When my wrestlers got their hands raised, I jumped for joy.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the joy and fulfillment that comes from witnessing the success of others.
In this quote, Dan Gable shares his deep emotional connection and pride as a coach when his wrestlers achieve victory. It emphasizes the joy derived not just from personal achievements, but also from the accomplishments of those you mentor or support, highlighting the essence of commitment and dedication in coaching.
In practice
In a speech to motivate young athletes after their championship win.
Wrestling is the only sport I've ever competed in that puts you totally in a situation of constant motion without breaks. I could play football or baseball, swim -- but there's always some kind of situation that would break my thoughts, break my concentration.
Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.
Raising your level of performance requires a proper mentality and meaning from within. This gives you the ability and drive to work on the things necessary to go to a higher level. When people ask me how to raise their level of performance, the first thing I ask is, How important is it to you?
More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride.
We, as a wrestling community, better remember it is more than one individual that makes a winner.
A clean, hard-fought wrestling match is the most honest of athletic contests. There is no technological interventions, no teammates to blame, no panel of judges to bias the score. In wrestling, you compete or you quit. No alibis. I like that
I play each point like my life depends on it.
I never really liked weightlifting because there is no problem solving, whereas when I am fighting, I am trying to solve a problem, so I don't think about being tired. I box, wrestle, do jujitsu, run up sand dunes; every single day is something different so that I am mentally engaged. That's what makes me want to train longer.
I know what I want when I start a marathon: to win! But what do you want? Make sure you're clear in advance and don't go out too fast.
Out of ten swings at the bat, you get maybe seven strikeouts, two base hits, and if you are lucky, one home run. The base hits and the home runs pay for all the strikeouts
Don't give in! Make your own trail. Don't moan. Don't complain. Think positively.
Any damage that's been done, you have to fix yourself because it needs fixing and there is nobody else to do the work. Blame may well be justified, but it's not going to move you forward in your life.
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