Greetings from Oregon. I’d be glad to write down some memories about wrestling:
I remember well the winter of 1990. It was on the Iowa dual meets [Iowa and Iowa State] that I tore my ACL (I think that’s what they call it). I was wrestling Terry Brands of Iowa and was pushed off the mat after the whistle or right at the whistle. In any case, I was relaxed and—well, OK, tired too— which sent me awkwardly stumbling. As if the extremely intense Hawkeye Carver Arena and Terry Brands weren’t enough, something wasn’t working right with my knee. It was clicking when I hobbled back to the center. (And coaches, fans and the ref were all on my case.)
Actually this is just the prelude to the story. It is really not about the match and the near season-ending injury but the coach who became more than a coach that weekend. I remember all the coaches and the trainer being very sincere and troubled about my knee. Partly because we would be facing Iowa State the following night. It was a difficult trip in and of itself. I was pulling a lot of weight and needed to join the gang in our usual ritual of biking in the shower. It was late, my knee ached, and I can remember Coach Hachiro. He seemed very much concerned about my state of mind. I cannot remember details, but he was right there in the hot steamy hell with me long after the others had achieved their weight goal. I remember Hachiro sharing some history about himself on a very personal level. I was encouraged and pressed on. It was one of the more challenging nights of my career. If one knows anything about the old weight-cutting techniques, riding a bike with one leg was no piece of cake.
I managed to make weight and loosen up in the hot tub at the hotel while the rest of the team went to the gym. It was a strange situation, not being with the team, not warming up like I did for every other match of my career. Sure enough, I joined them minutes before we ran out on the mat. I had my knee taped for the first time in my life and barely got it up high enough to clear the mat as we ran out. The rest is history. Let’s just put it this way, I didn’t give up six!
I have tremendous respect for all of my coaches. Amazed that they put up with me and never stopped supporting me both on and off the mat. Above all, I was proud to have Hachiro Oishi take me under his wing or should we say head and arm in this case. Much joke in that! Lorenzo was like a father to me, and Hachiro was my coach. I could not have made it through without both.
Hope you can use these memories.
