Home Edition

I'm well past my wrestling days, but once upon a time the only wrestling I knew was homemade. I knew no holds, no rules, no gear. I knew nothing but the thrill of rough body contact with my buddies, deciding in senior high that athletes were the best buddies for me. (I was not an athlete, and I'm not sure how I succeeded in cultivating friendships with football players and competitive swimmers, but somehow I did, and it was no accident, but pure calculation on my part. It's not impossible that I offered to write their research papers for them.)

I made the mistake of growing up and deciding that wrestling--or what I called wrestling--was kid stuff, at least during my grad school years. My last golden period of wrestling was the 1990s. My boyfriend and I used to wrestle before and during sex--and often the wrestling was the sex, the thrusts and wriggles getting us off with no penetration. Mat matches are often my favorite because they put me in mind of my youth. I'm particularly fond of BG East's Motel Madness series and Wrestleshack, Gazebo Grapplers, and Mat Hunks. I appreciate the homey setting of Thunders Arena (much more upscale than any home I ever lived in, more upscale competition too) and the simplicity and directness of Movimus--not to overlook the feisty no-frills randiness of UCW and Krushco.

But today I salute the guys still playing the home version of the game, the guys at Wrestlemen and GlobalFight and other meet-and-beat networks I know nothing about. My hat's off to you all.