Jordan was not exactly excited to begin wrestling; as a matter of fact he wasn’t really excited about any sport. I knew the valuable lessons to be learned from playing a sport, so I suggested we give some time to wrestling. The first time I saw Jordan wrestle in practice he was awkward and did not understand any of the footwork or handwork. I did not go up to him and suggest that since he seemed so incompetent he never wrestle again. I understood that it takes time to develop the skills. To become a master it would take the proper equipment, time to study, hours upon hours of practice, and hours of live wrestling. Most people do not understand that point – success is not mastered overnight. If it were, everyone would be a master in their field. The reason they are masters is that they are willing to do things the average person is not dedicated enough to do. Jordan learned some valuable lessons about winning and losing that first year and I noticed a marked improvement in his self-discipline through the process. The coach after every meet would say, “If you tried your hardest and lost you still won because you are learning!” He would then take some time to tell stories about other kids who had gone through his program and were now scholarship athletes at top universities in our country. I didn’t hear any of the parents stop the coach and say, “c’mon coach, quit getting these kids’ hopes up. Don’t you know the odds of any of these kids ever winning a scholarship?” Well the facts are, most of these kids won’t even be wrestling by the time the year’s out, let alone winning scholarships. I look at my son’s time in wrestling as a win, even if he doesn’t continue to wrestle later in life, because the most important thing is the personal education he is getting. I learned more about success from my sports in high school than I ever learned in any class. Jordan finished his first year with a losing record and the feeling that he just didn’t have what it takes to be a good wrestler.