A Satisfying Moment
Cody Johnson - I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not like most people. I don’t party much, I’ve never consumed alcohol, and my idea of a good time is watching Russian freestyle wrestling on YouTube or going into the wrestling room when everyone is either asleep or partying and working out until I’m drenched with sweat. Am I obsessed with this sport? You bet.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do have other interests besides wrestling. In the spring and summer, when I’m not competing, I like to eat. After I eat, I’ll generally eat some more. This is followed up by more eating. And to finish off the day, I like to throw myself a curveball, and eat some more. But, generally speaking, if I’m not grazing, I’m most likely wrestling or thinking about wrestling.
Coach Anderson asked me to write this blog, to which I replied, “About what?” He told me that I could write about anything, as long as I was creative. My first initial thought was to write about what it would be like to wrestle sixty-two wombats. As I thought about this, I came to the conclusion that I needed to pick a new topic, because even if I were to round up that many wombats, I wouldn’t want to wrestle them, because they aren’t familiar with the collegiate style of wrestling and I certainly don’t want to take on a group of vicious wombats in a street fight. What if they have knives?
Instead, I’ll talk about the Midlands, and why I wanted to cry before my second match. To give you a little insight as to how prestigious the Midlands Tournament is, the tagline for this year’s competition was, “Where the Elite Meet to Compete.” Catchy, and very true. Numerous Olympians and NCAA champions have competed in this tournament and I am willing to bet my left foot that a handful of the participants at this year’s tournament will win an NCAA Championship.
For me, the whole experience (minus the two losses) was a dream come true. I warmed up and competed on the same mat as the Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State, Illinois, Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, and Harvard. I sat one row behind Tom Brands, an Olympic champion and head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. I could smell his cologne. Here I am, a wrestler from Division III Wabash College, first year varsity, sophomore, and I’m sniffing greatness. Unbelievable.
I would go out and warm up when I knew that I wouldn’t wrestle for six hours, just so I could be apart of that atmosphere. I had worked my entire life to get to that point and I wasn’t about to squander an opportunity to warm up next to future Olympians. I was getting loose at Northwestern University, and I was taking it all in. As I jogged around the wrestling mats, I would catch myself smiling. I usually don’t smile when I wrestle, but when you dream of doing something since the age of five, and you actually get a chance to live out that moment, I think that it’s okay to smile.
However, the most profound moment, for me, came before my second match. I was warming up next to Rob Arnett, our heavyweight, and I just took a second to reflect on where I was. I looked to my left and Mark Perry, the defending NCAA champion at 165 pounds, was walking onto the mat to destroy his opponent from Illinois. Jake Varner, the number one ranked wrestler at 184 pounds for the Iowa State Cyclones, was getting a pep talk from his coach, Cael Sanderson, an Olympic champion and the only wrestler to go four years in college without suffering a loss. I looked to my right and Tom Brands was warming up his 174 pound wrestler. I realized that I was holding my breath and when I went to exhale, I could feel my eyes get very hot and wet. I held kept the emotions inside but if I didn’t have a match, tears would have been streaming down my face because at that moment, that one moment in time, I had done what I had set out to do. Any loss that I had suffered, any setback, any negative thoughts were forgotten for that one moment. In that moment, I was just a kid who was living his dream. In that moment, I was happy.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is what it’s all about. When you wake up in the morning, something drives you; something pushes you through the day. For me, moments like that get me going every single day. That moment has passed, but it is mine forever. No one can take it from me. Because of that moment, I know that I am able to accomplish my goals. And I have goals. Now, all I have to do is believe in myself and work to achieve those goals. With new goals come new and everlasting moments. Those moments will be the moments that drive me and push me to be the best.
Take care, and ask yourself, what drives you? What moment are you working towards?