Amigo gets athletic, takes show on the road

"Mom, you should write a post about me and wrestling and going to Ohio."

Wow. The teenager wants me to post about him? Cool! And his new involvement in athletic competition is cool, too.

He called us Saturday night as they got on the bus to come home from a wrestling meet in Ohio. The state schools for the blind compete against each other, which means travel. Road Trip! Amigo enjoys road trips, so this is just another piece of the whole positive experience. He can tell me the route they took to get from Wisconsin to the other schools, the choices of highways if there are more options than one. He packs his armband radio and explores the states by finding local radio stations and getting local flavor.

Back to Saturday night. He talked about the meet, how he'd done, and the ribbon he had that he could bring home. Of course we talked about the upcoming Super Bowl - did you have any doubts, readers? He's as wild and crazy a Packers fan as I am. As his bus rumbled down the Ohio turnpike, Amigo shared updates of the meet and I shared updates from home, including Super Bowl plans.

Sunday night he called again. There was one more adventure on the road; the bus broke down near Champaign, Illinois. The repair was major, a new bus had to come get them, and they arrived back at their dorms in Wisconsin at (are you ready for this?) 5:30 A.M. Sunday. Ouch. He slept until noon, and was still tired when we talked to him Sunday night.

Wrestling is his third sport this year. Amigo started the year in track and field, then participated in Goal Ball, and followed those with wrestling. We were amazed at first; he's a sports fan, but other than the Challenger League summer baseball, he'd never competed in team sports.

He's had a great experience in many, many ways. Enjoying practice with his peers, making progress in his own abilities, surprising himself in competition, win or lose.

And then there were the road trips. He and I might have to do more road tripping next summer; he has so many stories to tell, and being on the road is a great way to bond and share tales.

As long as he doesn't expect me to wrestle with him, all will be well.

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