Tina and Mike Jones

Tina and Mike Jones

Owen Jones
Pictures and Content Courtesy of The Jones Family
 
Our wrestling journey began when Owen was six years old. We were sitting around talking with our good friend Nacho, after a baseball game, on which sport I should put my son in to build character, and I was thinking karate. Nacho said that if you want a sport that will build character, you should bring him to wrestling practice this week. I said “wrestling”, I don’t know much about that.
 
We went to our first wrestling practice with the Spartans. I distinctly remember half-way through practice wanting to save him; the conditioning was intense and I could see he was struggling, but I decided to let it play out and let it be his own decision. Needless to say, Owen did not quit, and before you know it, we were at our first tournament. Your first tournament, as a parent, is very overwhelming. You are up early, its loud, a lot screaming and a lot of crying. He won his first tournament, and he was hooked from that point on. Quickly the family becomes accustom to numerous practices, long weekends in a hot, loud gym and traveling. Strangely, it becomes some of the greatest memories of your life, and bigger than you ever imagined. Why, because watching your son train so hard, giving so much, and the dedication that each of the wrestlers put out, is pretty amazing. Watching them grow from crying to understanding that they learn from both their wins and losses is something you cannot teach them, it is something they have to learn on the mat.
 
Now let’s talk about coaches. My son, Owen, was blessed with some of the best coaches/mentors–period. The time, energy and the love they put into these kids, is above and beyond. They have seen him at his worst and at his best. They helped him grow as a man and become part of the person he is today. As a parent, there are not enough “thank-you’s” to give.
 
Wrestling became such a big part of our lives, and with that came the blessings of a wrestling family. What do I mean by that? You cant spend that many hours traveling and in a gym with these families, and not get close. We have watched their kids grow up right along side our son, sharing in their wins and losses as well. Let me tell you a story, we ended the year in SWA about a month before the State tournament with no coach, and in SWA you have to have a coach at the mat; so we were not sure if we were going to wrestle. Owen desperately wanted to finish out the year, he showed up, he weighed- in and waited for his bout to be called. Mike and I were just about to look for coaches when we noticed there was three to four coaches, from different teams, already in his corner. Without hesitation or asking, everyone stepped up to help him, and that is when I knew that this was a family, and we were all in it together.
 
Wrestling has been one of the best parts of our lives. We have seen Owen wrestle from a six year old at the club level, to an All- American at the college level. His hard work and dedication along with the hard work and dedication of others has made this possible. Hands down, wrestling is the best sport in the world.