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HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING WITH WOLVES

There comes a time in high school wrestling when you get thrown to the wolves. Ok, not real wolves, just the first time you knew you were over-matched, going to get rag-dolled, and still went out there. It doesn’t always work out the way it’s expected. I was a second year wrestler slated to face […]

THE SECOND PICK GOES FIRST? SOMETIMES

The idea of a ‘second pick’ can be a way of life, not a mistake. You’re heard of ‘one hit wonders?’ That’s what they call a band that only reaches the stratosphere of popularity with one song, not an entire catalog. Most of the time we hear ‘second pick’ and think of professional sports drafts. […]

SUNDAY WRESTLING DRIVE TO OREGON STATE

I took a Sunday wrestling drive to Corvallis for a match. But it’s always more than a wrestling match at Oregon State. It always turns into a question of decisions made and paths taken. While it’s always a fun time, this time stood out.

BIG CROWDS OF A LIFETIME

Big crowds signal over population? Not when it’s an Olympic crowd in Paris. Did I feel like part of the crowd watching on TV? Yes, I did, and it felt close enough.

HOMEWARD BOUND FOR NORTH BEND TOWN

Homeward bound will always be North Bend, Oregon. For me, maybe not you. What feels like a nice memory is more than that. Let’s go with a living testament to the hardworking people who still call it home. Hard working?

SENIOR CLASS FOOTBALL: CHANGING OF THE GUARD

The senior class of 1973, way back when, came into a difficult football situation as sophomores. We’d spent freshman year pounding it out over all comers. We had size, speed, and some of us were still growing. You could say we had high hopes moving forward. Instead we got stuck. The high school coaching was […]

BULLDOG STRONG, PASS IT ALONG

Bulldog strong is what happens in North Bend, Oregon. It probably happens everywhere else, but Bulldog strong lasts a lifetime. So far. The best way to tell if you’ve got some Bulldog in you? Do hard things, then reflect on where the credit goes after you get over yourself. For example:

GRECO ROMAN MEDAL WITH A HAPPY FAMILY

Greco Roman sounds so classic because that’s what it is, classic. It sounds old, like Greek City-State and Roman Empire old. Way the heck back there. In the sports world, Greco Roman is a particular style of wrestling, not an architectural element. It’s for athletes who don’t want to get tangled up in someone’s legs, […]

Run Away From Home, Family, Life. But To Where?

If you were lucky growing up you couldn’t run away. Well you could, but would you end up someplace better?   My hometown is North Bend, Oregon. I attended the same grade school, junior high, and high school all in the same school district. So did most of my graduating class.   We didn’t hear […]

THE REAL WESTERN AMERICA OUT HERE IN OREGON

The real Western America isn’t Texas or California Readers around the world see the American west through movies. From John Wayne in his cowboy costume, to private eye Jack Nicholson in LA’s Chinatown, to policeman Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry franchise, they view the west through a distorted lens. Forget about the red rocks of Colorado, […]