I take you, Wrestling, to be my Life...

A typical conversation with someone who inquiries about what my husband does goes like this about 98% of the time:

"What does your husband do?"

"He is a wrestling coach for IU."

"(insert your favorite positive comfirmation here). So when is wrestling season?"

Me chuckling at the inside joke in my head. "Well opens, invitationals and dual tournaments begin in October. Then Big Ten's really get underway about January and competition-season closes with the NCAA tournament in mid-March."

"Sounds like a great work schedule-"

"-Then there is recruiting, that really doesn't 'stop' throughout the year, but it is the main priority April through September."

"I see, so no off-"

"-No, no off-season."

Am I bitter about this? I would be the perfect Stepford-Wife if I said "No, I support my husband 100% in whatever he wishes to do." (Cheesy smile and twinkle in my eye) But let's be honest, I am not a Stepford-Wife in any form of the stereotype. Yes I do support my husband 100%, but I have had my moments of 'Do you really have to leave again??' However, wrestling really has become my life as well. Strategically planning my PTO days around tournament time is something I have gotten pretty darn good at in the last 5 years! But I do have an underlying desire to go to Chicago one year for a St. Patrick's Day vacation... Guess that will have to wait until Northwestern hosts the Nationals...

The role of Wrestling Wife really is a "Love it" or "Hate it" deal. My first encounter with the sport was about 8 years ago at a home IU dual meet when I saw my very-recent-boyfriend throw his opponent at 197lbs... impressed to say the least, however, I was completely clueless to what exactly was going on. In a short period of time I learned a lot and was able to quickly say, "Wrestling is my favorite sport".

I was a very emotional fan watching Pat wrestling for 3 years at IU. And although the heart pounding and muscle tensing has let up, I still get that Hunting-Lioness instinct watching our guys wrestle. I am never one to sit completely still, stay completely quite, or for that matter stay completely classy. I can imagine I embarrass Pat at least a handful of times with every passing season, But I couldn't be happier or more honored to be part of such a close-knit, cut-throat athletic Family.

So wrestling,
To have and to hold (but of course no locking of hands),
For richer or poorer (let's loosen up on the poor k?)
In Sickness and in Health (so glad we got through weight-cuts!)
To love and to cherish (it isn't your fault the ref made a bad call)
From this day forward, until total knee and hip replacements do us part...