A new RiordanWrestling.org website is up and running now. Check it out as it is a news site for the team as well as it captures the team history, team records, and stories collected over the years. It’s not complete yet as I still have a ton of pictures, old news clippings, and the team stats page needs to be rebuilt.
The team has a very interesting history that most people only know bits and pieces of. I often tell Riordan wrestlers I am introducing to each other, for the first time, who competed at different years that this is one movie that you are both parts of and you just missed seeing each other’s parts. I’m the one person who has seen more of this movie than anyone else and I’ve experienced it from different seats. I did miss the first couple of years of the program but because I was on an early team and I developed a close relationship with the original coach and some of the original wrestlers I was told what I missed. My seats in the Riordan wrestling theater have gone from being a member on the team, assistant coach, off-campus head coach, on campus head coach, retired coach/still working at the school, the head coach again, retired head coach/principal, and finally retired again. I hope that even when I am completely gone from the theater that the movie will continue to play as I am not interested in seeing the end as I rather it be an infinite story.
This 2019 year has been the year of repair for me and my family. Both of my daughters have been dealing with some major back issues and in January they both underwent a very invasive Spinal Tethering Surgery that requires a 12-week recovery with at least half of it being home 24 hours a day. I have been dealing with cardiac issues and had a new surgery performed on me at the end of February. For all three of us, we are blessed as it seems we now have a permanent cure for our issues.
I had a lot of time on my hands as I was trying to take care of my kids while my wife worked plus I had to deal with my own health challenges at the same time. I have a ton of pictures, videos, and stats from the team that are sitting in my house in boxes that are taking up space and not being enjoyed by others who I think may appreciate it. I could have left them at the school as I did the first time I retired from the program but I found out the hard way that new folks don’t always appreciate the history that they were handed and things get thrown away. I had put a lot of time and personal money in making a wall of fame only to return to find it stripped down and tossed aside. I decided to make this digital so it has a longer life and a wider reach and hopefully, it can help bring our alumni and friends even closer together.
I remember when Coach Steve Swanson first discovered he had a terminal disease and was expected to die in the next year. He was very concerned about being forgotten. He was nailing his favorite wrestling pictures in our mat space (no matroom at the time) which was located at the corner of the gym. I talked to him and told him that we don’t need pictures to remind us of what you did for us and the program. I explained, that even in the distant future if your name is not known, your impact will forever remain. I also told him as long as I’m around I promise to keep the history and story alive. So here I am working on this website all while leading into a surgery where I was told about all the horrific things can go wrong and sign all these releases that keep telling me that I can die from this. Yes, I admit my possible death was on my mind. I kept thinking of Steve Swanson nailing pictures on the wall as I was uploading images to the site. I also felt moved when I was working on the Steven Swanson parts as I was doing what I promised him.
Now as I look at the staff completely made up of guys who wrestled for me and I see them emphasizing the community Swanson instilled as the main part of the program, I am thankful to see that live on. So check out the site and let me know if you have any suggestions or have some material that I can add to it. Go Crusader Wrestling! RiordanWrestling.org
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