Light at the end of the tunnel

It’s about time I updated my blog, It’s been about 3 weeks and it’s been a long three weeks at that. Let me give you an update on where we are at the moment. I’ve been through a rollercoaster of emotions over the last couple of weeks. I was depressed, unmotivated, sad, frustrated and angry that I hadn’t met the criteria for Commonwealth Games selection which is still grating at me a little bit. I totally appreciate that these things happen but what a pain in the arse.

Pain equivalent - heart attack (fact)

Why was I feeling like this well, what seems to be the trio diagnosis of my injury is torn cartilage, costchondral separation and to top it off… fractured ribs. I felt awful at my first day of work, I was struggling to move, breath and probably visibly distressed. I’m still feeling pretty uncomfortable now and I’m just sitting. Now the pain feels like a stitch that you get when you run but two weeks ago I went through some of the worst pain I have ever felt. Scary Pain! I was driving home after a Scottish Student Sport committee day and had a sneezing fit on the city bypass travelling at about 60 mph I almost lost control but managed to save it. The pain was a searing pain close to my heart, it felt like I had been stabbed, someone was squeezing my chest, the whole episode took me about 20 seconds to recover. After that incident, nights of restless sleep I decided it was time to pay the doc another visit.

The doc was pretty good, empathetic to my plight at least and unsurprisingly it was the first time he had ever written a prescription for the cause of Olympic Freestyle Wrestling. My main issue was that I couldn’t sleep which to me meant that my body wasn't recovering well or at the very least quick enough, my point being that I wanted to get back onto the mat as soon as physically possible. He did reckon that the sneezing fit had fractured a rib due to the lack of support from the separated rib. He prescribed me some Supradol and Diclofenac in its droves to control the inflammation and numb the pain. With the Supradol, it was predominantly to knock me out at night and it did the trick, hadn’t slept so well in weeks but it did mean that I couldn’t drive.

I’m upset that I’ve lost out on 3 weeks of training already, I won’t be ready to hit the mat again properly for another 8 weeks or so but next week I’m starting to build up my cardiovascular endurance again, nothing strenuous but I need to get back doing something. I did try this 3 days after injury and was ok, iced down the chest and did some really light exercises (3kg fly) looked like a real hard man in the gym lifting those bad boys.

So... it’s been a frustrating couple of weeks, next week brings a new dawn in the training, it is going to be tough, I’m running a kids camp at work for 23 kids but luckily team [EN]GAGE will be on hand to deliver a fantastic week of activities. but I will need to chuck in some training as well. The key to this is to avoid reccurance 

Global blog - pretty cool


I was a little bit down at the end of my last blog post, I thought of it as me being a bit of a realist and I didn’t want to have expectations of making the Games next year, it still blows my mind thinking about it. This quest that Michael Cavanagh mused on me has taken its toll, I’ve put a lot into it. Sure, there are times when I could have and should have done more but I am where I am and I’m pretty happy with that. I feel like I have sacrificed a lot for this, I’ve completely stripped my social life down to the occasional catch up with friends and probably lost touch with a few more mates than I would have liked. I lost a few at the very start who thought that wrestling was stupid thing to take up and that I wouldn’t have the ability or conviction to get there and that took its toll mentally. At the end of the day It’s been tough but I have had a fantastic amount of support from a lot of great people and I’m lucky to have them in my life. They know who they are but what is cool about keeping this blog, I can thank them publicly. I read it back and it’s been an interesting journey, it’s been read over 6000 times from countries all across the world. In the last month alone people have been reading from the UK, USA, Germany, France, China, Russia, Netherlands, Poland, Canada and Australia which is incredible.

So for all those people across the world and particularly to my friends and family, I am absolutely delighted to say that I had a moment yesterday that made the slog of #mission2014 and everything over the last 10 months’ worth it.

I was lucky enough to get an email yesterday from Colin McLaren, wrestling team manager for Commonwealth Games Scotland who informed me that I have been put forward as the 120kg potential competitor for the Commonwealth Games 2014. To top it off, my friend Martin King is the same boat. A lot of other people have been working a lot longer and I hope they get their just reward.

On the horizon - fingers crossed

it’s by no means a definite that I will be competing at the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow 2014. I have to get a podium finish in the British Closed Championships next year to earn my place in Team Scotland and even then I think that Team Scotland will have to approve everything but I’m closer than I was and that’s the main thing. That said hearing that I have been officially put forward has renewed my motivation, passion, vigour and to have a target is and always has been important in this. It’s amazing to be recognised as having potential to do something and its thanks to everyone who has supported me thus far and for the coaches and management of Scottish Wrestling for seeing a bit of potential that they can work with. My thanks especially has to go to Michael Cavanagh and Steven Cote for the hours of coaching they have put in and the things they have taught me. Final shout out goes to my friends and family, guys who have taken time out to wrestle and the support of family and family in law.

Still lots of work to do but we are back on track and it feels amazing!

As always, thanks for taking time to read.

Cheers

@shocksjr

Guest Blogger - Steven Cote

Hello...

This week, another guest blog entry for: the Road to 2014 - I pestered one of my coaches Steve  Cote to get writing a blog post without any steer on what I wanted him to talk about. Steve is an experienced wrestler but also been all over the world with his studies before coming to Edinburgh for his MSc. I am indebted to him for the help he has given me and the club in Edinburgh, so if anyone reading this is in a position to employ in September and needs a good egg - he could be your man.

It's a good read from someone who has ended up becoming a good friend of mine and even more so from someone who hasn't written a blog post before. He has done a good job. Thanks to Steve for that and for the kind words but rest assured I'm still going to try and kick your ass at training! For note - I picked the pictures of Steven for the blog... I should take a moment to say whatever you do - don't google safesearch Steven Cote Wrestling Netherland and go to images. That must be a different Steven Cote!

Hope you all enjoy!

@shocksjr

I have never written a blog before so bear with me, even if it is a little long.

Mike asked me to write a blog entry for him a while ago, and I have finally found the time to finish it. I will try not to make this thing too much of an ‘Ode to Mike’, cause let’s face it; he has been getting enough credit in this thing already! But will tell you a bit about me and my background as well.

Steven Cote - Culturally Open Minded

I moved to Edinburgh last September to start a MSc. in Tourism Marketing at Napier University. I am half Belgian/ half American who was living in France before moving here together with my fiancé. I have lived in Belgium, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Tanzania, France and now Scotland, which has led me to define myself as a culturally open-minded and sociable person. My Scottish experience has been great so far, I have been able to do loads of exploring of the country, with one of the main distinguishing factors being the friendliness of the people. Doesn’t matter if I am in the heart of city or out in the highlands, Scottish people have a general likability and openness about them that I can’t get enough of; mind you I have not been to Glasgow yet! But I am sure that won’t really change my general outlook on things.   

Having wrestled before and knowing I was going to be in Edinburgh for at least a year, during induction week at University, I was desperately trying to find a wrestling club within the city. For a while I thought I was going to have to get into Judo or grappling, but then one day the Engage gym staff came to Craiglockhart campus and someone told me about this wrestling club and Mike’s commonwealth ambitions. I immediately jumped on board, and initially just thought I would join a club so I could get back into shape, but eventually have become pretty invested in the club myself. Mike and the rest of the guys at Engage and the club have been great!  I am leaving over the summer for an internship in the Western Isles and am pretty gutted about the fact I won’t get to wrestle or coach over that time period.    

Steve - 2nd from left in the 

My wrestling career took place mostly during my high school days, when I wrestled for the DODDS system within Europe, which has over 50 international schools who participate against each in a variety of sports. Starting at the young age of 14, for me, was a critical issue in developing my skills and my passion for this great sport. My highest achievement came during my senior year when I placed 2^nd in the European Championships in 2006, which was the last time that I wrestled collegiate style competitively. After making the decision to stay in Europe for Uni, I started wrestling freestyle in The Netherlands where I became BENELUX national champion at 60 KG in 2007, which was the last time I ever wrestled competitively, and I have to say I do miss it sometimes.   

The guys at the Edinburgh club and in particular Mike have been egging me on to compete, I think a friendly wager should be made between the two of us to seal the deal. Something like, if I compete and do relatively well, Mike has to treat me to 5 orders at Los Cardos! Nothing like TEX-MEX for motivation, but to be fair if I do manage to find a way to stay in Edinburgh after University, I think a return to competitive wrestling will be in order.

Many people don’t understand wrestling and undervalue it tremendously; you might ask where is the appeal of two sweaty people in tights trying to grab each other? If that is not ample justification enough for you, let my personal experience provide some insight. Many people are adamant about their sports, but wrestling has taught me so much more than just techniques to play a sport. It taught me to be able to dig deep and do extraordinary things through self-motivation, mental toughness and self-confidence both on and off the mat. I think that is what I really love about the sport that success or failure is up to no one else but you. Both the physical and psychological development I went through made me a better student, a better athlete and an all-round better person in life. Wrestling provided me with skills that I was able to take with me into my adult life with some of the more important ones being leadership and confidence. As my coach during high school always used to say, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog, and that has always been my way of looking at both wrestling and life. I have no idea where I would be right now in life if it was not for wrestling as it transformed me from a scrawny, shy, aimless kid; into a confident, tough young man with goals. (Mind you I am still pretty skinny!)

Getting back on to talking about the Edinburgh Wrestling Club, we have two sessions a week right now at the club and on Monday practices, my role is usually to play crash dummy for Coach Michael to show moves on. Because of my previous wrestling experience, I generally know the techniques he is showing but also know how to fall, adapt my stance, and mirror correctly to what he is trying to show, which is beneficial for the other more inexperienced wrestlers to see. The other guys usually get in a laugh or two, when they see my painful facial expressions from Coach’s moves. The tables quickly turn when the expression ‘you won’t know until you feel it’ comes to play, where I persuade the coach to pick on someone his own size, like Mike! 

The Friday sessions which I coach are a bit more informal, but I still like to build on or go over what we did on Mondays and have a good thirty minutes for live wrestling at the end. The coaching perspective is something new for me, but I am really enjoying it. Seeing someone carry out a perfect technique you’ve showed them in a live wrestling environment is a rewarding experience. I have noticed a shift between my attitude when I am live wrestling at the club as well, no longer just focusing on winning the match but focusing on what the other person is doing right or wrong, in order to be able to give feedback afterwards. This shift towards a more coaching mentality has allowed me to think more about the technique side of things, and in the end will make me a better wrestler as well.     

Here comes the part of the blog entry that Mike is going to love, my praise to him! (Just don’t let it get to your head) Like I said wrestling is not easy, it’s a tough, both mentally and physically, demanding sport, which not everyone can do. It takes integrity, intelligence, and determination to succeed in this sport, and in the past few months of wrestling, Mike has been showing me these traits. I started wrestling at a young age and fell in love with the sport, it is great for me to see someone like Mike who started fairly late in life with wrestling taking such a liking to it. His commitment to his family, his job, his training and wrestling and juggling all of those together impresses me every time.

Reading through Mike’s blogs from the past, he has started being more honest about our wrestling matches during practice as well, and by honest, I mean admitting that I have been getting the best of him! That should drive our healthy rivalry up a notch! All kidding aside though, it is great to see the strides Mike has been taking during our live wrestling sessions. His mat awareness, wrestling techniques, stamina, and match mentality have all increased immensely, making him one tough opponent! I will even give Mike the recognition he deserves, by stating he beats me fair and square (occasionally) not just by his weight advantage, but truly because of his superior strength and wrestling technique. As an unofficial coach and enthusiast of Mike and his goals, I believe The British open in a few weeks will be the real test of his improvement, but I think it is safe to say that Mike’s objective of qualifying for the Commonwealth games needs to be changed to medaling in the Commonwealth games!

I leave you with this poem by Anthony Robles, who won the 2011 NCAA wrestling championship with only one leg. I think it really exemplifies a wrestler’s attitude towards life, check out the short youtube clip about him and you can hear these powerful words from the man himself.

Every soul who comes to earth
with a leg or two at birth
Must wrestle his opponents knowing
it’s not what is, it’s what can be, that measures worth.
Make it hard, just make it possible
And through pain I’ll not complain
My spirit is unconquerable
Fearless I will face each foe
For I know I am capable
I don’t care what’s probable
Through blood, sweat, and tears, I am unstoppable.