To the Band of Brothers: January 20, 2021
Good morning!
I wanted to give a well-deserved shout out to the members of the Belen varsity wrestling team. On Saturday, when most of us were enjoying some time off and thinking how it was really more like a Friday because we had Monday off, they were participating in the Doral Tournament. Our guys were fighting, mano-a-mano, with various other schools and ended up taking second place in the competition.
Wrestling is a primal sport. It has to date back to the earliest times of man. Did you know it was one of the original Olympic sports? Think about it, along with running, wrestling is a sport that requires very little for it to happen. It’s not like football that requires helmets, pads, a ball, and a field. For wrestling, all you need is an opponent who is willing to grab you by the back of the head or around the waist and try to pin you down. You can just imagine cavemen doing it around a fire to the delight of the other cavemen.
Don’t get me wrong, I know there is extraordinary technique involved. I know that throughout the centuries, various forms of wrestling, maneuvers, and rules have developed. I know that the guy who wins is the one who trains hardest, moves fastest, and practices the most. But, when you get down to the nitty and the gritty, it’s about using your arms and bodyweight to throw someone down to the ground.
Another thing about wrestling, it’s excruciating. It has to be. When I used to wrestle my brother Manny when we were kids, it was hard work. Since we shared a room growing up, it was easy to find the moments to jump onto his bed and begin to wrestle him to the ground. He was fourteen months younger than I was and about 30 pounds lighter, but he put up a good fight. We may have been wearing matching Planet of the Apes pajamas instead of singlets, but the fighting was intense.
Congratulations to our young wrestlers. As your season begins, we salute your hard work and your drive to represent our alma mater well on the floor mats around the city. Make us proud, fight the good fight, and pin to the ground all those who dare challenge a Wolverine.
Auspice Maria
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.