The Time Is Now

Do you remember the time;

  when you first watched the state tournament in the stands with your dad or friends and were in awe of it all

  when you saw the best wrestler in the state dismantle his opponent  with techniques you could only dream of

  when you saw the wrestler limping around the Xcel Center but still able to go out and fight because this is what he did

  when you went to a youth tourney every weekend because you had the dream to be a state high school champion someday

  what you felt last March-whether in defeat or victory

  the first practice of the year in September and the "All In" speech

The Time Is Now to embrace all of these things.  To Love the excitement and thrive in the pressure.

I watched Lindsay Vonn compete at the Olympics going 80 mph with such pain in one leg she could barely put her boot on.  She knew that "The Time Is Now".  There may not be a next year, or another shot, this is YOUR time to put it all on the line. 

The Time Is Now to "Believe in Yourself"

The Time Is Now to be "All In"

The Time is Now to "Live Right"

The Time is Now for "Personal Domination"

The Time is Now to "Love The Fight"

 

 

We are what we repeatedly do...If you are someone who CONSTANTLY works hard and CONSTANTLY strives to get better and CONSTANTLY puts in the extra effort and time....then you will be that person in everything you do. The key word in that sentence is CONSTANTLY. If you are someone who doesn't enjoy what he/or she is doing and just tries to get through the practice or day by doing the least amount possible.....then you will be that person. If you are someone that only works hard sometimes, only works hard before big events or the state tournament and goes through the motions when its not. Then you will be that person who only works hard when something is on the line. Sometimes it is not our number one sport so we don't put the same effort into it. Do you want to be the person who only works hard in his "favorite sport," or the person who works hard in everything he/she does. If you constantly put the effort and EMOTION into each thing you do, whether it be wrestling, work, school, etc, then it just becomes who you are. It becomes apart of your character and your character is what will get you further in life. Your character will stay with you forever, far beyond when you are done with your sport, school or work. So again I say, we are what we repeatedly do...

Whoa.....After a delay in customs and wrong delivery address....Our fight shorts are finally in.  And they are awesome.

 

I haven't always "Lived Right".  I wasted my first 3 years of college because I didn't Live Right.  I didn't drink too much, or do drugs.  I didn't get enough sleep because I was up late drinking mountain dew and playing video games.  I then would have a bad weight lifting/conditioning workout at 6:30 in the morning because I only had 4 hours of sleep.  So I was a tiny 120 pound freshman would hated morning workouts because of something as stupid as video games, mountain dew, and not managing my time.   I also was involved with the wrong girl.  She was demanding of my time.  Whenever I was at practice, or away at a meet, she complained that I didn't spend enough time with her.  She didn't understand the importance that wrestling played in my life.  She drained the energy from me.  In contrast, my current wife, the "right girl", encouraged me to do whatever it takes to become the best wrestler/person that I could be.  If that meant leaving out of town for 2 weeks, then she would want me to do it.  She actually encouraged me to continue wrestling as long as I was able(she even told me to come back for 2008, which I told her she was crazy). 

Living Right;

1.  Don't Smoke-  If you smoke cigarettes, you are a moron(to put it bluntly, sorry parent smokers).  Not only does it kill you, but it also fills your lungs with something other than oxygen.  This is not good for the third period.

2.  Don't drink alcohol-  Not just because it is illegal when you are underage. Not only because if you get caught you will be suspended for 2 weeks.  Alcohol WILL NOT help your wrestling or your personal life(no matter how much your peers say it will).  Alcohol WILL hurt your wrestling, lessen your conditioning, make it harder to work out the next day, change your mental state, and cause you to do stupid things and make bad decisions.  DRINKING ALCOHOL WILL HURT YOUR WRESTLING, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.    What if you lose the state finals, or NCAA finals, and you think back about that practice that you couldn't push yourself because you were too sick.  Is it worth it? 

3.  Don't Do Drugs - Read #2 over again.  The same things goes for drugs.  I have heard people say that "marijuana isn't as bad for you" to which I say, "That is because you smoke marijuana and have lost all your common sense".   Smoking dope not only affects your conditioning, but will also make you LAZY.  Marijuana and other drugs take control of your mind, not just while you are on them, but through-out your life as well. 

4.  Sleep right -SO EASY, You can lose matches because you didn't get enough sleep.  I know I have.  You can also ruin your training as I explained earlier.  An Athlete should be getting 8 hours of sleep(I need 10 because I am hyper active).  Your body can break down without it, and you can get sick, tired, etc..  Manage your time so that you get enough sleep.

5.  Eat Right- Eating right not only means losing weight in the correct manor, but also eating right before your matches and practices.  Losing weight happens in wrestling, there is no denying it.  My advice is; Kids under 14 shouldn't be cutting any weight.  I don't see a problem with skipping breakfast the day of weigh-ins, or getting an extra 2 workouts during the week.  But, having a kid cut weight is the easiest way to make him hate wrestling, and eventually have him quit or mentally break.  Now, if he has some fat to lose, then get the fat off.  For the high school kids- you must be disclipined throughout the year.  There should be no yo-yo affect.  Eat right - Every day.  What you eat today will affect your weigh-in two weeks from now.  Don't give in to the "Dark Side". You must also eat correctly so you have enough energy to workout.  If you starve yourself, your workouts suffer, you can't get better if you are cutting weight all the time.  I could go on for days about this subject.  I have seen hundreds of wrestlers lose matches because they don't eat/drink right.

6.  Surround yourself with the right people- Girls and Guys - A good indicator for the girls- If your Girlfriend ever tells you that you don't need to work out- she is not right for you.  Find somebody that understands athletics and isn't in need of your constant attention.  As far as your buddies- find people that support what you are doing, not that try to get you to do the wrong things.  Again- if you have a buddy that wants you to go to a party, or says you don't need to be working out(or studying, etc..)- He is not really your buddy and find a different group of people to hang out with.  In your heart and mind, you can tell who are the right people to be with.  Be with the people that have similar goals, and values, as your own.

7.  Live by the 10 commandements- Don't lie, cheat, steal, adulter,  swear, etc......LIVE RIGHT and you will be blessed

I GUARANTEE that you will be a more successful wrestler, and person, if you follow these 7 things.  These are EASY compared to wrestling.  Do everything you can to better yourself and you will succeed.  I am a sinner and have not always lived right, to this day.  But, I have realized that when I LIVE RIGHT I am more successful at what I am doing.  I wish I could have my first 3 years of college back, but that is impossible.  Hopefully, I can reach some of you so you don't waste years of your life by not "Living Right"

I am looking for wrestlers to be ALL IN. 

When thinking of the words "All in" most people think of poker, and specifically texas hold'em.  Well, I want all you to put all your chips in.  I want you to be all in.

I suppose I should tell you what "All in" is.

When you come to every practice, not because you have to, but because you NEED to.

Really listen to what I have to say

Don't second guess what I tell you

Don't roll your eyes at me

You always ask for more, because you NEED it

You come into to every practice with a goal

You never say things like "this doesn't work for me"

Always do something more, because you NEED it

Continue to learn as much as possible, nobody, again nobody, knows everything

Work as hard as you possibly can, because you NEED to

Do what it takes to become a champion.

Beg for more

Do things the right way; Don't drink alcohol, don't smoke, eat right, drink right, sleep right, live right

NEED: defined- Have to because I know if I do I will be better on the mat, a BURNING DESIRE to be the best i can be, to improve,  I want it, I NEED it.

I don't expect every wrestler that comes through PINnacle to be "All In".  I also don't expect the youth wrestlers to be all in, they need to have fun and enjoy wrestling.  But there is a time in a wrestlers life that they will have to make the decision on how good they want to become.  To be "all in" doesn't guarantee you a national championship, or even a state championship, but it will guarantee you that you have done everything in your power to be the best you can be. 

Jake Deitchler was all in; Whatever I told him to do, he did.  You need to run 7 miles tomorrow- "Great", you need to wrestle a 1 hr grind match this week - "Sweet", You need to go to Bulgaria the day after your state tournament- "what time do I leave?", Graduate early so you can train for the Olympic Trials - "Who do I talk to?", Run 10 sprints with 10 pushups in between after you won a tournament- "Let's go", You need to train Greco the week of you high school state tournament - "Sounds good to me". 

Obviously Jake was an extreme example, but he was the ultimate "all in" wrestler.  Every person is going to need to train a little different than the next guy.  But it is the coaches job to figure out what the wrestler needs.

Are you "ALL IN" 

Wall mats are getting glued down and drilled in.

The weight room is getting more and more done each day. We had these heavy duty platforms made by Josh McClain. (Anoka Wrestler) They had to weigh 600 pounds easy. Brandon and I are very sore."" />

Hello everyone, I thought I would send some updated pics of facility. Looks about the same but with some color. The office, kids room, and waiting room are all painted. The only thing left is the warehouse space. Look at Mack's attention to detail....Wow Kids room, which will have TV and couches and of course a Ping Pong Table Paulson sanding away. He has found a way to turn sanding into a workout (how much sq. ft can one get done in 30 secs)

Hello Everybody,

We decided to start a blog to keep everybody updated on what we are doing, as well as add some training trips, and talk about the mental side of wrestling.  We have had a busy summer including the schoolboy duals, pinnacle summer camp, cadet/junior camp, cadet and junior nationals, and of course getting a new wrestling facility of our own.  We are very excited about our new facility.  We have been in there since August 1st trying to get it ready for our opening.  We are planning on having a open house sometime the end of August.  We hope you all can come.  The buildout process has been interesting.  Although I have been in construction for the past 7 years, I haven't done much of pounding nails, or anything else that had to do with hard labor.  I was in the office running numbers, marketing, etc.  I think Jared has done less construction than me, so it has been an experience.  Luckily, Luke Becker is pretty handy and we had some great help by Jason Waste, Dave Brancale, and Brice Trom.  We are planning on painting in the next week, so any help would be great.  

My favorite picture so far is below.  It goes something like this;

Jared: "What the heck is this thing"

Luke:on phone "Hey Brancale, I got two morons that spent way too much time in the wrestling room and not enough doing labor when they were a kid, can you come over and help?"

Jared: "What if I stick my finger in this thing? Will it make me tougher?"

This is a test post.