Hola Everyone.

It’s been an interesting week for LHW.  As you may have already noticed, Cornell Coach, Rob Koll, has decided to contribute to the content published on the site.  Unbeknownst to us, Coach Koll has been a big fan of ours for a long time and was very receptive when approached about getting involved.  He does however think that everyone on Long Island is crazy (joking, of course) and has already asked me on several occasions if I’d like to relocate to Ithaca…LOL. 

In addition, we got our response from Nassau County regarding our request to broadcast the finals of the DI tournament.  Again, as you probably already know, this decision did not quite go in our favor.  However, because I admittedly have little or nothing to do with this aspect of the website (I am a much better writer than I am a negotiator), I will not sit here and pretend to know why the request was denied.  I assume the people in power had their reasons, and I will respect those reasons.  I do feel bad for the young men though.  I believe it would have been a nice treat for them to have their moment in the sun broadcast across the entire nation.  In a time where so many brothers, sisters, fathers, uncles, friends, etc remain over seas, I rejoice in knowing that the Lighthouse broadcasts may be making it possible for a soldier to see a loved one compete.  I know that if I was in that position, I would be overjoyed to know that such an option was available to me. 

Furthermore, I received an email from Bill Miller informing me that the College Wrestling Network is especially interested in having Lighthouse Wrestling join the consortium.  Since I have handled the bulk of the college coverage this year, I was both flattered and humbled to hear that a man like Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling, thought highly enough of my coverage (as well as the rest of the superb content) on the site to extend such an invitation.  If we were to join the partnership, we would instantly be aligned with some of the giants in the industry such as Themat.com (USA Wrestling), InterMat, W.I.N-Magazine (subscriber since 2005), etc.  This would be a huge step towards our goal of branching out nationally…..A conference call was scheduled for today.  However, because of a prior commitment, I was unable to be on the line.  Therefore, hopefully Bill will be nice enough to hop on and update us on the status of those dealings. 

This past weekend (Saturday-Tuesday), I was upstate to watch the CHSAA Catholic State Wrestling tournament.  Being a Chaminade alumnus, I always take great pleasure in the few times a year I get to see my alma mater compete.  Because I consider myself more of a college guy, the opportunities to see the Flyers in action is few and far between.  Hence, when the chance does arise, it is important to me that I make every effort I can to be there, even if it requires me to ride shotgun for seven hours “to and fro”.  Speaking of which, even though I know he is probably getting sick and tired of me saying it, allow me to thank Jason Bross from Monsignor Farrell for the ride.  It is a little known fact that I do not have an automobile.  Therefore, it takes an especially friendly and generous individuals like Jason for me to cover all of the wrestling events that I do.  My parents and friends also deserve a lot of the credit for taking me to where I need to be on a given day.  While I am always the one to get the credit for the well written articles, it is my support team that is equally deserving of gratitude. 

I must admit, when word leaked out that I was going to be in attendance, I was surprised to learn that so many people knew who I was and actually wanted to chat with me.  For the most part, I have always prided myself on being the guy who blends into the shadows and then does what he can to help promote the sport.  Most of the time, I consider what I do and/or pass along to be common knowledge.  I never realized that my opinion was of interest to others.  I was floored, but again humbled to learn that my efforts have not gone unnoticed.  I have said it a hundred times and will probably say it a million more, I have never been one who was looking for praise for what I bring to the table.  I realize that the good lord has blessed me with a gift.  Therefore, to me, it holds so much more weight when someone approaches me and simply says, “thank you”. 

With regard to the tournament itself, my sincere congratulations to Monsignor Farrell on winning their first team title in close to two decades.  Having become especially close to the Farrell program the past year or so, I realized that their time was coming.  These are fine young men who work at their craft 12 months a year.  Coach DeStefano is always bringing his team to various summer events.  The kids themselves make it a priority to attend national tournaments such as NHSCA Nationals, Fargo, Super-32, etc….In other words, the effort is always there…..It was great being able to witness first hand as all of their hard work paid off.   I am especially happy for the senior class.  While I do not know many of them on a personal level,  I have heard nothing but great things about each and every one of them.   So, to Tim [Monaghan], Connor [Hanafee], Kevin [Hartnett], Antonio [Sparaco], and Christian [Psomas], CONGRATS GUYS, the day is yours!!!

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