They are your opponents, not your adversaries.
The greatness that is wrestling is the pitting of abilities against a similarly skilled opponent. The more even the opposition, the more exciting the match will tend to be. Competition is suppose to be, well, competitive. Often better wrestlers will seek out events that draw better competition, and a greater challenge. They do so to test themselves, and to add proof that their efforts in practice are paying off in competition. This may be winning in a match against someone they have lost to in the past, or even just lasting longer than they had before. Good wrestlers don’t simply seek wins, they want competition.
Opponents, unfortunately, can be viewed as adversaries. The true enemy stopping an athlete from the achievements that they strive for. And while an adversary is technically defined as an opponent, it goes much deeper than that.
An adversary is more of an enemy than an opponent. Someone that looks to hold you down, to beat you at every turn, to stand against you in all things. This can not be the view in the struggle to grow wrestling for women.
Taking an adversarial view of other women in wrestling sets the stage to stop progress. Those tough opponents, the ones that are a true challenge, are the same women that should be shoulder to shoulder in pushing the line forward for all women in the sport. The toughness, grit, and knowledge of the sport makes them the ideal people to build networks with. They are usually outspoken, and will not go down without a fight. Why should they be viewed as the enemy? They may oppose you in a match, but they are in the same struggle, for better opportunities, and an improved environment in the sport. Viewing your opponents as adversaries only serves to stop networking, and the potential to have a great asset that you can stand by.
As parents, we need to ensure that we are not creating adversarial relationships between our wrestlers. Surely we can train them to go out, compete with the heart of a lion, and in the end there should be nothing but respect for the opponent that challenges you to be the best version of yourself. Your opponent wants you to be better, because it makes them better, and how can that be treated with anything but respect? As parents, we need to avoid creating adversarial relationships, and stop making our kids believe that the opponent is someone to be disliked, even hated. That opponent is necessary to achieve the highest form of ourselves.
In conclusion, I can guarantee that you will not like everyone that you meet on the mat. The basic fact is this:
All of the women in wrestling, in the past, today, and in the foreseeable future are all fighting for the same thing; respect.
In the end it is not medals, it is not big paper bracket sheets, because those will fade away in time. In the end it will be respect, and better opportunities for the women that follow you in the years to come. You can not get there with your adversaries, but your opponents will definitely help you to prove that worth.
