Going into this year I had very high expectations for myself. I want to be a National Qualifier as well as an All American. I needed to have a very good preseason to start off the year strong. At the start, thinking I was going to wrestle 174, all I had to do was focus in on lifting weights and getting as big and as strong as I could in 5 weeks. Then my plans changed a little when I found out I would actually be wrestling 165. I continued to lift my ass off and make every effort to get into better shape and better myself on the mat. I even started to lose a little weight. I am very excited to be wrestling 165 this upcomming season.
At the end of every preseason, we have what we call, here at Northern, The Wolves Iron Man Challenge. It consists of 12 laps in our pool, our timed run outdoors, and a very grueling series of weight/tire flips/ladders on the indoor track. The day before the challenge, Coach approached me and said, "You are my dark horse." With a slightly higher than average IQ of a wrestler, I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that. He went on to explain that he expected me to win the Wolves Challenge.
At first I thought, "Of course I have a shot at winning it, but last season I came in 6th, and there are a lot of great athletes on this team. Besides, he is probably telling that to everyone." Later on that day, in the locker room, I had a few different teammates approach me and say that coach had me winning the challenge.
"Wow," I thought, "Really? Thanks for the pressure Coach." Coach actually had confidence in me to be the one who is in the best shape on the team and push through and win this thing. You might be thinking it's really not that big of a deal, but to us, our team, this was a huge deal. Everyone wanted to win it! I gave this who delima another thought later on that night and said to myself, "Hell yes, I am going to win The Wolves Iron Man Challenge tomorrow.
The challenge did not start off too strong for me, I was not a good swimmer and was in the last half getting out of the pool. I put on my shoes and sprinted for the door to start the timed run. It was almost as if I got a second wave of energy about 1/4 of a mile into the run. I took off and passed 4 maybe 5 teammates before the end of the run, I was in 4th place. I got to the track and realized that I was not far behind. I passed another wolf on my first lap on the track. I then passed another on my second lap and it was down to just me and Beau.
I went outside to do tire flips and didn't even hesitate to pass him, sprinted back to the track to complete my final 2 laps and be the victor of the 2011 Wolves Iron Man Challenge. I dropped my 45lb weight on the rack and asked what my time was. 34:55. I saw Coach approaching me from the corner of my eye. He slowly put his hand on my shoulder. "What did I effing tell you?" I looked up at him. "Blake, you need to start believing in yourself more often, a little more self-confidence. You keep this up and your goals will be met." He walked away without saying another word.
It was then I realized that I could not bare the pain of the deep burning in my lungs and the aching of my worn out legs. I forced myself to stay standing and walked in a small circle until I saw Beau run up behind me dropping his weight off on the rack. "Good...job...Blake," he said between deep gasps for air.
It then hit me, I did it. I won the challenge. It felt good, but at the same time, it wasn't that big of a deal to me because I was expecting to win. I had no doubt that I could do it, and I did.
The rest of my teammates filed in one by one or in groups of two until everyone had finished. They all looked at me a little bit shocked but still impressed that I had topped the podium. It was a very good mental victory for me and gave me a little more belief in myself.
Post Challenge Interview:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1603620076#!/photo.php?v=776706602213
Next stop. National Qualifier
Friday, October 7, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Weight Class?
Coach called me into his office. I sat down and he looked at me with a curious look on his face. "Do you have something to tell me?" I looked at him confused, then to Marcus, then back at Coach. "I don't think so," I replied, "Do I?" He then got a very upset look on his face as if I was hiding something. "Are you sure about that Blake?" He responded.
I looked back into my head, as if trying to remember something I had done or said that would make him upset. I stared off at the wall behind him because I could not look him directly in the eyes. A smile came across my face, but his remained very serious as if trying to get me to fess up to something. My smirk quickly faded and I was at a loss for words.
"Got ya, didn't I," He finally said to me with a huge grin on his face after being quiet for what seemed to be an eternity. "I'm just messing with you Lundgren," he said as he could see that I had relaxed a bit smiled slowly.
He smiled real big now, "165?" He asked. I felt a huge wave of relief come over me as I completely relaxed now and sank down into my chair. His mind games always get to me, it's very hard to tell when he is being serious. Coach is a very hard ass guy and he's not a nice guy to be around when he is mad about something.
"Sounds good to me," I answered quickly, "What about Donald?" I asked. Donnie is a very tough senior on our team and he and I had decided that he was going to wrestle 165 and I would do what's best for the team and wrestle up at 174. "Donnie is too big to be a 165 pound wrestler. He and I both think it would be better if you went to 165 and he wrestled 174." Replied coach.
"Absolutely, whatever I can do to help out the team, Coach." We went on to discuss my weight and meal plan for the remainder of preseason. I am very happy to be wrestling 165. It is what I have been planning on all summer, and I kept my weight at a good number to make the cut to 165. "Can't wait to get back on the mat Coach," I said as I opened the door to leave. "See ya around Carlos," I shot at Marcus, our short Mexican assistant coach.
I looked back into my head, as if trying to remember something I had done or said that would make him upset. I stared off at the wall behind him because I could not look him directly in the eyes. A smile came across my face, but his remained very serious as if trying to get me to fess up to something. My smirk quickly faded and I was at a loss for words.
"Got ya, didn't I," He finally said to me with a huge grin on his face after being quiet for what seemed to be an eternity. "I'm just messing with you Lundgren," he said as he could see that I had relaxed a bit smiled slowly.
He smiled real big now, "165?" He asked. I felt a huge wave of relief come over me as I completely relaxed now and sank down into my chair. His mind games always get to me, it's very hard to tell when he is being serious. Coach is a very hard ass guy and he's not a nice guy to be around when he is mad about something.
"Sounds good to me," I answered quickly, "What about Donald?" I asked. Donnie is a very tough senior on our team and he and I had decided that he was going to wrestle 165 and I would do what's best for the team and wrestle up at 174. "Donnie is too big to be a 165 pound wrestler. He and I both think it would be better if you went to 165 and he wrestled 174." Replied coach.
"Absolutely, whatever I can do to help out the team, Coach." We went on to discuss my weight and meal plan for the remainder of preseason. I am very happy to be wrestling 165. It is what I have been planning on all summer, and I kept my weight at a good number to make the cut to 165. "Can't wait to get back on the mat Coach," I said as I opened the door to leave. "See ya around Carlos," I shot at Marcus, our short Mexican assistant coach.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Starting Preseason
Driving to Aberdeen, South Dakota for the fall of my sophomore year felt very exciting. Forcing myself to stay under the speed limit, I sat anxiously in the car listening to my new ipod playlist with a mixture of country hop and the occasional rock and roll.
Leaving it all behind again, Amery, my house, my job, my girl, the fun of the summer nights, and days out on the lake. I couldn't wait to pull up to my dorm room to move in all my stuff from the storage box I had rented the previous spring. I arrived HOME at around 2pm and immediately walked upstairs to my room. Unlocking the door, I found the empty, hot room to be half filled with my roommate's possessions. I slightly smiled as I saw his bed made neatly on the top bunk. (I warned him that if he had taken the bottom I would put a hurt on him)
The first meeting with Coach Timm.
I walked into his office quietly while Marcus cracked a joke reminding me of my terrible takedown ratio I had the previous year as a freshman varsity starter. I shook Coach's had and took a seat. He looked at me and smiled a little bit. The first words out of his mouth, "174?" He took me by surprise, but I said the first thing that came to my mind "Ah, umm... Yea! Absolutely yea." He looked a little puzzled at first but then I explained that I would do whatever I could to help out this team.
The first day of practice
We all knew it was going to be hell. We gathered in the Barnett Center as we always had the previous year for the start of preseason. Coach came out of his office and said we needed to have a good day of practice to start things off strong this preseason. We all gathered in for a breakdown and a small smirk came across one of our captains' face as he remembered our pre-workout breakdown. "DO WORK!" He yelled, then the rest of us chimed in "HARD AS F***" Coach looked at us with a big grin, we knew he had to intervene but he just laughed and shook his head as the track coach walked by with a disgusted look on his face. Deep down coach loved our breakdowns.
The sounds of weights bouncing off the ground after power cleans and the loud yells and hollers of all my teammates brought me back to my first ever day of lifting as an NSU wolf. Man it felt good and thought of me getting my hand raised in front of our hometown crowed gave me a long shiver that started in my neck and went all the way down my legs. "I love wrestling," I said out loud as me and Donald changed the weights to our next set on the bench. We finished lifting and now it was time for the timed run...I pushed myself, my lungs burning, my legs aching from our dreaded back squats we did back at the weight room. I heard footsteps behind me, but I pushed on. I got to the first bridge and the deep burning in my lungs started to make watery saliva collect in my mouth. Just 3 more blocks and my 1.8 miles of hell was done. We didn't just run our timed run, we made ourselves sprint for as long and as hard as we could, we pushed each other, but it was no secret that our 149 pounder Beau was always gonna lead the pack.
I got back to my room and collapsed on the bed, my chew-filled lip burried in my pillow. It was our post workout tradition that we all put in a chew before going into the shower.
The next morning I tried to move my legs, but they didn't quite respond. I forced myself to try again as the blaring alarm reminded me I had class in a half hour. This time my legs slowly moved toward the edge of my bed and fell helplessly to the floor, aching in soreness. I stood and thought to myself, "It's going to be on hell of a new season"
Leaving it all behind again, Amery, my house, my job, my girl, the fun of the summer nights, and days out on the lake. I couldn't wait to pull up to my dorm room to move in all my stuff from the storage box I had rented the previous spring. I arrived HOME at around 2pm and immediately walked upstairs to my room. Unlocking the door, I found the empty, hot room to be half filled with my roommate's possessions. I slightly smiled as I saw his bed made neatly on the top bunk. (I warned him that if he had taken the bottom I would put a hurt on him)
The first meeting with Coach Timm.
I walked into his office quietly while Marcus cracked a joke reminding me of my terrible takedown ratio I had the previous year as a freshman varsity starter. I shook Coach's had and took a seat. He looked at me and smiled a little bit. The first words out of his mouth, "174?" He took me by surprise, but I said the first thing that came to my mind "Ah, umm... Yea! Absolutely yea." He looked a little puzzled at first but then I explained that I would do whatever I could to help out this team.
The first day of practice
We all knew it was going to be hell. We gathered in the Barnett Center as we always had the previous year for the start of preseason. Coach came out of his office and said we needed to have a good day of practice to start things off strong this preseason. We all gathered in for a breakdown and a small smirk came across one of our captains' face as he remembered our pre-workout breakdown. "DO WORK!" He yelled, then the rest of us chimed in "HARD AS F***" Coach looked at us with a big grin, we knew he had to intervene but he just laughed and shook his head as the track coach walked by with a disgusted look on his face. Deep down coach loved our breakdowns.
The sounds of weights bouncing off the ground after power cleans and the loud yells and hollers of all my teammates brought me back to my first ever day of lifting as an NSU wolf. Man it felt good and thought of me getting my hand raised in front of our hometown crowed gave me a long shiver that started in my neck and went all the way down my legs. "I love wrestling," I said out loud as me and Donald changed the weights to our next set on the bench. We finished lifting and now it was time for the timed run...I pushed myself, my lungs burning, my legs aching from our dreaded back squats we did back at the weight room. I heard footsteps behind me, but I pushed on. I got to the first bridge and the deep burning in my lungs started to make watery saliva collect in my mouth. Just 3 more blocks and my 1.8 miles of hell was done. We didn't just run our timed run, we made ourselves sprint for as long and as hard as we could, we pushed each other, but it was no secret that our 149 pounder Beau was always gonna lead the pack.
I got back to my room and collapsed on the bed, my chew-filled lip burried in my pillow. It was our post workout tradition that we all put in a chew before going into the shower.
The next morning I tried to move my legs, but they didn't quite respond. I forced myself to try again as the blaring alarm reminded me I had class in a half hour. This time my legs slowly moved toward the edge of my bed and fell helplessly to the floor, aching in soreness. I stood and thought to myself, "It's going to be on hell of a new season"
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