Open Letter to Parents: Two Philosophies To Guide Them (Part I)
Dear Parents,
I believe that developing and committing to a personal philosophy provides guidance when choices are difficult and resilience when times are challenging. My goal is to help wrestlers develop and live by their own personal philosophy and guiding principles. I want to emphasize two major philosophies I believe help build confidence, resilience, and self-worth:
The "Man in the Arena" Mentality
Former wrestler (and US President) Theodore Roosevelt
This concept is captured in a famous speech of President Theodore Roosevelt, known as The Man in the Arena (full quote here), where he said:
"It is not the critic who counts... The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood... who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."
This philosophy is simple but profound: being in the arena matters more than avoiding failure. Your son or daughter will experience failure and face critics—but those are small prices to pay compared to an unlived life. This belief encourages them to compete, to try, and to risk failure—because growth and fulfillment are found in action.
This philosophy teaches them to measure themselves by whether they chose to step into the arena, not by whether they won the contest. The courage to step into the arena is the foundation of a meaningful life.
How You Can Support This Philosophy
When your child comes home after a practice or competition, pause to consider how you frame your feedback—and whether feedback is even needed at all. Remember—they’re the one in the arena, marred with sweat and blood, carrying the disappointment and possible embarrassment of a loss. With this in mind, your caring parental instinct will do the rest.
We are helping shape their internal voice, and we want that voice to say:
"What matters most is that I have the courage to step into the arena."
