wrestling Archives • DAVIDPDX

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AGING FEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME

February 18, 2026 by David Gillaspie

Aging fear kicks in when you start wondering about tomorrow. Will you be there for it? Why wouldn’t you? Oh, that’s why.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: aging, aging fear, America, average, baby boomer, Baby Boomer blogger, basketball, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, coach, dismissive, education, Fat, fear, football, good grandpa, high school, history, kids, learning, old man, old men, ordinary, seniors, soccer, sports, step up, story, teams, wife, wrestling, writer, writing

HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING WITH WOLVES

November 20, 2025 by David Gillaspie

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 […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Baby Boomer blogger, blog, blogger, boomer blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, education, family, fitness, high school wrestling, history, learning, marshfield pirates, North Bend, North Bend Bulldogs, PORTLAND BABY BOOMERS, story, travel, wrestling, writer, writing

TRY ME? EVERY FATHER’S HOPE

September 25, 2025 by David Gillaspie

“I’ve got three boys,” a former football star said. “I’ve got to stay in shape because they’re going to try me.” Try me? Do we all know what that means? Probably not if you didn’t try your Dad. But you did. Right? You did? How did that work out for you? How does it ever […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: baby boomer, Baby Boomers, blog, blogger, boomerpdx, boomers, boxing gloves, dream, family, father, fighting, fitness, football, high school wrestlers, history, MARRIAGE, momma, mother, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, skills, sports, story, strangers, tech talk, try, try me, try them, uppercut, wife, wrestler, wrestling, writer

GROWING UP AMONG TOUGH PEOPLE HELPS

August 30, 2025 by David Gillaspie

The best thing about tough people is how nice they can be. Lucky for me, I grew up near a tough town, Coos Bay. One of my North Bend classmates said he started telling people he was from Coos Bay because he got more respect. People know Coos Bay for its toughness, North Bend not […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blog, Coos Bay, growing up, lake oswego, marshfield, name association, North Bend, obscure blog, recognition, striving to achieve, tough, tough people, toughness, wrestling, wrestling coach

ROY PITTMAN OFF THE MAT

August 28, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I’d heard of Roy Pittman long before we met yesterday. What I’d heard about him was legendary. A legend in the community, a legend on the mat, the difference maker you’d want your kids to meet. The Peninsula Wrestling Club is where he’s been since 1970, where 200k wrestlers learned the ropes.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: achieve, coach, david abraham, getting better, Hall Of Fame, inspire kids, interest, legend, legendary, MMA, motivational, peninsula park wrestling, Roy Pittman, sports, wrestling, wrestling room

BASKETBALL TROPHIES: 1 ON 1

August 5, 2025 by David Gillaspie

In the world of basketball trophies, this is the tip top of the pile, the NBA World Championship trophy. It was an honor to hold, a feeling with deep roots. I’ve held a few things that stir the feelings and this was one of them. But my own basketball trophies mean more, which makes the […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: 1 on 1, basketball, basketball tricks, basketball trophies, Bill Walton, boy's game, city boys, college boys, cutthroat, friendly game, fundamentals, greco-roman, man game, Mitchel jordan, my game, NBA, old guys, Oregon, play defense, scrappy, Southern Oregon, sportsmen, trophies, warriors, winner, wrestling, wrestling opponents

INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

June 9, 2025 by David Gillaspie

I’ve been personally indivisible for quite some time. It could be from growing up with brothers where you carved out your own identity, and a sister who had it all figured out. And I wasn’t the first born, which is important, so I never had everything to myself without some pesky little creature making sounds […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: America, american free speech, Army, Baby Boomers, Bandon, blogger, caring community, dignity, education, effect change, family, Florence, following orders, history, hope, indivisible, justice, kindred spirits, liberty, marching, pepper spray, Portland, present and accounted for, protest, SPORT, spring chicken, travel, wrestling

MEMORABLE MOMENTS THAT STICK

March 8, 2025 by David Gillaspie

This was a most memorable moment from the early years. One headline for life. It covers all of the important stuff: My name is spelled right, it’s a Greco-Roman tournament, and it’s North Bend.. There’s only one thing missing:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: blogger, boomerpdx, gold medal, greco roman, Iowa, memorable, memorable moments, moments, quiet parts, reading, remember, wrestling

KEEN INSIGHTS, OR CULTURAL VOID

January 31, 2025 by David Gillaspie

Keen insights are what I’m looking for. I want to know what I don’t know in a useful way. A new way to pull a nail, thread a needle, boil water. If it’s new and insightful, sign me up. What I’m not looking for?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: base 3, basketball, binary, college, Coos Bay, cultural void, culture, education, friends, generalization, google, KEEN INSIGHTS, logging town, nice, North Bend, paying attention, reddit, ten people, toughness, wrestling

BAD THERAPY ON BOOK TV

September 7, 2024 by David Gillaspie

A book called Bad Therapy on c-span? I’m watching. When is the best time to watch Book TV? Trick question: Any time is the best time. Extra points for tuning in while lifting weights in the garage. You’ll be lucky to find this episode:

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: Abigail Shrier, bad therapy, book tv, c-span, dad parenting, dad time, family, feelings, good therapy, job, kids, parent, parenting, public figure, sports dad, suicide, teach, therapy, wrestler, wrestling