Orrin Woodward -
Success is a Process

My son Jordan just finished his second year of wrestling. As I watched him struggle to learn the sport, I couldn't help but see the analogies to our Team business. When a person is learning something new it is important for them to maintain two contrasting thoughts at the same time.

The first thought is that they are not yet competent at this skill, and the second thought is that they will one day be one of the best. At first you may think, "How can you say you are not competent? Isn't that a negative thought?" I say it is not negative to state the facts as they are, as long as you are willing to work to change the facts. In his first year of wrestling, Jordan was a poor to at best average wrestler, but we always believed that with enough dedication and practice he would learn to become good and then great! Jordan completed his second year with enough first place medals to advance to the "open" level tournaments. The "open" level is for the more advanced wrestlers. This article is a quick look at the process of the success of Jordan Woodward's wrestling through the eyes of a proud father.

Jordan was not exactly excited to begin wrestling; as a matter of fact he wasn't really excited about any sport. I knew the valuable lessons to be learned from playing a sport, so I suggested we give some time to wrestling. The first time I saw Jordan wrestle in practice he was awkward and did not understand any of the footwork or handwork. I did not go up to him and suggest that since he seemed so incompetent he never wrestle again. I understood that it takes time to develop the skills. To become a master it would take the proper equipment, time to study, hours upon hours of practice, and hours of live wrestling. Most people do not understand that point – success is not mastered overnight. If it were, everyone would be a master in their field. The reason they are masters is that they are willing to do things the average person is not dedicated enough to do. Jordan learned some valuable lessons about winning and losing that first year and I noticed a marked improvement in his self-discipline through the process. The coach after every meet would say, "If you tried your hardest and lost you still won because you are learning!" He would then take some time to tell stories about other kids who had gone through his program and were now scholarship athletes at top universities in our country. I didn't hear any of the parents stop the coach and say, "c'mon coach, quit getting these kids' hopes up. Don't you know the odds of any of these kids ever winning a scholarship?" Well the facts are, most of these kids won't even be wrestling by the time the year's out, let alone winning scholarships. I look at my son's time in wrestling as a win, even if he doesn't continue to wrestle later in life, because the most important thing is the personal education he is getting. I learned more about success from my sports in high school than I ever learned in any class. Jordan finished his first year with a losing record and the feeling that he just didn't have what it takes to be a good wrestler.

With the season over, and with time to practice and learn, father and son developed a plan for improvement. We went on-line and bought three books on wrestling and three videotapes. We bought everything we could of Dan Gable, arguably the world's all-time best wrestler and coach. He won the 1972 Olympic Gold medal without having a point scored against him, and led the Iowa Hawkeye's to numerous NCAA championships. As I read his books I was astounded by how many principles he taught his teams that are exactly the same principles we teach our team. I understand to get information from the correct source and I listen to people with the results. Jordan and I three times a week would watch those videos and review his books. We also invested money in a small wrestling mat that would make it easier to learn our moves. Over and over we practiced what we learned. We invited Jordan's friends over to show them what he was learning, and with time, Jordan began to look like he had wrestled for years. One of his friends even signed up for wrestling because of the fun he was having learning the moves. I couldn't wait to see how Jordan's coach reacted to his improvement.

When the new wrestling season started it was clear that Jordan was a new wrestler. His confidence and work ethic were greatly improved. At the first meet of the year he placed 1st, at the next tournament he placed 2nd, and at the third tournament he placed 1st again. Other wrestlers were now coming up to Jordan and asking him how he knew how to wrestle so well, but Jordan knew it was a process. You have to be willing to be bad to get good. My son finished the year with 25 wins and 6 losses. He still has many areas in which to improve, but his confidence and work ethic will carry him through. This is the most valuable thing I believe you can learn about success. Know what you want, know what it costs, and pay the price. Succeeding in business or any other endeavor has the same basic principles. I believe you only lose when you blame someone else. There are people in life who have made a career out of blaming others for their losses. I have made a life out of learning from my losses. We want everyone on the Team to win financially, but we also understand that there are many more wins than just how big your checkbook is. As we wrap up another year of wrestling I would like to thank all the moms, dads and coaches who go out and serve our next generation – building hope into their lives, that no matter what comes their way they can dream, struggle, and have a victory. One day Jordan and I had a hard practice where I was teaching him that repetition is the mother of skill. After practice and his shower, Jordan came down into my office, wrapped his arms around my neck, looked me in the eyes and said, "dad, thanks for teaching me discipline." I was never prouder of my son than I was that day as I realized my young boy was turning into a young man. No, Jordan Woodward will probably never make any money wrestling and yes, we have invested thousands of dollars into wrestling, but the results in the mind, heart, and soul of a next generation champion are priceless.

Orrin Woodward 2004

06/18/04