Back down to earth (maybe)

Warming up on the practise mat. Wrestler being flattened
by his coach :D

So we've come back down to earthly levels again. Alarm went off at 6 and we dragged some sleepy boys out of bed an hour later. No matter if you're a National Champion or brother of one, you've still got to get to school. 

I'm actually happy about the timing. Though they'll all be tired, at least it was a great way to distract us from the reality of school starting and the negative thoughts/behaviour we saw associated with that last term.

The two younger boys are tired because we didn't get the travellers home until after 9 and then there was a lot to catch up on, as well as two videos of wresting bouts to watch. It took a while for everyone to calm down enough to sleep.

According to my husband, the Queensland team looked
the smartest of all the teams, with their maroon and
grey uniforms. My son was heard to mutter this morning
as I drove him to school (with his "winter term" tie on)
that he wished school uniforms could be as comfortable
as these were.

I've mentioned before how I think wrestling is an honourable sport. Listening to the video, you would have thought we were at a music performance or a tennis match. Not really the polite applause, but it certainly was orderly and quiet.

Here is the Code of Conduct we/they had to agree to to enter this competition:

Code of Conduct • I/my child shall behave in a dignified manner at all times and shall not do anything that may bring Wrestling Australia Inc., wrestling or myself into disrepute.
• I/my child shall respect the spirit of fair play and non-violence towards all other competitors, officials and spectators.
• I/my child shall abide by any lawful direction and respect the authority of any official who has authority to conduct any element of the competition.
• I/my child shall be accountable and accept responsibility for my/their actions.  

Examples of Unacceptable Behaviour are:
• Sledging other athletes, officials or event organisers. Sledging is defined as a statement that is deemed to denigrate and/or intimidate another person.
• Publicly dissenting the decision of the referees or other officials.
• Creating a public disturbance, or acting in a way that becomes a public nuisance.
• Causing damage to another person’s property.
• The use or encouragement of drugs and banned substances to enhance or inhibit performance.
• Engaging in any harassment, sexual or otherwise.
This list is not exhaustive, but is intended to provide a guideline to what is considered unacceptable behaviour. 

David said there was one incident where a coach was having trouble controlling himself, but the situation eventually calmed down without any drastic action (like the coach being removed from the building). 

I've seen (in Japan at an international schools competition) a wrestler who was so upset that he had to be practically wrestled away from the mat by his coach into a dressing room. That is unusual. Generally the conduct is much more controlled. The coaches at CAJ are very strict on this.


But I wander. There probably aren't many of you who really care about this . . . 

Back to the "earthly levels" that I began with. The boys have just arrived home, that's my call back to ordinary life.