First Tournament ever

[bigoil]

Mine was at the Jefferson YMCA circa late 70's (I think we had one at our YMCA as well first but I recall the Jefferson meet.

Recalling the past, interesting how Y's were so involved and now I don't believe there are Y's running wrestling.

Where was your first meet?

[DocWrestling]

I first started wrestling at the YMCA in 1976.  Parents knew nothing about wrestling but wanted to maximize the value of their membership.

First Tournament was the McDonalds wrestling tournament in Fond du Lac.  McDonalds sponsored the tournament for years and free orange drink for everyone.  4 man brackets and not round robins.  You got 2 matches.  If you won you wrestled the winner and if you lost you wrestled the other loser.  Only awards were ribbons.

Old school bullpens.  They matched you up and made you sit next to your opponent in the bleachers for like 15 minutes before a mat was available.  Don't remember ever warming up.  Small talk with your opponent but you knew you were in trouble if he had wrestling shoes because most did not.  You were even in worse trouble if he had a singlet when most wrestled in shorts and a T-shirt.  You were even more scared if he had a mohawk!  Mental toughness was a must when sitting with your opponent for 15 minutes.

[bigoil]

Bullpens, how fun was that, who is going to hold the match card, more mental toughness lol.

[padre]

Bullpens, how fun was that, who is going to hold the match card, more mental toughness lol.

Used to call the weights down for youth state like that and they'd all check each other out standing next to their opponent.  Not sure if Bay  Port still does their regionals this way.

Funny...I had a second grader that got a 8 second pin in first round once at state with the bullpen...kid literally laid down...I asked our kid why he may have did that...he said he asked about how much he wrestled and told him he was a 5 time state champion.😂😂😂


As for my first meet...didn't start until high school...first meet got pinned in the first period twice and was called a fish looking at brackets...decided that day I was back to basketball the next year...glad the year improved a bit to deter me. 😀

[Houndhead]

I started in the 4th grade, so 1976. First tournament was at Cadott. Lost in the final to another kid from my school that may have never wrestled again.

[dman]

My first one was in Sun Prairie in 4th grade, being from a small town I was scared of course, and subsequently got my you know what handled to me by 2 kids...took 3rd...low and behold the two kids that beat me turned out to be a 3 timer from Stoughton, and I believe he was a 2 timer from Baraboo...one of the kids was very mean and hurt me when he beat me, and the other was so smooth and good I didn't realized I was getting tech-falled before being pinned...lol.  I ended up being friends with the mean one in college...he is one tough SOB.

[Grapl]

Lakeland 1974

[Coach V]

The Greater Fox Valley Open, in Brillion, 1977, I was 5. 

[Steve_L]

Oconto Falls - Maybe 1983.  Went 0-2.

[Bob Garrou]

My first tournament also fourth grade 1976 I was 5'9" tall and weighed 185. My dad took me to the tournament. I remember how excited he got when I wrestled  and I fell in love with the sport from that day forward.

[Ghetto]

I don't remember my first tournament, but it was in HS.

I do remember my second match where I locked my hands 1000 times and lost on DQ.

[imnofish]

I certainly remember mine.  It was back in 1962, when I was a 5th grader.  The tournament was at Sycamore, Illinois.  I took 3rd in an 8-man bracket.   In my last match, I recall coming from behind to win in the closing seconds, by scoring an escape, takedown, and 3-point nearfall. 

[shouldvewrestled]

I certainly remember mine.  It was back in 1962, when I was a 5th grader.  The tournament was at Sycamore, Illinois.  I took 3rd in an 8-man bracket.   In my last match, I recall coming from behind to win in the closing seconds, by scoring an escape, takedown, and 3-point nearfall.

So you were Jayson Ness' inspiration.

[TomM]

I do remember my second match where I locked my hands 1000 times and lost on DQ.

THIS! hahahahahaha

[Rat]

Belmont Wisconsin 1973 We had just won the fever river league championship in basketball. My basketball coach gave everyone a team picture on the back of mine he wrote not a bad basketball player. GO OUT FOR WRESTLING that's way back when coaches were smarter than the kids. I wrestled the next day.