Ryan Pomrinca

Just blessed to be here

[Ryan Pomrinca @ProjectPomrinca]

Take nothing for granted

[Jordan Burroughs @alliseeisgold]

My son Beacon completed the “Tournament Warrior” feat this weekend at Super 32! He lost his first match to the top seed, then battled back to win five straight and finish with a bronze medal beating the 2, 3, 4 and 5 seeds on the way. Most importantly, he displayed great poise, determination and humility. He’s a fighter. He kept finding a way to stay alive, and it was fun to watch.

We’re not on the national tournament circuit. We haven’t done Tulsa, Reno, Kids Nationals. Winning big tournaments right now isn’t high on our priority list. So when Beacon insisted on coming to Greensboro, North Carolina to compete with his teammates against the best kids in the country at Super 32, I was hesitant. Part of me would rather him just stay at home to train. But more than that, I also didn’t believe he was ready for the caliber of kids I knew he’d run into. I thought about shielding him from potentially getting his butt kicked.

After those initial thoughts, I reframed my perspective and decided to register him. Here are a few important ideas I’ve settled on:

1. Seek challenges — Adversity helps us develop, build character and get closer to the wrestler/man we eventually will become. The harder the challenge, the bigger the window for growth.

2. Wins and losses go into the same bucket. The ultimate goal is to become greater later. Until then we’re just having fun and collecting data — figuring out ways to get better.

3. Prepare them, don’t scare them. I didn’t show him the bracket. I didn’t tell him the names of anyone in his weight class, I didn’t even tell him who he’d have next round. Just bring your best stuff. Who your opponent is, is less important than the energy and intensity you bring to the match. Remember — it’s not about WHO you wrestle, but rather HOW you wrestle.

4. Ignore other parents. Most people have great intentions, but poor advice. Don’t let them project their insecurities on you. They usually have no idea what they’re talking about. Listen to your coaches instead.

5. Let your kid cry. It means they care. You don’t have to pacify them immediately after a loss. Let them sit with their emotions for a little while and learn to handle difficult moments internally.

6. Don’t yell at your kids when they lose. Self explanatory.

7. Let them eat. A full belly makes a happy wrestler. There’s way too much emphasis on going down in weight in hopes of performing better or placing higher. Bigger doesn’t always mean better. If the weight class doesn’t make sense, or you don’t feel like you can compete at the weight, stay home and wait for another opportunity. STOP cutting your kids.

8. Find a club home and stick with it. Most wrestlers have too many chefs in the kitchen. Some wrestlers are regularly attending 2-3 clubs a week with no real identity to their wrestling. More coaches aren’t the answer. Pick one club, trust the process and let it ride.

9. Dont leave the tournament when your wrestler loses. Surround your kids with positive teammates and parents willing to be mat-side and cheer on the squad even if they’ve been knocked out of the tournament. Strong communities stay to support one another no matter what!

10. Dont get too low on your kid’s losses or too high on their success. Celebrate the wins but also remember that it’s just wrestling. All of the college coaches in the arena were watching the high school matches. Not one of them was recruiting the 8u or 11u tournament. It’s not that big of a deal yet.

I realized this weekend that it’s not my job to clear the path for my kids, but only to prepare them for it. Beacon is no better a wrestler today than he was when he walked into the arena yesterday, but now he knows he belongs. And that itself was well worth the risk.

- JB

[USA Wrestling @USAWrestling]

Final National Girls High School Rankings for 2024-25 season released, with one new No. 1 athlete, Josephine Larson (IL) at 190 pounds. In the Pound-For-Pound rankings, Aubre Krazer (PA) jumps to No. 3.

[Joey Chestnut @joeyjaws]

I’m thrilled to be returning to the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. This event means the world to me. It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life. (1/3)

[Easton Athletics @GoRedRovers]

Congratulations to Aubre Krazer who qualified as a U20 World Team Member at 59kg!

She'll be a part of Team USA competing in Bulgaria this summer!

#RoverPRIDE

[Easton Athletics @GoRedRovers]

A Great Weekend to be a Rover!
🔴2 State Champion Wrestlers
🔴2 Wrestlers reach 100 Win Milestone
🔴1 State Coach of the Year
🔴1 Most Outstanding Wrestler
🔴Countless Memories
#RoverPRIDE

[Brad Wilson @bradwsports]

Our Corky Blake on more glory for @GoRedRovers Aubre Krazer ...

https://t.co/wkNNol68WG

[Easton Athletics @GoRedRovers]

Sunday was a true "banner" day for @girls_easton!

✔️4 individual @PIAADistrictXI Champions
✔️1st @PIAADistrictXI Girls Team Championship in program history
✔️Coach Ryan Pomrinca named DXI Coach of the Year
✔️EAMS served as host site for the event again!

[Easton Athletics @GoRedRovers]

Congratulations to the new Head Coach of our Varsity Girls Wrestling team, Ryan Pomrinca!

[Jordan Burroughs @alliseeisgold]

Jeff Buxton is an incredible coach. Wisely told Sebastian no to the challenge at 8-8, and saved it for the final sequence for the win as time expired.

That’s wisdom and leadership.

Congratulations Sebastian Rivera!
🥉

[Saed Hindash @SaedHindash]

PHOTOS: Lehigh Valley wrestlers in the 2024 PIAA 2A, 3A and girls championships. Click this link --> https://t.co/bLX4gocTWe to see more photos form the championships.

[Lehigh Men’s Wrestling @LehighMWREST]

WOW!

Ryan Crookham knocks off NCAA and World Champ Vito Arujau 8-4 to win his pool at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic

[Chris Williamson @ChrisWillx]

I recently got to speak with someone I’ve been curious about for a long time.

He went through a difficult period many years ago.

Even though he’s beyond it now, he came very close to losing everything.

Financially, reputationally, psychologically,

I asked how he had dealt with the darkest time he’d faced.

He told me that he’d had a concern in the back of his mind.

Throughout his entire life.

He was always worried that deep down, he might be a coward.

That he secretly might not be the strong, capable person he thought he was.

That when the rubber met the road, he wouldn’t be able to stand up and face whatever the world threw at him.

See, many of the challenges we face in life are largely under our control.

We choose the jobs we apply for, the house we try to afford, the partner we seduce, the weight we lift.

These things can still be hard.

Tough, challenging, sometimes unbearably difficult.

But it was us who chose the flavour of that difficulty.

So what happens when absolutely everything comes crashing down?

The single worst possible scenario you can imagine happens.

Well, you get to see what you’re made of.

What you’re genuinely made of.

When all your forces are marshalled to a single challenge.

And he said that he’d had faith in his ultimate self, but he’d never been pushed hard enough to prove that his faith was justified.

“I could always hear my best self clearing his throat in the room next door.”

But he never knew if this self was able to come in when needed.

It turns out, he did.

I love that quote and I love this story because I think many of us are uncertain about just how capable we are.

Maybe a couple times in your life, all hell will break loose.

And your best self will have to stop his coughing, and come say hello.

[Chris Williamson @ChrisWillx]

The 24-Hour-You.

One of the best questions to ask yourself when faced with a decision is “what would you tomorrow want you today to do?”

This has been something I’ve relied on for years to help give me perspective and make better choices.

It rips you out of the moment.

It stops you from relying so heavily on the confused chemical signals coming from your body and instead gives you a bit more distance.

It depersonalises the decision and helps you to treat yourself like a friend you’re responsible for helping.

It forces you to optimise for long-term thinking rather than immediate gratification.

It reminds you that ultimately decisions aren’t being made for you now, they’re being made for you in 24 hours, and 24 days, and 24 months.

Our decisions are investments we make into our future, and the more ruminative and deep of a thinker you are, the more you need to make decisions for your future self, not yourself now.

Optimising to gratify your desires in the moment at the expense of the way you feel and the story you tell yourself about yourself in the future is rarely a good deal.

You live with the story of your decisions for far longer than the impact of them.

Choose wisely.

We don’t have crystal balls to see the future, but this is about as close of a tool to clairvoyance as I can think of.

In fact, I can’t think of a single decision which would be worse if I actually did what I wished I’d done 24 hours later.

So yeah, try to be kind to your 24-hour-you, they’re ultimately the one who has to deal with whatever you do today.

[Sam Sasso @sammysasso]

booom . straight from the hospital to practice. love these guys.

[Ryan Pomrinca @ProjectPomrinca]

@bdiaz95 The Giants in general*

[Chris Williamson @ChrisWillx]

Two quotes have been going around in my head recently.

“It’s so easy to be great nowadays, because most of the world is weak.” — @davidgoggins

“If you are even remotely a savage, you will run these people over.

It’s all out there for the taking right now.” — @danawhite

Everyone rails against the victim mentality that seems to be sweeping certain areas of the world.

I get it, you don’t want your town or country or species to go to hell because everyone has forgotten how to take some discomfort or deal with challenges in life.

But on another hand, this rampant fragility is your competitive advantage.

The bar has never been set lower.

A bit of consistency, a bit of intentionality, a bit of resilience and a gram of talent will make you into an absolute killer.

I also understand that you probably want to raise other people up along with you.

Having your greatness stand on the shoulders of the world’s fragility may seem exploitative.

And I love the idea of not just improving yourself but also changing those around you for the better.

But there’s a limit.

Your efforts are multiplied by 10x when building with the right people, and by 0.01x when building with the wrong people.

If someone refuses to alter their habits or update their worldview or improve their life, despite being given all the tools and encouragement they need by you, then they can stay where they are.

It is not your job to drown yourself by trying to keep others afloat who don’t want to change.

“Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary.

Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary.” — @sebastianjunger

It’s easy to be savage when everyone else is a pussy.

But sometimes it’s hard to find a sidekick.

[Brad Wilson @bradwsports]

If you've had enough football for this weekend, how about some wrestling? Catch @becahiwrestling and @girls_easton standouts in action tonight against top-top-top competition.

https://t.co/IJCP0DBRPx

[MMA Mania @mmamania]

The Korean Zombie’s response to his loss and retirement per his Instagram:
-
“I haven't achieved everything, but I've achieved enough, and wanting more in my head is like greed, so I'm trying to stop. I feel like I've received undeserved love compared to what I've done, so I'm grateful to everyone. Now I don't think I will live a life of being judged and compared any more, so I feel free, relieved, and scared. In the meantime... Thank you so much for loving Korean Zombie. I was really, really happy while fighting in the UFC. Thank you ufc and sean shelby dana white for letting me live this life. And it was an honor for blessedmma to be my last fight opponent. Let's greet each other with a bright smile someday😃 #End”

[FloWrestling @FloWrestling]

Joel Adams and Casper Stewart had a absolute BATTLE! Joel Adams gets knocked out, makes a comeback, and screams “I live for this!”