I guess it is easy to say the recent arrival of the Wrestling Wall of Fame has sparked some vigorous conversation in the community and certainly most of it has been good or positive. Some things though do need clarification. First, the wrestling board was meant to be in the wrestling room in the first place. That is what we asked permission for. Many or most wrestling schools across the state have such a board and it should have come much earlier even in Garretson. It did take over two and into a third year to nail down all the information, and even yet today we will not guarantee that there might not be one mistake or two.
The real purpose of this board was to show our younger people what the sport could offer and a display of the many athletes in the past who have aspired to be the best they could be and to go on to state in the hopes of earning a medal. The 237 names on this board sure are testament to that. I guess the proof of the value of the board has already been met when last Thursday our senior 144 pounder pointed to the board and said “I am going to state! I am not going to be the only one in my family not to get my name on that board!” Well, Carsten Rozeboom did just that. This one young man has already made the effort to put this project together well worth it and I owe him my gratitude.
Second, while it is true that some schools have their wrestling boards in their main gym, we first need some real discussion about if that is the proper place. On our board is the name of even state qualifiers. Should every track runner who ever qualified for state too have their name in such a place? Some feel that every sport is unique, and just because we chose that for wrestling does not mean that the same should be done for other sports. Others feel that the main gym should only display banners of state championship teams. Other schools also have one banner for each sport, and on that banner is the year or team that placed in the top eight in our state championship competition across the years.
Third, if team individual records should be on display, where should that be? My best recollection is that there are already football and track records on display in the walkway or “tunnel” as you enter the track and field complex. I was told that the display was done by one of our awesome graduates Erin Nolz for her senior project. If the main gym should be reserved only for team state awards, are there other places where individual records could be displayed?
Finally, who should pay for such projects? It will take time, but Mr. Steckler wants to poll other schools and find what they do with such honors and some options that might be available to us that we may not be aware of. In the case of the wrestling board, we hope to cover every expense through donations and thank every single person who has already helped. We will soon be halfway there!
In closing I do not worry about the slippery slope theory that doing one good has to lead to evil. I hope the slippery slope is instead just the beginning of an uphill climb to show our young people their efforts are recognized, and that this community wants to provide incentives for future generations to strive to step up and meet the challenge to be all they can be. And I want it to be especially known that such efforts should not be limited to just athletics. I hope that if it is not done already, that the same efforts be made in our music programs, our FFA program, and the list should go on. Amen, enough said from me. Mr. Steckler is a reasonable man and in due time there shall be opportunity down the road to convey your thoughts to him.
-Oran Sorenson
