As I was working through some issues that I have to deal with I came upon a couple of items today that created some sense of guilt in me. I always try to take the high road in things that I deal with. I can't always promise that I get that done but I will guarantee you that I will do everything in my power to get my job done and get it done well.

I also have devoted a lifetime to being a part of a system that builds good people. I have always felt that if you can start from there you can go anywhere. I have attempted to do it with my Students, My Student Athletes, My Assistant Coaches, My Children and hopefully myself.

Why write about this on a wrestling site, because I believe it is ihttp://www.blogger.com/upload-image.g?blogID=15728729mportant that everyone understands the purpose of your life, how you impact others, what you contribute to the world around you and I truly believe it is important that we all at least have some idea about why we exist.

Today I found a number of things that really made me think and I wanted to share a little of it with the people that take the time to follow Pasco High Wrestling and read the articles that I write on this site.

Since I am incredibly busy and could get so to speak"wound around the axle" with everything that I have to do in the next couple of weeks I tried to find some things that focused my mind on what we might call the "important things in life"

I found an article that said that a company was going to publish a leadership book written by Bo Schembechler who recently passed away at 77 years of age. He was one of the first coaches that truly motivated me when I took over my first head coaching job in 1972 or 73, what can I say it has been a while. The first presentation I heard from Bo was on an old 33 and 1/3 record and I might even still have it. That will tell you how long ago it was.
I told myself that I will definitely buy and read that book when it comes out. Bo always was after developing good people along with coaching great teams and getting everything good out of everyone around him.

I then found an advertisement for a book entitled Creating A Life That Matters. That caught my attention. I found a page that said that I could get some free tools from the book on an mp3 recording.

I looked it up and I found this 3 minute presentation from Maya Angelou who in our district we have an elementary school named after. It caught my attention and I thought it might catch yours.
Click Here For The Link

Last night out of the blue I got an e-mail from a wrestler that had wrestled for me in both Junior High and High School and he mentioned that he had come across the web site and that it had brought back fond memories and that he was proud of having been a part of what we have done and glad to have survived what I have called "The Thrash" over the years. It was a cool thing. I get those quite often. I save them for when I go through the hard times that come with what we do, I bring those back out to remind myself what I am trying to do and that for the most part I am getting it done.

Every time I challenge someone up I usually get it dumped back on myself twofold, I guess that is fine. If you don't believe in what you say you shouldn't say it.

I don't know when I will get a chance to write another article but I hope you enjoy the excerpt from Maya, I know I did and it made me think.

Tough Is Not Enough
"grappling for excellence"
Coach Bodnar

Reversal The Wrestling Movie-Commentary By Coach Bodnar
Comments on the movie "Reversal" by Coach Bodnar


Well It was 3:30 a.m. this morning and I couldn't sleep. I had purchased the movie Reversal but hadn't had the opportunity to watch it. I had a lot of things on my mind and decided to make some positive use of my early wake up and watch the movie.

To set the stage on my review and comments , I have to say that in the most incredible way I was extremely shocked by the setting for the movie. Growing up in Canonsburg, and Houston Pennsylvania I wrestled against Washington, Claysville, Trinity , Avella, McGuffey, etc. I lived six miles from Washington Pennsylvania and went to school at Canonsburg, and Chartiers-Houston High Schools.

I was raised by a father very much like the one in the movie and driven to excel in the same manner as the main character in Reversal. Having lost my mother prior to the age of 12 to leukemia, I was raised in an intense environment by my father who worked in the mills of Southwestern , Pennsylvania.

The movie took me back to my youth and to the tremenduous environment of amateur wrestling that existed in that area of the country. It was almost like I have been in a time capsule to see the names of the schools in the movie and the familiar sites that I grew up with.

This was a time when many first generation americans coming from immigrant parents and grand-parents were wanting something better for their children. Consequently driving them to perform, and excel and to step up another level in life to have more than they had.

I know that the movie is targeted toward the weight loss issue which is extremely important, however; I can't tell you how much more it meant to me. So many life lessons presented in the movie I really will recommend this movie to my own team, my family and friends.

I was so totally excited to watch a movie that actually has some positive life values, I applaud the people involved in producing the movie.

Being a secret optimist I was hoping that the young man would pull through and go on and win the state title and everything with the family would work out great. Most of the time in life and certainly for me, life has not worked out in the "Rose Garden" setting. For example at the end of the movie when the father and son were saying good by and the son told the father that he loved him and the father told him he loved him more. I never heard those words from my father, I think in those days people lived hard lives and were not very sensitive so many times there was not a whole lot of "I love you's" being passed around. Being told by my Sophomore English Teacher that I would not amount to anything and by my Dad that he would leave me nothing I was very enthralled with the story line that is portrayed.

I have coached this sport for over 34 years to try and rectify some of the issues presented in the movie. Still demanding excellence and work ethic and teaching the sport that I truly love. It has given me the opportunity to share some of the positive values of the sport and it's culture.

In summary I know that the issue is weight loss and it is an important issue but I would recommend this movie to any parent, wrestler, coach involved in the sport as we are involved with human lives and have to understand the whole person as we teach the sport.

In short buy the movie,(I get nothing for saying this)but I believe it is one of the better non-fiction sports movies that I have seen in a long time. It was certainly worth my 3:30 early morning wake up call. Again a special thanks to those who produced this movie and I hope that every wrestling team in the country will watch it!

"grappling for excellence"

Coach Bodnar

Interested in a great wrestling experience? Bring your team to the Best Of The West Duals In Pasco , WA.

32 Team Dual Style Tournament-Teams from Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

December 21 and 22 , 2005

contact: coachbodnar@charter.net

http://www.pascohigh.com

Online Teams - Pasco High; Wrestling
Wrestling Requires Committment-What is your level?

"Wrestling With Life Experiences!"

Hard Knocks University is an equal opportunity educator. Rubber Meets The Road Academy is not predjudicial. They will both instruct you, even if you do not want to be taught.

I know from facts in my own life; if you don't get something done, it won't be done for you!
I know that most people really do want to succeed, but somehow can't follow through when the rubber meets the road.
I know that in this world if you have a handful of friends you can trust you are extremely blessed.
I know that if you have a person that you can count on when they say , "yes I will" you are very fortunate.
I know that immediate gratification has been inculcated into our culture in every area of our lives.
We want it now!
I am sorry, You don't get anything of lasting value right now.

I know that responsibility and accountability are not universally popular themes.
I know about the 80/20 principle!
Yes, twenty percent of the people do the work and eighty percent are out there coasting and going through the motions.

I know that nothing is free.
I know that I MUST keep my word.
I know if I say yes I must mean it.
I know that I must get my job done, and I must get it done well, even if it means longer hours and that I have to do it alone.
I know what I know because I have gone through it, I have experienced the hard knocks.
I know that we are not immune to bad events and circumstances in our lives.
I know that when these things occur, you have two choices.
1. Deal With It and Fix What You Can.
Move On to better things.
Know that you have the personal power to make changes and fix it.
Know that setbacks are setups for comebacks.
OR
2. Become a victim,be powerless and blame it on everyone else.
I know that quitting is a popular option in this day and age.
Lay down and be a loser
Watch T.V. and play Nintendo
I CHOOSE OPTION NUMBER ONE!
Summer Time and the Living is Easy!

I think that is a song, as well it should be.
Anytime you get something EASY it probably will not be very lasting!
I know that it is easy if you are not going anywhere or achieving anything.
I know that someone is out there , running, lifting weights, training, going to camps , getting better , putting distance between you and him.
I know that after 58 years of living.
I know that after raising my own family.
I know that after surviving really bad things.
I know that after 52 years of being an athlete and a coach.
I know that after 35 years of teaching and coaching young people.
I know that after 6 years in the United States Marine Corps.
I know that after coaching over 100 sports seasons in Football, Wrestling, Baseball, Soccer, and Gymnastics.
I know that not everyone wishes ME well, or YOU for that matter!

You can use your own intelligence and personal power to figure it out.
OR YOU CAN:

Be second! (Second sucks if you will pardon my vernacular)
Almost make the team.
Almost go to state.
Almost be a champion.
Almost Graduate.
Almost go to college.
Almost graduate from college.
Almost be a good citizen.
Almost be a good parent.
Almost be a good brother or sister.
ALMOST GET THE PICTURE?
I watched the movie "Seabiscuit" yesterday! A quote in the movie made me think.
"I think it would be better to break a man's legs than to break his heart!
You will break your own heart if you dont take action to get better.
You will come up disappointed in yourself when you compete this coming season!


"Tough is not enough"
Physical attributes are just not enough to make you successful.
You have to work every area of your body, mind, and spirit.
Will you depend on luck or someone else giving you a break; or worse, learn to expect it.
I know that what you put in you most certainly get out!

Are you being tortured with the truth in this article or do you even care?
I know that NO one succeeds in anything with out caring, without passion for what they are doing.
I know that you have to want it, You have to smell it, You have to live and breathe it.
Grappling For Excellence, my well known mantra denotes the daily struggle to achieve and my personal need to improve.
Paul Dietzel said: "There are no office hours for champions!"

Will You Tell Me You Don't Have Time ?
I will tell you there are 24 hours in a day. We all have the same.
It is just a matter of what we do with those 24 hours.
Can you get an hour of mat time in between your family, work, and other leisure pursuits.
If you tell me NO, I will tell you that the passion is not there!
I would rather have you say "Coach I just don't want to do it,or Coach I have other things that are more important to me, or Coach I just want to wrestle in the season, or Coach driving around in my car is more important to me. Okay! I will see you in November not prepared for success!
I would rather hear the truth. I can't want it for you. I can't want it for my assistant coaches. There are choices to be made and you are making them every day you do not lift weights or get on the mat or learn about the sport.

I will no longer beg athletes to turn up for practices which I am setting up or clinics or barbecues. They are not for me , they are for you! There are time costs for everyone not just athletes. There are financial issues for everyone , not just athletes. There are sacrifices for everyone not just athletes.

If you want it you must be willing to trade your time and effort for success, it won't just drop in your lap. It does not matter whether we are talking about being a successful student , athlete, family member, employee,or just a great human being. You have to pay the price, anything else is just a pipe dream or magical thinking.

I know what I know because I have lived it.
I am excited to see and hear what you know. particularly during the season. Please don't come up with tears in your eyes or ask me "what happened "if you are not willing to make the committment.
You have little invested so you can expect little reward.
If you choose to spend your time in other things you will be good in other things, success is very specific.

I will not appologize for this FIERCE conversation, we might as well start with the naked truth. We are going to arrive at the moment of truth anyway arent we?
Please send your comments to:
Coach Bodnar

Another Installment of Fierce Conversation by Coach Bodnar
I read an article yesterday in the WCF Courier,from the State Of Iowa. The main topic in the article was about the hats that coaches have to wear in our modern culture. I read statements that are not uncommon to those of us in the coaching ranks. For most of us that have been around a while I don't think there was anything that shocked us in the article.

Personally I think I was always a coach, even from a young age. I coached myself, my brothers , the kids in the neighborhood, worked as a youth coach to pay for my YMCA membership, and so on.

My belief is that; good coaches. the ones that stick around a long time , and are continually successful with kids are the ones that are interested in the whole kid. Seeing them grow up to be a solid citizen, be a good member of the community, and do something significant with their lives.

It is these coaches that will have the hardest job, because they are truly looking after the kids.They have the kid's back and will mentor them, tutor them, pick them up for practice , drive them home, pay for their practice gear, encourage them when they need it, discipline them when they need that, call them at home to see how they are doing after a sickness or surgery. This list goes on and on and on.

You can expect that if you are a good teacher, coach,mentor,have a good heart and care really a lot about the kids you have a good foundation. But do not kid yourself... It is about winning, whether we like to admit it or not. I know I will get a lot of fierce replies from this statement. But you show me a High School Coach That Isn't Winning and I will Show You One That Isn't Coaching. So...... If we want to do all of the other things for the kids we better know how to get the job done.

You can know the technique, you may have participated in the sport yourself at high levels and the majority have,but that may not be a success indicator. That may not add up to success in the High School Coaching Arena. High School Coaches Are A Different Breed- They walk it , talk it, live it, promote it, export it, import it. Let’s face it they are passionate people. They love the sport, they love to compete and they love the relationships they build around the sport. That may not be enough!

Make no bones about it coaching isn’t the easiest profession to be involved with and it is not the most lucrative. Now ……obviously I am talking about those of us who have chosen to work with youngsters in the Public High Schools.

The role a coach plays is as diverse as the kids and the community your work in. Pretty much across the board coaches are dealing with the same problems… some areas of the country will have more challenges than others.

High School Coaches can expect that when we deal with student athletes , we will be dealing with parents, and the expectations of parents. The influence and expectations of parents may and may not be why the kid chooses to participate. But if you are going to coach you will be dealing with the issues related to parent expectations.

We can expect to deal with young people who may or may not have had good guidance related to their sports involvement. I have been shocked many times however; not a lot recently, by statements about making this youngster a professional. I mean the kid really thinks he is leaving the country, someone out there really wants them and will pay for their room, board, training, education etc. It is so much magical thinking.

Some have plans to take them out of the country to become professionals. Even though they haven’t been professionals themselves , and don’t know how to get a person to that level. The worst part of this scenario is that there is no groundwork in place to move the kid through the process to get them to the next level. I have some that are actually going to quit school to get this project done. Of all the sports I see this mentality more in Soccer than any other sport.

I will just be honest, on top of freakazoid genetics, a tremendous amount of work, persistence, sacrifice, academic ability and just a smithering of luck it isn’t going to happen. 90 % of those kids are not going to play on Sunday or Saturday or whatever day the pros compete on in the sport they are in. … no matter how hard they try. Am I saying they shouldn't try...heck no, that is the point. It is the journey,that is where they grow, and that is where they appreciate how hard it is to do good things, it is where they get to experiment with competition. No I don't mean not do it. I just mean use your head, and be real!

If you are a High School Coach you are going to come in contact with people who are willing to invest large sums of money to put a youngsters name out there by paying for involvement with club sports, private lessons, personal training. They are going to just know way more than you do about how good the athlete is and on what college or professional team they will be on in a few short years.

You can expect people to play politics for the advancement of their child opposed to the child actually earning that spot for themselves. These are generally the ones that have some ability and really do have a chance of doing something with their sports involvement. Most likely though they will be the ones that are not committed to hard work, Summer Camps....they will probably be on numerous vacations or working to buy their Game Boys, Cars, and other gadgets that have nothing to do with their goals. They will probably be wrestlers who are working for minimum wage at fast food restaurants and junk food establishments which definitely won't contribute to their goals but they will get their car.

You can expect when they get their car they will be working for insurance money , gas money and paying for accidents that they have had. They will not use it to get to the practice room more often. They will probably tell you that they can't afford the camps, practice gear, trip expense money etc. They might even tell you that they can't be there for the team fund raiser because they "have" to work. Now if it is truly the case that a kid has to work to help the family I am going to do everything in the world to help him out. In many cases however; it is the pipe dream that they can get everything and do everything. Then it boils down to what is really more important. Not five years from now.. but RIGHT now. It leads to poor decisions. You can expect to have those conversations also.

You are really going off on me now about this fierce conversation and wondering if this guy sees all of this negativity why does he coach.

Let me answer that for you. It is my call, my destiny, it is why I am on this earth. I love sports, I love the kids, I love the coaching and the competition. I choose to do this, no one makes me, and that is the way it should be for you if you really care about the kids.

I have seen a few gurus be successful in my last 34 years, and they stick around a while. Mostly I have seen the gurus who are program breakers not program makers. If you want to test your mettle, stick around and do this coaching thing for a while. You might even make a difference in a kid's life. Wouldn't that be a novel Idea?

This is Coach Bodnar signing off from another fierce conversation.
What can you espect from a guy like me>
I just told you! Coach Bodnar

Contact Coach Bodnar
coachbodnar@charter.net

Interested in a great high school dual style wrestling tournament?
The Best Of The West Duals
December 21 and 22, 2005
32 Teams at the TRAC Arena
Give your kids a great experience!
coachbodnar@charter.net

Although Mr. Starr lays out some good information, he like all of the other talking heads have not decided how all of this is to take place.

What needs to be done right now is get everyone out of there. Take care of the sick, indigent and otherwise needy. Take precautions so that people are not going to be further sickened by the water sitting in New Orleans and pay serious attention to other public health hazards.

How does that happen. It takes work, not talk. It takes people giving and it takes volunteers and it takes the Armed Forces, It takes specific action. That is starting to happen although the plans for all of this should have been in place. They evidently were not. So the only alternative is to get everyone of of their backsides and get the job done. In other words whatever it takes lets do it. Lets quit talking about it.

Mr. Starr painting all wrestling coaches and engineers with the same brush serves no purpose and is not worthy of serious thought. If the comments were meant to be entertaining , they were not. If you were serious your thoughts are seriously flawed, but.....Have a great day!

Article Criticizing Wrestling Coaches and Engineers

I have seen and heard a lot of finger pointing in the last couple of days. In
fact it seems to be rampant. My first thought when I read this article was to react because I am a Wrestling Coach Of 33 years tenure.

I decided to respond to S. Fredrick Starr, Johns Hopkins Professor in a kinder and more specific way than he wrote about the House Speaker.

What we don't need is more name calling so I am going to stay away from that, what we do need is action and a lot more of it. We need action and we need it in a more timely manner than it is happening.

My opinions on the handling of the Katrina Catastrophe are published on http://www.pascohigh.com so I am not going to get into that bag again.

I am a Wrestling Coach, I have thirty three years in the profession. I am also a teacher as are most high school wrestling coaches in the country. That means that they are as different as green beans and tomatoes. Some are trained in humanities, some are math oriented they teach algebra, geometry,calculus, science, journalism, language health and fitness and list goes on.

This is what I know about wrestling coaches. I know this for a fact as I have worked with them for the majority of my professional career.

They are an intelligent group of people

They are some of the hardest working people I have ever met.

They are persistent and finish what they start.

I have met only a few who are not good leaders and organizers.

They are mentors to high school students.

They are fiercely competitive people.

They do what they say!

They finish what they start.

They have family, wives, children and are effective parents.

They are doers, they do not just talk.

Many of them including myself are Veterans.

Most of them are involved intricately in their communities.

Having said all of that, I think that the professor took some pot shots which were not necessary. You can find failures in all walks of life. However the term failure to me means a quitter. I do not see the speaker quitting.

What we don't need in this country is more elitist rhetoric.
We need solid citizens, people who pay their taxes, go to work and do their jobs well, we need good parents, teachers, coaches, school board members, principals, mayors, governors, senators and representatives. Down to earth people who do what they say they are going to do. Who finish what they start, who have the good of people at heart.

Personally I would take my chance with a Wrestling Coach any day over someone who simply offers opinions and takes no practical action.
I thought that I would respond to this article because it demonstrates just what we don't need in a crises or catastrophe. My question to the good professor is what exactly has he done to help one victim of Katrina.
If he has donated money to the Red Cross or other agencies well then I am impressed, If he has taken a victim of Katrina in to his home then I am really impressed. If he is down there helping the victims on the front line that would be a great thing. Wrestling Coaches are doing all of those things.

Some Fierce Conversation From Coach Bodnar

Tough Is Not Enough!

Grappling For Excellence!

Coach Bodnar

Looking for High School Wrestling Coaches that are interested in a great wrestling experience for their team.
http://www.pascohigh.com/index.php?story_id=628
This is the link to http://www.pascohigh.com that is the official website of Pasco High School Wrestling.
Pasco High Wrestling and Best Of the West Sports Hosts the annual event called the Best Of the West Duals. A 32 team dual style wrestling tournament held on December 21 and 22 , 2005.
The event is held at the Trades Recreation and Agricultural Center in Pasco, WA. If you are interested in High School Wrestling check this out. For further information contact: coachbodnar@gmail.com