And The Winner Is

So I have been MIA on my blog for a while. We have just been so stinkin busy! All of us. But, things have finally quieted down so I have some time to get some updates done.

Thomas has been wrestling for a club team since he was 9. He does pretty well. He's not the best, but he works hard and is consistently in the top 5 at every tournament he goes to. But club level is hard and the competition is pretty fierce. 

Well, now that Thomas is in Jr. High, he's had the opportunity to wrestle for his school. This was such a great thing for him. It was a total confidence booster for him which I really think he needed. Most of the kids were first time wrestlers. So we told Thomas to use this as an opportunity to practice his moves.

He was elected Team Captain for the season.

He didn't ever break a sweat and he kinda started posing for pictures. But whatever....

He learned about being on a team, and being a good teammate. His coach is awesome and taught Thomas how to polish a lot of his moves.

So he finished the season 15 - 0 and had 15 pins. 

The perfect season.

He won the East Valley Conference and is the 93 lb Champion.

He also received the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award.

Again, I feel that he needed this to help him realize that four years of hard work is starting to pay off. So often we want immediate results and we tend to quit if we don't get the desired result right away. 

About a year ago Thomas was done. He wanted to quit. But we explained to him that Bigelows aren't quitters. We finish what we start and we work hard to get to the top. We don't just land there automatically. I hope it is sinking in. 

Success is not quiting and it takes time.

He's loving wrestling again - even on the club level. But he knows now that he can do it and that he is a good athlete. So even if he loses a match, he remains positive and thinks about what he learned from it.

I love it!

Getting his Outstanding Wrestler award from Coach Huffman.

Thomas and his friend Braden.

He didn't wear it under his school clothes this time.

At least I don't think so.....

I am so proud of my boy. 

For not giving up.

For finishing what he started.

For doing hard things.

For being a good friend and teammate.

For just being himself.