needs to make sure he really drives the two-on-one into his opponent’s hip and keep it firmly pressed against his or her body.

These are minor tweaks to what could be a could move for him. He also in one matched looked to try a modified Granby roll, which was just him having fun, I think. Kids love to tumble. Still, watching him begin to take it upon himself to gauge the level of his competition, and know when it’s okay to play around with techniques he’s newly interested in, shows a kind of mat awareness and tactical awareness that I hadn’t considered he’d been developing.

And honestly, it wasn’t until later, when I watched the videos, that I saw exactly what it was he was doing. Even down 2-1 after the first period in the final’s match, he seemed supremely confident — sure he could let go his opponent, who is a real scrapper whom I also coach, and come back with a takedown — and it was less being cocky than it was a strategy to score points: that opponent being difficult to turn, Satchel decided to rack up points on takedows and a few escapes of his own.

He’s making mental strides in the sport. And that’s what makes me proud.

That, and the giant honking Medal he brought home — which no lie, is about as being as a cantaloupe, or at least a giant iHop flap jack.

So congrats again, son. You continue to make us proud with your good sportmanship and your boundless energy.