I was privileged to have grown up watching Michael Jordan win 6 NBA Championships and Derek Jeter win 5 World Series.

It sounds funny but while they were racking up championship after championship, year after year I lost sight of the difficulty of their accomplishments.

In a weird way, their robotic success actually numbed and blinded me to how rare and special of athletes they both actually were.

The only way I could logically explain their success was to rationalize that they weren’t human.

But every once in a while during their careers, I was reminded that they were human.

Usually, that occurred when they didn’t win a championship in a given year.

It was that occasional reminder of their humanity that made me appreciate what

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing it was to witness these two great athletes compete and how difficult their accomplishments were to achieve.

I am currently reading Hank Greens debut novel called:

“An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.”

In the book, a young girl named April May walks right past a ten-foot Transformer robot in the middle of NYC at 3 am in the morning. At first, seeing the ten-foot transformer robot in the middle of the street didn’t faze her, after all, it was NYC. Then she stopped for a second and realized, “What An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” it was that this ten-foot transformer robot was just sitting in the middle of the street in her hometown.

How did it get there?

Over time April Mays only explanation of how the transformer got on the streets of NYC was, “That the robot wasn’t human.”

You see it’s not such a special thing when a Robot does something compared to when a human does it.

I’ve had the privilege of witnessing Adam Busiello up close over the last dozen years.

He and my sons trained at the same wrestling club and they attended the same high school.

Firsthand or on Flo I have witness Adam Busiello robotically win 4 New York State and 6 Super 32 Championships.

As I was when I watched Jordan and Jeter’s careers play out I have been almost blinded and numb to Adams robotic success.

Today I was reminded that Adam, like Jordan and Jeter, is also human.

And that’s what makes me appreciate his accomplishments even more.

Like April May, I too almost walked past something extraordinary in my hometown without being fazed after having rationalized it the work of a robot.

That is, Up to now.

Today it is time for me to stop for a second and appreciate how much of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is has been to witness Adam over the years and the magnitude of his accomplishments.

Elite wrestlers dream of winning one Super 32 Championship.

Adam has won 6.

How hard is it to win a Super 32 Championship?

Well, Adam Busiello, a 6x champion did not win one today.

It is the goal of many accomplished wrestlers to place at the Super 32’s.

How hard is it to place in the Super 32 tournament?

Well, Adam Busiello, a 6x champion, did not place in it today.

Most view a DNP as a failure of accomplishment.

I view a DNP as a potential resourceful gift.

Elite athletes transform DNP’s into National Championships.

It’s part of their magic.

I believe Adam will do the same.

Sometimes success is not capable of transforming you to the next level as much as a DNP can.

Some say in order to win an NCAA Championship you have to be a robot.

You can not be human.

You can never lose.

I disagree, I say being reminded that they are human is exactly what transforms great athletes to extraordinary heights.

Vincent Van Gogh said, “For my part, I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

Nothing is certain.

We found that out today.

But I believe a Division 1 NCAA championship is in Adams stars.

Being reminded today that Adam is human reminds me of just how much of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing it has been to be able to watch Adam over the years, and how rare his accomplishments truly are.

And like April May in Hank Green’s book “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing,” I just had to stop and appreciate that this great athlete is sitting in the middle of the street in my hometown.

From a very young age, I knew Adam Busiello was a great wrestler.

Today I was reminded Adam Busiello is also human.

In the grand scheme of things, being human is not a bad thing.

Heck, even Superman was half human.

In a weird way, it wasn’t Adams robotic success but rather his humanity that has opened my eyes to how rare and special of a wrestler he actually is.

Would Adam winning a 7th Super 32 title have impressed me any more than him winning any of his previous 6?

No.

In my opinion what is going to be even more impressive is when Adam transforms this DNP into a 5th NYS Championship and his first Division 1 NCAA Championship.

Which I believe he will.

And at that time I hope we will all stop for a second and say to ourselves,

“What An Absolutely Remarkable Thing” it has been to witness this great human athlete compete.

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