The Fairbury Jeffs wrestlers qualified 8 for the State
Tournament, put 5 in the finals, and had 2 District Champions, Logan Slater and
Seth Firmanik. The team finished in 3rd place with 148 points.
The wrestlers
who qualified for state include Carson York, Austin Barnts, Logan Slater, Ace
York, Seth Firmanik, Zach Reikofski, John Kerwood and Trent Grizzle.
Trimmphoto asked Coach Garfield and the parents of the
wrestlers going onto state to answer a few questions, “1. How does it feel
having your child qualify for state? 2.
How has the wrestling program benefited your child?” I have posted the replies I received and will post any replies that I get after this article is published.
Coach Garfield replied and I asked a few follow up
questions:
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| Head wrestling coach Derek Garfield |
As a coach, watching a parent celebrate in the stands after their
child has accomplished something as big as qualifying for the State Tournament
is simply awesome. Parents go through
the pain with their wrestlers during the season. They see them cut weight, come home from
practice exhausted every day, fight through injuries, and are there to
encourage them after devastating losses.
So the parents are as
big of a part of the process as their kids.
The sport of wrestling is unique to any other sport in the fact that
when a kid qualifies for the state tournament they do it by themselves. They are the ones inside the circle that earn
that victory to get to the state meet.
There are no teammates on the mat with them.
They have to do it on their own. That is what makes qualifying for state such
a big deal. As an athlete myself, I got
to experience that in high school and to this day it is one of my proudest
sports memories. There is no sport like
wrestling. Wrestlers go through things
on a daily basis that no other athlete does in any other sport. So when all of your hard work pays off, there
is something so special and gratifying about it!
Do you have any anecdotes about wrestlers that overcame
obstacles? For example, isn’t this Trent
first year and he qualified?
The great thing about Wrestling is anybody can win anytime!
That’s what makes District Wrestling so exciting. Trent is a first year’s
wrestler but didn’t let his inexperience hinder him. It was also great to see
John Kerwood come into the tournament as the 6th seed fund a way to medal and
qualify!! Awesome stuff
Any predictions for next week? You scout the competition right?
I don’t like to make predictions. We do scout our opponents
and will be prepared. Anything can happen at the state tournament. Our job is
to get our guys ready for battle and we will be ready!
One more. I won't be able to go... so can you describe what
state feels like?
It’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before. Wrestling in
front of 16,000 fans is an experience of a lifetime. The crowd is amped up and
it’s incredible!
Gina Grizzle/Trent
We are super proud of Trent. Deciding to wrestle his senior
year, was difficult for not only him, but us. We are so excited & proud of
how much he has accomplished this season! Wrestling has taught Trent so much about
discipline and hard work.
This has been great as he gets ready to head to Chadron next
year! We would just like to thank the
coaches for all the extra work they did in helping Trent be successful! We have
incredible coaches & he wouldn't have had any success without them!
Jo Slater/Logan
We are very excited for Logan and the rest of the team.
Logan started in the mat man program with help of coaches and extra matches
that Brian Barnts. We have seen a lot of improvement with Logan and couldn't
done it without the help of Coaches Garfield, Lenhart and Jacob Johnson.
Thanks coaches for all your hard work to make our boys winners. You are the best.
Roger and Jo
Liz Firmanik/Seth
Love and pride. Those two emotions override the rest. As
parents we can't do the work for them, only support and encourage and try to
keep them from being hangry. They have earned this achievement. I think
wrestling teaches more life lessons than I can express.
Part of that has a
great deal to do with the coaches. Fairbury has got some great coaches. They
are getting the most out of our boys. They are the ones that have to push them
harder every practice and yet keep the excitement and drive going at the same
time. Thank you to all our coaches!
Sandra Reikofski/Zach
We are super excited that Zach has earned this opportunity to wrestle at the Century Link Center for state wrestling!! Zach has wrestled so well this year! He earned his 100th Varsity win!! As a freshman Zach was not a Varsity wrestler so getting 100 Varsity wins is huge!!
We are so blessed to have the best coaches out there! They believe in our kids and are so passionate!!
Zach said last night that he wants to be a coach! Thank you Derek Garfield, Kameron Lenhart and Cory Schweitzer!!!
Theresa Barnts/Austin
You ask how does it feel having your child qualify for state? It is hard to put into words but here it goes. Austin has been in wrestling since the age of 4 probably earlier than that just messing around with his older brother when he was involved in the sport. It has been years of hard work, sweat & tears along with so many emotions. Austin made it to state his junior year for the first time but was unable to place for a medal.
To have him make it his senior year is both exciting and sad! It is a huge accomplishment just to make it and we are excited to see what this year brings. With that same thought in mind we are sad knowing this is his last go around. Being able to wrestle the last four years under a great organization with Coach Garfield and the assistance of Coach Schweitzer at the helm has benefited Austin to become the best wrestler he can be.
To the coaches who dedicate their lives to the athletes and the passion they have for the sport you bring out the best in these kids and the team as a whole and we are very grateful to have been able to be a part of this. #CONTINUETHECLIMB
Joann Kerwood/John
How does it feel to have John qualify for State? We are so excited for him! It doesn't quite seem real yet to me. Like when he got that point in overtime. Doyle knew right away what what the ref was signalling, I didn't.
John has worked so hard, and as a parent you keep encouraging them even when it isn't working the way they want it to. This is a big deal to Doyle too, as he wrestled at Meridian but didn't quite qualify for State.
Wrestling is a mind, body, and soul sport. When you wrestle, you are also learning nutrition, weight control, getting rehydrated, etc. You also get to visit with participants from other schools.
Our coaches are GREAT! Always pumped up, always observant, always encouraging, and EXCITED with accomplishments. They've taught John to be more aggressive.....on the mat. Thank you Coaches for everything!! Good Luck to everyone this weekend! Joann Kerwood
How does it feel having your son qualify for state? Having one son qualify for the state tournament is about as excited as a parent can get. Only moments later to see your oldest son wrestle his final match and loose is about the worst feeling as a parent. To say we experienced the full spectrum of emotions if putting it lightly. We couldn't be more proud of the dedication and determination of both our boys.
How has the wrestling program benefited your child? The wrestling program has benefited us in many ways. Wrestling has been part of our lives since the boys were 4 years old. They have learned from an early age that wrestling isn't going to be easy, it takes lots of dedication and hard work. They have learned that some days will go your way and some days will not, but the best way to get better is to shake it off and keep reaching for your goals.
The benefits from the wrestling program are life long lessons that can't be replaced. We are blessed to have such a great group of coaches that would do anything for our boys and who dedicated to seeing them achieve their goals. And to Jacob Johnson, you have been Carson's inspiration and go to for support and we thank-you! Go Jeffs#BestCoaches#BestFaNS# BestTeamates#LikeFamily
To have him make it his senior year is both exciting and sad! It is a huge accomplishment just to make it and we are excited to see what this year brings. With that same thought in mind we are sad knowing this is his last go around. Being able to wrestle the last four years under a great organization with Coach Garfield and the assistance of Coach Schweitzer at the helm has benefited Austin to become the best wrestler he can be.
To the coaches who dedicate their lives to the athletes and the passion they have for the sport you bring out the best in these kids and the team as a whole and we are very grateful to have been able to be a part of this. #CONTINUETHECLIMB
Joann Kerwood/John
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| John Kerwood |
John has worked so hard, and as a parent you keep encouraging them even when it isn't working the way they want it to. This is a big deal to Doyle too, as he wrestled at Meridian but didn't quite qualify for State.
Wrestling is a mind, body, and soul sport. When you wrestle, you are also learning nutrition, weight control, getting rehydrated, etc. You also get to visit with participants from other schools.
Our coaches are GREAT! Always pumped up, always observant, always encouraging, and EXCITED with accomplishments. They've taught John to be more aggressive.....on the mat. Thank you Coaches for everything!! Good Luck to everyone this weekend! Joann Kerwood
Karrie York/Carson
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| Carson York |
How has the wrestling program benefited your child? The wrestling program has benefited us in many ways. Wrestling has been part of our lives since the boys were 4 years old. They have learned from an early age that wrestling isn't going to be easy, it takes lots of dedication and hard work. They have learned that some days will go your way and some days will not, but the best way to get better is to shake it off and keep reaching for your goals.
The benefits from the wrestling program are life long lessons that can't be replaced. We are blessed to have such a great group of coaches that would do anything for our boys and who dedicated to seeing them achieve their goals. And to Jacob Johnson, you have been Carson's inspiration and go to for support and we thank-you! Go Jeffs#BestCoaches#BestFaNS# BestTeamates#LikeFamily
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| Ace York |
