OFSAA 2000 Reflections
by Rory McDonell
PART 1
Head up! Keep your head up and drive off your toes!“. It sounds simple enough, and there are other much more difficult feats in sports, but anyone who has tried will tell you that its tough enough; using your body as a weapon against someone else’s. Testing the sum of your ability against another human being on an equal playing field. Tough enough that only a handful of people will even attempt it, and of those only a handful more who can actually do it.
Today Larry Jarowslawski is teaching a few young men (men who will be representing E.C. Drury at the OFSAA wrestling Championship in Woodstock) how to assault another person using only the tools of their bodies. Right now he is working on perfecting a double leg take down with Tom Gallinger, a tall evenly proportioned boy quick on his feet, who is currently attacking Chad Merritt; a well muscled natural wrestler. “Head up Tom!” Mooch (as Larry is affectionately known) shouts. He, Tom and Chad are working in the center of the famous Drury wrestling room. Sweaty wrestlers are struggling all around them, and Eye of the Tiger is blaring from the CD player in the comer. Mooch glances down at his stop watch “30 seconds” he yells “Go hard!” Tom manages to force his head out from under Chad’s forearm, the veins on his arms and neck popping, and drives him hard down to the mat. “Times up!” The wrestlers go suddenly limp, untying from one another with an exhausted slowness. Tom rises carefully from the clash bleeding profusely from his nose. He gets a few curious glances but for the most part is ignored. On this team, this close to OFSAA there is little room for sympathy and even less for mercy. Tom jogs out to get some Kleenex to sop up the crimson mess. The fatigued crew of damp bleach blond (a symbol of their unity) grapplers minus Tom, make their way out of the wrestling room and down to the gym floor to run wind sprints, although a first time visitor might suppose they were on their way to bleed and vomit in peace.
There can be no peace for any of the seventeen athletes Drury is sending to Woodstock, only a frantic kind of energy which permeates the entire team. A non-stop intensity that stems from the knowledge of how good they can be. Their practices over the past weeks have been incredibly focused; hours long battle of mind over body. Everyone is there because they love it, and because they have no where in the world they would rather be. Their coach Mooch has been at Drury for ever. He has seen nearly everything in his career: the good, the bad, and more than his fair share of the ugly. He has created a team of unprecedented success, a perennial powerhouse which has won Haltons 9 times in the past decade, and which has won GHAC nearly as many times. An OFSAA Championship has always been a dream so sacred that it would be sacrilege to speak out loud… until this year that is. This is the year that Mooch’s dynasty will reach its peak, with three of the seven graduating wrestlers favored to win OFSAA.
A few weeks ago Drury’s full contingent of nearly 60 wrestlers once again absolutely destroyed the competition at both the Haltons, and GHAC; outscoring their opponents by more than 50 points. They won so convincingly in fact that a number of university wrestlers, and Drury alumni, had begun attending their practices; only adding to the intensity. As a result of the domination at GHAC, Drury is strong from top to bottom, and is even two men deep in some weight classes. On paper Drury looks unstoppable, they have the most talent, and the most depth, and by far the most desire of any team in Ontario. The actual physical representation of the teams desire has to be Graham Carroll. Standing 5’9 and weighing in at an off season 125 lbs., Graham has always been considered somewhat skinny. This season however he wanted to be part of the team he knew would win OFSAA so badly, he sacrificed, busted his ass, and did everything humanly possible to cut down to 104.5 lbs. where he stood the best chance of qualifying. It’s funny because almost anyone on the team would have been willing to sacrifice like he did, but Carroll was the one who had to do it.
If Graham represents the teams desire, than big John McCart represents its intensity. The 209 lber is also the head captain, and every single person on the team measures there work ethic against his. He will grind himself and everyone on the team into nervous exhaustion every chance he gets. >Carroll is currently running his wind sprints in a rubber sweat suit, two laps behind McCart. Graham looks awful but no one is willing to make him stop, and he would never quit on his own. >At the end of practice Mooch calls the nearly catatonic squad to the pool for some quiet reflection and focus. This aspect of training is what makes Drury so mentally tough, and so able to overcome adversity. “I want you to sit back and relax…” begins Mooch’s visualization tape. It uses a series of verbal cues to guide an individual through a mental workout. It has been accepted gratefully by the team.
Late at night after the lights are out a few people on the team are laying awake in their beds at home. Maybe they’re on their backs looking at the ceiling, or sitting cross-legged with their chin on their hands. Or maybe they’re fooling themselves pretending to be asleep, either way they’re all alone with their thoughts for the first time that day. For some it is a time when unspoken fears, and deep doubts surface. When the negative thoughts they buried deep within themselves return whole to make them afraid. For others it is a time in which to dream of glory, of winning. To dream of being the champion. For others still it is a time to wonder at the brotherhood that exists between them. The unbreakable bond that some say is merely a clique like any other, but which those on the team believe is a devotion that develops through a shared suffering, or a shared triumph. With OFSAA only a few days away Drury is prepared for anything. Victory, or defeat will take care of it self, because despite everything they know that they did all things humanly possible to get ready.
PART 2
A week later Drury’s seventeen warriors are sitting in a van, rumbling down a road in the middle of nowhere. The blinding early morning sunlight is streaming in through the windows, but despite the sun’s brightness it offers no warmth, it is an indecently cold day. The two back seats of the van have been removed, so the wrestlers are seated in a rough circle. They are on their way to the Optimist Center for the first day of OFSAA 2000 wrestling. Graham Carroll is looking morosely out the window. He is in his dress clothes. He will not be competing because he was not able to hold his weight for the three weeks between Haltons and OFSAA. It wasn’t his will power that gave up; it was his body. Everyone understands this, and are sympathetic, but he is still down on himself. Drury’s entry has now been reduced to 16 competitors. The rookies, Devries, Wilson, and Baron, normally loud and annoying, are subdued, though an occasional giggle can still be heard. Rory , Drury’s entrant at 134 lbs. is sitting quietly by the window, trying to untie the knot in his stomach. Chicklet who weighed in at 127 lbs. has his hands folded in his lap and is starring at them. He has been plagued by injuries in the past and in order to achieve his full potential he must overcome the pain. Homer had a big cut to make 112 lbs. and is leaning back looking at the ceiling, wincing occasionally when a particularly bad hunger pang strikes him. He looks upset because his face is sucked in, and his eyes are sunk back into his head. Burnham, the other 127 lbs. has been known to come up big in the past. He currently has his headphones in, and is frowning at the back of Mooch’s head. Chad and Tom are speaking quietly. Everyone is deep down within themselves, using the ten minute drive to focus on the task at hand. This is the last time anyone will get a quiet chance to concentrate. Wrestling tournaments are madhouses. Constant noise, heat, sweating bodies giving off supernatural BO. It is all quite distracting. Nonetheless it is time to forget everything negative, to forget what is on the line, and especially forget the glory they’ve been dreaming of because nothing will make you fall faster than your own ego (it makes you top heavy). They must arrive at the point where it is possible to do what needs to get done, and nothing more.
The optimist center is a squat grey building situated on the crest of a hill. As the van draws closer, conversation peters out. The van speakers are all playing Bryan Adams “We’re gonna win”. The van pulls up in front of the entrance, and Mooch hops out, throwing an unceremonious “Let’s go” back over his shoulder. Nervous as some of them may be, the entire contingent struts into the arena as though they own it. They commandeer a large area of the stands in the corner closest to the exit. The other competitors throw the squad nervous glances. It has been widely publicized that Drury is the favorite. It is clear to everybody that Drury is here to win.
The sixteen wrestlers make their way down to the mat, with the four captains, John, Chad, Heffron, and Tom, leading the way. They are all clad in identical deep green sweaters with Drury Wrestling emblazoned across the front in gold letters, this coupled with their blond hair makes a unified team. As they cross the threshold between the stands and the mats a few of the boys hesitate for a moment, as if acknowledging their destiny. It is no exaggeration to describe this moment as destiny. Everyone, not just Drury fans, behaved with an unspoken admission to the inevitability of the outcome of this tournament. As they weave in and out of the pairs of entangled wrestlers the looks of nervous apprehension from other schools become more blatant. They warm-up and stretch in unison. A call to clear the mats is sent out over the loud speakers. Drury returns to their seats and waits for the first match.
They go down to the coral as their numbers are called. The coral is a pen through which everyone must pass to reach the mat surface. The two wrestlers in a match together are called and led to the nearest vacant mat by a runner. The first batch of wrestlers is called down. Chad’s name is called. Not even glancing at his opponent he follows the runner to the center mat. As soon as the previous match is finished he steps out on to the mat, shaking the tenseness out of his legs, and strips off his shirt reveling the golden singlet underneath. He rolls his neck first right, then left, while bouncing up and down to keep his blood flowing to his extremities. The ref. comes over and checks him for sweat, shakes his hand and wishes him good luck. He repeats the ritual for Chad’s opponent. They are instructed to shake hands and they do, looking at each other for the first time. Chad sees everything with an unnatural clarity. He simultaneously observes a single bead of sweat rolling down the face of the boy opposite him, the white tape his rival has used on his laces, his red singlet, the glare of the overhead fluorescent lights causing his skin to gleam a sickly orange. Chad and all the Drury wrestler’s have been trained as merciless savages, ready to tear their victims to shreds, convincing them through pain, that they don’t really want it all that badly. Chad crouches into his stance waiting for the whistle that will begin the match. Time slows to a crawl. He is focused on the task with every part of his being. He has trained relentlessly for this moment, he has tortured his mind and body to the point of collapse, so he would be strong. He is eager to begin.
After an eternity the shrill blast of the whistle begins the match. They circle each other slowly, searching for a weakness, a hole in defense that will create an opportunity. Chad has very few, his competitor has many. As they circle the boy reaches for Chad with his arm. Chad rips it off his head and takes control of it, using it to manipulate him, turning him this way and that before flashing under him into a double leg. Chad lifts the wrestler on his shoulder then spins him around quickly and slams him hard into the mat. The unfortunate boy has very little control over his own body, and so lands awkwardly. He makes an instinctive effort to get to his stomach before he realizes he is really hurt and folds up. The ref. gives Chad three, and then an extra one, for holding his back exposed for five seconds. The boy is white-faced, clearly in pain. He is not able to struggle so Chad pins him easily. Chad leaves the boy writhing in agony on the mat, and returns to the center. The medics rush over with their first aid kits while Chad’s arm is being raised. It is several minutes before the boy is able to rise, and limp off the mat with his arms around his coaches.
Chad’s outstanding effort is a perfect illustration of his teams dominance. His victory is duplicated time, and time again. Everyone on the team experiences moments of personal glory. Not everyone can win though. Their are a few disappointments, some more keenly felt then others, and one by one Drury’s sixteen is reduced to a select five that reach the finals. Chad and Mike are in for gold, John for bronze, and Burnham and Petherick are in for 5th. Five hard fought battles are fought. Drury ends up with two golds, a bronze, a fifth and a sixth. An incredible achievement considering Drury has only ever produced one OFSAA champ; Colin Widdis. Now the waiting game. The final points of every team must be tabulated, then a winner will be declared.
An hour later Drury’s crew of seventeen is standing in the far corner of the auditorium. The announcer has just given the sixth , fifth, fourth, and third, place team standings. Everyone of the seventeen are silent. Homer is looking off into space. Rory appears to be praying. Little Robbie Petherick concentrates, head back and eyes closed; he looks like a baby bird waiting to be fed. The announcers voice comes over the loud speaker “In second place with 120 pt…” The pause seeming to last forever “Brampton Centennial”.
The fans go into hysterics; everyone on the team goes into hysterics; even Mooch and Simon go into hysterics. The Drury boys surround Mooch, and Simon, and pummel them, and each other in joyful triumph. They have held on to win their tournament. At this moment they are cheering each other and everything else will just have to wait. Then they break for the podium to accept their reward, and the world begins to turn in its ordinary course once again. It is all over; E.C. Drury has won. They are the 2000 OFSAA Wrestling Champions.