300th Consecutive Colonial Conference Win

I don't even know where to start with this. What a magical day. If you scripted the day, it couldn't have been any better and I am soooooo thankful that I got to be a part of it. The ceremony in the gym today between matches was excellent. I had no idea there were that many former wrestlers in the gym until they were called out onto to floor - and then the many more who weren't technically a part of the Streak but were just as instrumental in keeping the program what it is today. Just mind boggling. Such an assortment of men, young and not quite as young - different walks of life - State Champions - the everyday, tough it out guys. And the generations - some families represented by numerous participants. It was a site to behold.

One of the things that most impressed me was the humility of all of the speakers - especially Mr. Frederick and Coach Morina. They could have stood there, at that presentation and pounded their chests and said "hey, look what we did and aren't we the greatest" and no-one would have been able to fault them for that. But they didn't. They thanked each other, each and every wrestler, the fans, the parents, their families, the community - everybody - and they meant it sincerely.

Oh and the stories. Even the folks from the other teams had Paulsboro wrestling stories. The themes were all about respect and tradition - it means something to wrestle in that gym.

I was standing on the mat taking pictures of the original 1971-72 team and Niko Lopez was standing next to me and he said, "this is what it's all about. This is Paulsboro wrestling." He nailed it. He gets it. Like both Coach Morina and Mr. Frederick say to their wrestlers "you don't wrestle for yourself. It's not about you. It's about every other wrestler who has ever come through this program. That's why you do it." Amen.