For as long as I could remember, I knew I'd be a baseball mom. Caysen played ball for more than decade, and overall, I always saw him making it to the college baseball world. His passion, dedication, hours of practice and sheer love of the game really shined in our last couple of years in Florida. Those kids with NYSA were amazing, some of our best friends were baseball families and I cherish and treasure those memories. Even getting kicked out of the bleachers and banned from the fields was totally worth it. Once we got orders to TN, we knew he'd be at a serious disadvantage being the "new kid". But, we had no idea how deeply political and ridiculous the baseball world is here. I really couldn't believe all the ridiculousness that we witnessed first hand. But, we trudged through, learned some valuable life lessons and here we are 2 years later, and we're a bonafide wrestling family.
I went into this sport EXTREMELY jaded. I had no idea how it would be for Caysen. I was entirely put off by all the funky skin, fungus, sweat, staff infections, impetigo, cauliflower ear, injuries that could happen. Well, Caysen being Caysen didn't wait long to break us into the injury world. The first match of the PRE season, he suffered a concussion, a few weeks later a sprained ankle and a dislocated jaw. Least to say, I was ready for him to throw in the towel. If it weren't for his coach, I'd put my foot down and ditch wrestling. John had to reign in the "momma" mode on several occasions. But, this last weekend, I saw a a young man take to the mats and battle it out with everything he had to qualify for the state tournament. WHAT, the WHAT? My kid going to state, first year wrestler? Yep, to say that I totally stoked for him is an understatement. Seriously, I had no idea we'd be traveling to the state tournament.
In all of this chaos, the one monumental lesson we've all learned is that God will open the doors, and we have to be willing to walk through those doors. The doors to baseball were slammed shut time after time yet we kept opening them. He still played last summer with a travel team. He busted his hump for that team, he worked so hard, he was in a pitcher only position and pinch ran most of the season. But, nearing the end of the season his coach finally let him play left field (his other position) because of his dedication and his willingness to put in the work. I cried for him. I longed for his talent to be recognized and for him to play the sport that made him the happiest. All this time, I knew that baseball wasn't going to pan out regardless of how many lessons we paid for, regardless of who we knew or didn't know. We weren't an "in" family and didn't have tens of thousands of dollars to throw at the program to buy our kid a place on the roster. I know it happens in every state, town, league. I get it. My heart still hurt for my child.
Least to say, resiliency is very apparent in our son. He took on a completely new to him sport his junior year of high school. He will letter for his effort, dedication and his record. You know I could go on and on about how much I really hate this sport, but that would be an utter lie. I love it because he loves it. I love what wrestling has taught him. I love seeing him on the mat. I love watching him execute new moves flawlessly, and above all, I love watching him and Coach Hampshire talk after a win or a loss. I love watching him grow as a young man because he's chasing after something that brings him true happiness. To see him happy is my ultimate goal, to protect him in pursuit of that happiness is my job. This summer, he will be traveling to Georgia for a 10 day wrestling camp with some of the most elite wrestlers in the country. We can't wait to see where this path leads us all!
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