Post by therick on Mar 13, 2007 20:35:41 GMT -5
doug said:
kenshirtaugh said:
Personally, I thought the book might have over glorified Iowa High School wrestling just a tad. Don't get me wrong, I know the guy was writing a book that was meant to show how difficult the sport of wrestling is, and what kind of dedication it takes to be a great wrestler. But, he was making Iowa HS wrestling out to be the Mecca of wrestling in America. In all actuality, they aren't anywhere near the top 5 IMO. Overall the book was pretty good, although I thought some parts were a bit tacky..Agree. High school wrestling in PA and OH is pretty big as well.
Is this the quote you're talking about?
"Eleven thousand people fill the arena, in groups of 100 or 200 from every small town that sent one of the 632 wrestlers that made State. The tournament is easily the largest of it's kind in the United States."
I know there are others that I kinda smirked about. I know he's trying to sell the book and story and make it seem greater than it might seem to the average non-wrestling reader. But, that's just a little bit overboard. There are plenty of state wrestling tournaments around the country that are just as big or bigger and just as prestigeous or more so. OH, PA, NY and CA come to mind. Example: 15,685 attended the finals in Ohio this year. 69,746 total for the three days.
That said, I really am enjoying the book. He's done a great job of capturing the toughness of the training. And just the overall feeling of the sport and the way it never leaves you.