We’re a team.

One person struggles; we all struggle.

One person triumphs; we all triumph.

Coach Carter

​

It is so easy to get caught up thinking that wrestling is an individual sport.

It is, but it also happens to be one of the greatest team sports in existence.

In wrestling, your teammates are your coaches, your workout partners, your family, your fans, and your mentors.

They are all there to make you better.

Your success, in a small way, is their success.

Your pain is their pain.

Your growth is their growth.

****

One day wrestling will be over.

And your new opponent will be life.

And your new teammates will be your family.

In life, the greatest team you will ever be on will be your family.

And the most important family member will be the one who makes everyone around them better.

The one during times of crisis holds everyone together.

The one who at the lowest level of hope has the highest degree of belief.

Every family member is an individual within the team.

That’s what wrestling is.

That’s what being part of a family is.

That’s what being part of a community is.

That’s what being part of a country is.

As Timo Cruz said in Coach Carter,

“We’re a team. One person struggles; we all struggle. One person triumphs, we all triumph.”

The ability to treat every person you meet with kindness, whether they are the janitor or the CEO of a major company, will allow you to learn from everyone in life.