Good day Ram fans,
It has been a great week, and I have been excited to check my email every morning with letters and messages from all of you! It truly has been humbling! Thanks again for all of your help throughout the years! We couldn’t have done it without you! It was an amazing feeling, but our work is just beginning!
A few of our athletes competed this past weekend, and they were very successful. Santiago Valdez traveled to New Mexico to compete in the Greater Southwest Nationals in Albuquerque. He came in unseeded and won 4 matches over state place winners from New Mexico and Texas to be crowned the Champion! Santiago continues to impress us with his dedication and improvement!
Avery Henry competed in the VAWA Freshman State championships in Richmond. In the Freshman 135 lb division, Avery won 3 matches which landed him in the final against a tough wrestler from the Reston Area. He finished as the runner-up in the tournament! We look for great things from Avery in the future.
I didn’t mention last installment, but I definitely want to thank all of the people whose hard work made the AAA tournament as success at home! I especially wanted to thank Coach Epperly for presenting us with the championship trophy. Between that and my father announcing it…what could be better! Two of the most important mentors in my life making and amazing day even more special…WOW! That was the icing on the cake! I posted the following on www.virginiawrestling.com about the tournament…
I want to say thank you to all of the people who helped to make the AAA State tournament at Robinson a success again this year. I know there are always things that we could do to make the tournament better, but the people involved in running the event were AWESOME!
1) Coaches, administrators and VIPs, I hope you enjoyed the hospitality room. Our parents from the past, present and future worked hard, and it was better than a dinner at Old Country buffet! Kim Martino, Marcia Bennett, Gabby DePasquale, Tom and Lori Sharpy, Elaine Isreal and Jennifer Seigel were awesome coordinating and hustling in the community to get donations, and the Robinson parents who were working in the room made it a great place to be! All of the parents, schools and clubs from around the area who donated food and drinks were also amazing and generous!
2) Marty Riddle, the DSA at Robinson and tournament director has become a wrestling fan, and he and ADSA Jeff Ferrell's leadership and ideas made the High School Gym at Robinson look like a civic center! Also, they had help from Bill Curran (FX county head of DSA's), Bill Hildbold (former DSA at Herndon and Robinson coach) and Melanie Hildbold and Brian Collier (DSA at CF) to make the event run smoothly. Also the drawings that we were able to do during the event from local businesses was a cool addition.
3) Drew Foster, coach at Robinson did an amazing job on the program! It is top notch and a steal at $5. He works tirelessly to make the production of the media look professional! He also was in charge of the power point that ran with great pictures and advertizing during the event!
4) Brian Olmes, also a coach at Robinson, was in charge of the student tournament personnel! Those kids bust their butt throughout the weekend selling programs, working at the tables, cleaning mats and the hospitality room and doing any other work that is need. Through Coach Olmes leadership, they will do anything that is asked!
5) Kevin Hazard...what more can be said! He keeps the fans engaged by letting everyone know what's going on, on the mats! He had less of a voice than I did on Saturday night! He is a true wrestling guru!
6) Don Squires, we thank you for your ideas about Doug Sikora and his pairing system and the Live sport video webcasting! All of these "little things" add up to make a top notch production. Also, having Jay Black and Jason Bryant on the mic for the finals was awesome and Drew Squires' filming was as good as Flowrestling!
7) Melinda Hazard James, my sister, did an amazing job with the national anthem for the finals!! That girl can sing!!!
8) Thanks to the Hall of Fame members for presenting. You are all legends in the sport, and it means a lot to all of us that you would spend your time with our athletes!
9) Mrs. Anna Baker and Wayne Martin do a great job with the press at the head table! They come up from the East and make sure the press are comfortable.
I know I have forgotten countless people (sorry), but I do hope everyone enjoyed the tournament. I'm sorry if I forgot you... it doesn't mean you aren't a huge addition to the product!
I look forward to speaking with you next week!
Bryan
Bryan Hazard
Middle School Health Specialist / Physical Education Instructor
Head Wrestling Coach
Robinson Secondary
Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.
John F. Kennedy
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