Everyone loves adulation when things are rosy. Parents and wrestlers are accustomed to being placed on a pedestal when you are successful. Conversely... I see absolutely nothing wrong with being critical and honest about sub par performances, as some on this forum are. Fans sometimes live their lives thru sports. Nearly everyone here loves Iowa wrestling and we express opinions which may sometimes offend others.
If you can't realize sincere opinions... this forum isn't for you. By and large... these are not malicious posts.
I completely understand j-bean's post above and agree. Also agree completely with you, Mitch. No doubt, we fans need to keep in mind all that these kids go through as Iowa wrestlers, and no doubt we should be supportive and positive. As long as we have free speech -- and thank God we do here in the US -- some will occasionally say ill-advised things that may be insensitive. That's unfortunate, but if the overall tone of the board is positive, hopefully any wrestlers, parents, etc. will get the message that Hawk fans support them like no other wrestling fans in the nation, hands down.
That said, I agree with Mitch that honest appraisals of performances are absolutely fine, and part of what makes this the most active and informative wrestling board, by far. No doubt, some posters on here -- Tarp, for one -- have been in the Iowa room and know first-hand how tough the grind can be. However, the majority of us are presumably just average Joes/Josephines who love Iowa wrestling and respect these guys like crazy just for sticking it out in the room. I suspect many of us are long-time, diehard fans, having supported the Hawks for decades, through thick and thin, but we have no illusions that we could do what these guys do -- just tremendous respect for what they can do.
If our assessments of any given performance seem critical and/or overly demanding, it's almost guaranteed to be due to the expectations of Iowa wrestling and the great history of Iowa wrestling. Our coaches and wrestlers expect to be #1 every year, and every time out, they and we are thinking in those terms. . . . What kind of progress are we making toward another team title? How about individual titles? That's how Iowa coaches, wrestlers, and fans think, and that's the attitude that creates historically dominant programs like Iowa wrestling. So if our comments ever seem unrealistic or overly demanding, it's because we want like heck for our guys to experience the satisfaction of reaching the pinnacle of their sport, as a team and as individuals.
In short, we're behind our guys 100% and no fan base in the nation supports a wrestling program like Iowa fans. We're as imperfect as the next guy/gal, but we're as passionate as fans get. Sure, our expectations are lofty, but they're no different from the expectations of everyone in the Iowa room.
GO HAWKS!!!
