Dogs and tattoos - Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

This is probably the worst blog I’ve ever written.  I apologize in advance.  Maybe it will give parents and young wrestlers something to think about.  Probably not. 

I try to discourage our wrestlers from getting dogs and getting tattoos.  We have several kids on our team with dogs, and even more with tattoos.  They are great kids.  The tattoos don’t take anything away from that fact.  Coaching goes way beyond teaching a kid a move.  Teaching moves is the easy part.  The important thing is preparing kids for life.  We teach a mentality that will prepare our student-athletes for whatever road they choose to go down once they finish wrestling.  That mentality is to fight, work hard, do things the right way and do everything in your power to get the best results.  Take care of everything you can control.  Making the best decisions you can is part of that.  Even if the decisions seem like small ones.

Tattoos and dogs are just a few of the many decisions college kids make, but they are important ones that should not be looked at in a casual manner.   

Getting a dog while you are in college is not a great idea, especially for student-athletes.   The last thing a busy student-athlete needs is to be worrying about taking care of a dog.  Dogs are cute and the idea of having one seems fun but the reality is different.  The truth is that they are a huge responsibility and feeding them, making sure they get outside every few hours to use the bathroom, cleaning up after them, etc takes a lot of time that college kids don’t have.  College kids have a tough enough time doing all of those things for themselves.  Every time the student-athlete travels to compete they have to board the dog or find someone to watch it.  Plus, dogs are expensive.

It probably isn’t in the best interest of the dog either.  That is, having an owner that won’t have the time to take good care of it.  It’s a lot of work to train, and teach the discipline and obedience that dogs need.  Dogs and college kids are not a good mix.  The dogs usually end up having horrible manners and that doesn’t usually play well for them in the long run.  So it’s a lose-lose situation.

I have a dog that my family and I like a lot.  She is great.  But we got her after college.  So this is not an anti-dog blog.  There is a time and place.

Ok, on to tattoos.  I don’t have anything against tattoos.  I would just prefer that kids don’t get them while under my watch.  If they do, that’s fine but at least we have forced them to think through the decision.   Tattoos are not casual decisions.  I have debated about getting some 6-pack abs tattooed on my stomach but haven’t pulled the trigger haha.  (That’s the only way I’d ever get abs.)

College is a time in a kid’s life when they are a little more impulsive and tattoos are often a result of that.  Being cool is a priority and getting a tattoo can be the result of trying to be that.   I don’t think getting a tattoo to look better in your singlet is very effective.  Tattoos are personal and mean something to the individual but not many other people spend much time thinking about your tattoos.  If you want to look good in your singlet, do some push-ups and go out and smash people when the whistle blows.

If you have something that you are so passionate about that you want to print it on your skin and have it be there for the rest of your life, go for it.  That’s great.  But there are probably only a few things that important and the best way to display something that’s important to you is to live it.  Represent what’s most important to you by the choices you make and actions you take every day.  That is the best way to honor something. 

This makes me think of our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ and everything associated with Him is sacred.  I know the intent is good when people do, but I would never wear a t-shirt or piece of clothing that says Jesus Christ on it.  Why? Because He and what He represents to me is far too sacred to wear on a t-shirt.  I am far, far, far, far from perfect.  But I do love Jesus Christ and have a strong testimony that the absolute best way to show Him that I love him is to try and live like him. 

I am not going to go get a tattoo of Jesus Christ to show Him how important He is to me.  I am going to seek after His counsel, and do the very best that I can to follow His example and live like Him. 

The point is that if you have something that you are passionate about, live it.  That’s the important thing.  Wear it every day with your words, thoughts and actions.

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