Definition of dedication and sacrifice
According Dictionary.com, dedicated can be defined as “totally committed to something, such as an ideal, a political cause, or a personal goal.” Synonyms of dedication are commitment, loyalty, devotion, loyalty.
Being dedicated implies being completely committed to something. In other words, it means being devoted to a particular thought, ideal, purpose, or goal. For example, one may be devoted to the ideal of a democratic society. Or, one can go into philanthropy and fundraising.
Sacrifice often goes hand in hand with dedication.
the free dictionary defines sacrifice as “the confiscation of something of great value for the sake of one deemed to be of greater value.”
“The amount you are willing to sacrifice is directly proportional to your desire for success.” -Dan Gable
During my first year of high school, my teammates voted me the most dedicated fighter. That wrestling season was actually quite heartbreaking for me. I had the ability to win the conference title, but I finished as the runner-up. I won sectionals and was favored to win districts, but lost my first round matchup after leading 3-0 going into the final period. I won the next game in overtime. I had a chance in a wrestling match to qualify for state. But, I lost. In fact, I lost to the fighter I had beaten in the sectional finals a week earlier. I was sad, angry and humiliated.
So why did my teammates vote me the most dedicated? I guess I don’t know for sure. I always controlled my weight well and my trainer never had to worry about him gaining weight. I never missed a practice as far as I can remember. I gave up the luxury of eating whatever I wanted. I sacrificed time that could have been spent with friends and girlfriends. I guess they recognized the commitment I gave to wrestling.
Successful athletes and others from many walks of life have dedicated themselves to something they considered important. Athletes, actors, singers, artists, and writers often had to dedicate themselves to their craft and make sacrifices before reaching the pinnacle of success.
Dedication and sacrifice in wrestling
Even six-time world champion and Olympic champion John Smith suffered occasional losses. He lost in the NCAA finals as a sophomore at Oklahoma State. The loss, of course, infuriated Smith.
According to TP Grant in an article titled Gods of War: John Smith“Determined to become the best, Smith devoted himself completely to the sport and pushed away everything not directly related to success on the mats. Friends, relationships and vacations were cast aside as Smith sought to achieve a single goal: never lose again.”
In a 1992 interview with the Los Angeles Times Smith spoke of the commitment saying, “I make a commitment that no other wrestler makes. There are probably some wrestlers who think they commit. But I really do commit.”
Smith goes on to say, “Anything that gets in my way, I pretty much cut it out. I don’t have too many close friends. I don’t have too many close relationships. I just can’t let them go.” where I want to go, to do what I want to do. I really focus on myself. I really figure out and find a way to win, how can I beat everyone. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
I’m sure you are aware that Dan Gable was an incredibly successful American fighter and trainer. His dedication to his sport is well known and much has been written about him.
Says Gable, “The obvious goals were there: state champion, NCAA champion, Olympic champion. To get there, I had to set a daily goal that was to push myself to exhaustion, or in other words, work so hard in practice that Someone would have to get me off the mat.”
In an ESPN SportsCentury documentary, Gable states: “Finally, my senior year in college, I dated a girl and looked at my watch when I got home. It was like 3:00 to 7:00 and I wasn’t feeling well. at that race practice. I was tired all day. It just solidified in my mind that it wasn’t going to work out and something had to give.”
After an incredible high school and college career, Gable won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, without giving up a single point.
Mark Ironside is another wrestler you may have heard of. He was a two-time state champion and a two-time NCAA champion. But Ironside didn’t become a champion without dedication and sacrifices.
According to the article Mark Ironside – Once in a Lifetime“For Mark, the lonely hours of painful and inconvenient sacrifice would soon give way to glory. For him, the focus of each day wasn’t eating junk food, playing video games or aimlessly hanging out with friends. It was 3 o’clock: 00 afternoon two-hour practice session for most fearsome high school wrestlers. Mark focused intensely on every minute of the warm-up, drilling, and hard-hitting. He reveled in the physical and mental challenge, and upon completion, he would invariably stay behind to continue his training after the rest showered or even went home.”
When it looked like wrestling was going to be eliminated from the Olympics, comedian and actor Jay Mohr shared some thoughts. This is part of what he said: “Try to get your fifteen-year-old son to clean his room. Try to do that. Now I want you to find that same boy and tell him that he can only eat chicken breasts.” and spinach, and once in a while he eats some fruit, and gets up when it gets dark and runs five miles before school, and then when he’s at school, he’ll stay at school and go to a wrestling hall and try hard. It is an incredible sport. It is the purest sport. It’s solo, solo sport. It is a monastic life, the life of a fighter.
Other examples of dedication and sacrifice
Fighters, of course, aren’t the only ones familiar with dedication and sacrifice.
Mary Lou Retton was the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics and she did so in 1984. In an interview Mary Lou was asked about her training schedule during that time and she replied, “Well, it was pretty tough. Two Before the Olympics, our daily schedule was 7:00 to 11:00 in the gym every morning. 00:00 pm every day. It was eight hours every day. It was a job.”
“You give up your childhood. You miss proms, games, and high school events, and people say it’s horrible… I say it was a good trade. You miss something, but I think I gained more of what I lost.” -Mary Lou Reton
Most of you have heard of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the seven-time bodybuilding champion and Mr. Olympia movie star. You may not be aware that Arnold served for a period of time in the Austrian Army for compulsory service. Due to his devotion to bodybuilding, Arnold spent seven days in military jail in 1965 for going AWOL from the Austrian Army to participate in and win a bodybuilding event called the Junior Mr. Europe contest.
Later, Arnold would come to the United States to pursue his dreams. For a time he was a roommate with another bodybuilder and friend, Franco Colón. According to Franco, his grocery bills were huge. Columbus remembers: “Joe Weider would pay us $80 a week each. We would go to the market and three days later all the money was gone. We would work construction to earn extra money.”
“Bodybuilding is a lot like any other sport. To be successful, you have to be 100% dedicated to your training, diet, and mental focus.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger
Robbie Lawler was involved in mixed martial arts and the UFC before he became famous. However, he devoted himself to the sport.
“I started very young, that obviously helps. I’ve always believed in myself and the ability to always do what I believe in,” Lawler told FOX Sports. “Just being able to grind, day in and day out. You have to be a different kind of person not only to get through the workouts, but to not make money for months on end. Live on someone’s couch if you need to before the sport was like this. big. You have a different mentality.”
If you want to learn about dedication and sacrifice, perhaps you should read about the soldiers who wintered at Valley Forge during the American Revolution.
Writes Daniel P. Murphy: “Washington’s army suffered during the winter of 1777-78, but held on.”
He states: “The Army had to find some kind of shelter. Washington made building log cabins the first priority. The last ones weren’t finished until after Christmas. Drafty, smoky, and often without floor, offered poor shelter from the elements. Many men could not leave their huts because they had no clothing. Shortages of food and water added to the misery. The staple of their meager diet was firecake, made from a flour and water paste cooked on hot stones.”
We all know that soldiers have made many sacrifices for their countries.
The bottom line
So am I saying that you should give up friends, family and other interests? Am I saying that you should expect to endure great hardship if you want to become the best? Not necessarily. But, if you really want to be the best fighter you can be, you have to think about your priorities and what you really want.
John Smith and Dan Gable eventually married and had children. They just waited until they could make it a priority in their lives. And many people with close relationships, including girlfriends and marriages, have still become champions. It’s all about balance and priorities. So, I’m not saying you have to sacrifice everything for wrestling.
For some, wrestling is just an enjoyable and challenging extracurricular activity, and that’s okay. For some it is much more. As I write this article, summer is fast approaching. What will your summer entail? Will you forget about wrestling completely over the summer? It depends on you. How dedicated are you to wrestling? What are you willing to sacrifice?