Wrestler's Memories

 

The Iron Rams are dedicated to preserving the history of SEP wrestling, not only through documenting the accomplishments of our wrestlers but also by cataloging the memories and experiences of our boys.  Please contribute your own memories to the rich tradition of SEP wrestling.

 

When I think back to my wrestling days, I remember: Pride for wrestling for the legendary Red Owens and Buck Wheeler. The treacherous run, lift, wrestle, run, lift, wrestle, run, lift, wrestle, swim workouts during Christmas break. Learning the fireman's carry from Dick Marshall during Little Rams Wrestling and using it as my bread and butter move throughout high school. Running the dark hallways on early morning workouts. Early morning rides with Coach Owens and my cousin as he would pick us up and take us to school to work out, with few words spoken and either talk radio or country music on his radio. Coach Owens always saying "Thomas, wrestlers are supposed to have good balance" every time he would see me slip on the ice going to or from the bus when going to wrestling meets. Receiving a bloody nose during a Saturday morning wrestleback at state that Coach Owens said was the worse he had ever seen, and feeling proud about that. Seeing Joe Horton get bit on the arm by a kid from Fort Dodge at state, and Joe hollering 'the f'er bit me!' and showing the ref the bite marks, and seeing the kid ejected. Also standing matside watching Joe at the Urbandale tournament as he put a kid in a cradle, and Joe looked up at me and smiled and winked. Wrestling Coach Owens during practice, and how tough he was, and how he could really "give you the business." Wrestling Buck during practice and attempting a double and running into the brick wall, also known as his hips. Looking at every single picture on the Wall of Fame before every meet (it's a damn shame many of those got thrown in the garbage with the move to the new school - someone needs to do something to fix that). Also knowing that, aside from my folks, I learned more about life in that wrestling room than anywhere else. Having "old guy" Russ Vermie come back to practice, and me feeling irritated to no end that there was nothing I could do to stop his heel pick. Sense of pride the first time I took down Pat Vasquez in practice (using the Dick Marshall fireman's), because that didn't happen very often.

 

Todd Thomas ('85 Alum)