Lesson Number 3 - Winning isn't everything wanting to is.....

About a year ago William started doing mixed martial arts.  I was concerned at first because of the level of violence associated with MMA.  But as I watched William blossom not only at class but in school I changed my thinking.  Fast forward 9 months and Robert starts taking classes and we discover that he has a real natural talent for it.  The gym where they take classes expects a lot from them including copies of their grades and signatures from their teachers and parents in order to be promoted to their next belt.  They teach the kids to be respectful and to keep working especially when it is hard.  They have a motto that " Winning isn't everything but wanting to is."  It is this never give up  and always do your best and try your hardest attitude that I love seeing instilled in my kids in a way I never could have.

So that brings us to this weekend.  Robert competed in his first ever grappling tournament.  Grappling is the martial arts version of wrestling.  He competed in the GI and No GI portions.  When we got there there was no one else in his division so they asked if he would wrestle a 9 yr old but who weighed about 6 pound less then Robert.  So after discussing it with his coach's we agreed.  No GI went first.  He lost to the 9 yr old but was thrilled with the fun he had. He wasn't upset that he lost. He then wrestled a boy his own age who came in late and soundly won that match. 

When they did awards he got a medal for a 2nd place finish against the 9 yr old and a first place in his age category.

In the GI division he went against the 9 yr old again and soundly won.  In fact he dominated it.  The look on his face was great. 

For his first place finishes he received 2 swords almost as big as he is  and yes they are sharp.

We saw many tears from other competitors and parents and coach's telling them what they did wrong not supporting them for trying.

The best part about this is the whole family went together , 3 hours each way.  No one complained.
When you ask Robert what he liked best it is that he had fun and the swords are cool too.

I think this weekend my whole family saw how important it is to go in with the attitude of a winner and to be supportive no matter the outcome.