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A Dedication to Newington Wrestling

This was originally written to honor the 1997-1998 Newington High School Wrestling team and coaches, Richard Hastings and Mike Litke. It was through their hard work and dedication that wrestling in Newington thrived and prospered... These words are as appropriate today as then... (and apply equally to young ladies who take up the sport of wrestling as well !)

Dedicated to Newington Wrestling... Turning Boys into Men

"On Becoming a Man..."

The point at which a boy becomes a man is does not happen in a given moment.
It does not occur because the calendar indicates a passage of time.
Becoming a man is not about the attainment of a certain age or birthday,
Nor does it have anything to do with physical maturity, height, or strength.

Becoming a man requires a journey and cannot be achieved by simply reaching one, single destination.
It is an ongoing process requiring the acquisition of experience, knowledge, and wisdom.
It is learning that in order to succeed, he often has to fail,
And to overcome those failures by knowing that each one brings him one step closer to success.

Manhood is about the respect, responsibility, and realization that go along with wisdom.
It is a respect for others by knowing that the everything he does in life effects someone else.
It is the responsibility of learning to leave the world a better place than he found it,
And being aware that his actions can and do make a difference.

Being a real man means that he holds his Faith in high regard as part of his character.
It is honoring his parents and respecting a lady.
It means he accepts responsibility for the care and nurturing of little children,
And he can show compassion toward others less fortunate than himself.

To be a man requires acknowledging and placing value on the experience of others.
It enables him to honor the established traditions of the past,
While being able to constructively promote positive innovation in the future.
The journey toward manhood demands that he constantly seeks the truth.

Being a man means respecting the country that has given him the freedom to be his very best ...
While knowing that true greatness is usually not achieved alone, but with the help of others.
It is a keen awareness that for him to receive, someone else has given,
And it is honoring those who have sacrificed of themselves to help him succeed.

He realizes that a real man can project pride in his accomplishments, while maintaining humility.
He learns to be confident in his abilities without being boastful,
Secure in the satisfaction that comes with having given his best effort,
Yet accepting that tomorrow will bring new challenges that will never allow complacency.

A boy looks forward to the day when others consider him to be an adult.
He believes that there will be some defining moment that will transform him,
And that the world will suddenly begin to look at him with respect and treat him differently.
Yet he soon learns, that the most important perspective is how he views himself.

There will be no trumpets or fanfare signaling a singular instance the transformation occurs,
A boy becomes a man from within his character while no one is watching.
All those around him will recognize the real thing when they see it,
And he will realize that the journey, itself, is the real reward of achieving manhood.

Author:
Bruce Fairclough
Newington, CT
1998