[Danielle Balocca]: Hey listeners, this is Danielle. And Shelley. Shelley is a radical Dravidian and racial equity activist.
[Chelli Keshavan]: And Danielle is a community mobilizer and change maker. And this is the Medford Bites podcast. Every two weeks, we chew on the issues facing Medford and deliver bites of information about the city by lifting the expertise of our guests.
[Danielle Balocca]: Join us in discussion about what you hope for the future of Medford. And as always, tell us where you like to eat. All right, thanks so much for being here with me today. Today's the day before the day before Christmas. So thanks for making the time. If we could just start by introducing yourself. So if you could say your name, your pronouns, and just a bit about who you are.
[SPEAKER_04]: Sure. My name is Diane Noel. She, hers. I am a mom in Medford that is interested in starting or continuing the wrestling program. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_05]: I am Marella Zaccaraccio. I'm she, her, and also a mom in Medford and wanting to really see this program take off and, you know, do great things at the high school level.
[Danielle Balocca]: Well, thank you both. Yeah. I'm interested in hearing a lot more about wrestling today. Before we get into that, though, I'm going to ask you both the question that I ask everybody on the podcast, which is what is your favorite place to eat in Medford and what do you like to eat there?
[SPEAKER_04]: Nice. So I'm from Medford. I have a lifelong history with Medford, so it's tough to pick. So I'm going to go with a classic. And I choose Bocelli's, which used to be Di Pasquale's when I was growing up, but it's always been a pizza place. Um, and the thing I like to eat there, uh, everything there is good, but my favorite is actually the sea bass piccata. Um, I know it's like tough to get and it's always so good and it's a surprising, um, item on the menu, but it's my favorite thing there. So.
[Danielle Balocca]: That one has not come up yet that specific. I'll have to try it. It sounds really good.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah. It's seasonal, so you're not going to get sea bass all the time, but, um, it's worth it. It's worth it if you get it.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you. Yeah. My favorite restaurant. Hmm. Well, I have to say I really like Real Gusto. There isn't much I don't like on their menu, but I really like, I like their pizzas because I like that gourmet-ishy type of pizza. So, yeah.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, that's a favorite spot of ours, too. I think it's encouraging, though, to hear you guys have older kids talk about places that don't only serve pizza. I feel like that's how we eat with little kids, who has what they'll eat. So great. Well, thank you. So we're here to talk about wrestling. So I wonder if you guys could just give us a little bit of an introduction about what wrestling is.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, so wrestling, just a quick intro. So wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world. Literally, it was, you know, in Greek and Roman times, it was a competition between, you know, two individuals. It is the sixth most popular high school sport in the United States. It is open to boys and people of all genders. The team in Medford is actually mixed gender team. It is based on weight class. And so you can have kids as low as like 90 pounds up to 285 plus. It's an individual sport in that it's, you know, you compete against one other person, but it's also a team sport. So the team has an overall score. It's a great sport if you are into calisthenics or boxing or hitting the gym. It's a good sport if you are into an individual sport competing individually while also being recognized on a team. A fabulous way to stay in shape in the winter. It's a winter sport, you know, when there's not a lot else going on. So yeah, Marilla, would you add anything to that?
[SPEAKER_05]: Oh, if you love a little combat. Yeah, exactly. If you like structured chaos, it's yeah, I think that you can see it provides this sense of confidence. And I feel like people just love it when they get into it. You know, it's just, I don't know if it's an adrenaline rush or what it brings on, but there's this self-empowerment that happens and it's, yeah. And then they hug at the end.
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, that's very, yeah, very important. They also, it also is, the coaches say that, and the kids will say that it's as much mental as it is physical. So it's a lot about your head space And yeah, as Marilla said, like your confidence and perseverance, um, it's very intense to watch. It's like these huge bursts of energy, like two minutes at a time and inches and seconds last like forever. Um, yeah. So very popular, very exciting. Um, it's an awesome sport.
[Danielle Balocca]: Thank you. Yeah, we have a lot of informal wrestling matches just on the floor here. So, yeah, I think that, you know, we've talked to some other folks on the podcast about team sports and sort of the benefits of having kids play together on teams. It sounds like what you're describing wrestling as those like are pretty inclusive. It sounds like all body types are welcome, all genders, and that there's a sort of competition um with with your team but also with yourself and so i'm wondering what like i know you both of your kids are wrestlers and sort of what you know why that was important to them why it's important to you why you think wrestling is important to the kids in medford yeah for sure so my son personally um was
[SPEAKER_04]: We had played team sports growing up, you know, soccer, baseball, basketball, and you know he enjoyed them but when when the pandemic came sort of all sports stopped. And he was also middle school so that by the time he gets high school, sort of reevaluated. What was going on, and he had also during the pandemic gotten really into like weightlifting and boxing so things you can do like by yourself in your garage or whatever. And so he wasn't really gravitating toward a team sport at that point. But of course, you know, us as parents, my husband and I really wanted him to be involved with the high school and, you know, find something. that was sports related, because we really believe that sports teaches you so much beyond just winning and being an athlete. It's just great for life. So he had said, I don't know, if I could do anything, if I could do any sport, it would be wrestling. And Medford didn't have a wrestling team at that point. So I had reached out to the athletic director and asked how we could get involved in starting a wrestling program. Because when I went to Medford High back in the nineties, eighties and nineties, there was a wrestling team, but for whatever reason it sort of dissolved. So at that point, Bobby Maloney, the athletic director said, well, he could co-op with Malden. Um, there's a GBL co-op and there's a coach over there and kids over there. So, um, that's how our journey started. The reason why it was great for our son, uh, is because it was just what he was looking for. He, he wanted something where he could individually compete, um, that involves strength and perseverance, but where winning and losing was entirely on him. And it really is the perfect sport for him. He, it's a challenging sport. It's very physically demanding. but he loves it. And even though it's an individual sport, there's a huge sense of community. The team itself is very tightly bonded. And you're talking about kids who in other sports are competed against each other, right? So this is Malden, Everett, Chelsea, it's the GBL co-op. So these are all the kids we compete against throughout the year. But for wrestling, we're all on the same team. And it's a wonderful community, it's very welcoming. Um, but it's also, yeah, great for, um, perfect fit for my son.
[SPEAKER_05]: Okay. So, so Chris is, you know, the last of three and all my kids have been involved in, in sports. The others were more traditional stuff and he just never really, nothing ever stuck. Um, always liked wrestling, but didn't know enough about it. I remember asking him in maybe second grade, do you want to, do you want to wrestle? And he's no, no. And a lot of it is because he was just kind of, if I don't think I'm going to be good at something right off the bat that I'm just not even going to try. Um, he played golf for years and years and years and was like, wow, this site, this is just not, don't want to do this anymore. Um, So one day he called me, he was leaving school and they had made an announcement that there was going to be a meeting about this co-op wrestling. And he said, I think I want to do this. I said, OK. Signups came and went he didn't go because he was nervous about it So I said, okay and you know talked to him try to convince them. It was an impossible task I went ahead and signed him up and You know had him cleared and I remember dropping him off one day at the bus stop and saying oh by the way You're you're all set to wrestle. You've been cleared and he just kind of looked at me like what? And said, yep, you're good to go. So that was probably I don't know, maybe the beginning of November, and it didn't start till December. And he was definitely a nervous wreck up until the very first day he had to go. And so he went to that. And I know his thinking was, all right, well, I'm going to try this too. Probably going to quit, add it to my list of, I don't know, failures for him. So he went, wanted to go back. loved it immediately. Um, even, you know, he's like saying things like, well, he got tossed around today. It was great. Right. And just wanted to keep on going. And for him, I think what wrestling did for him is it changed the way he perceived himself. Um, he learned not only about physical but mental toughness and resilience, right? Trying things, not giving up. It's okay if you're not the best at it right off the get-go. I think it taught him to face fears, what perseverance is. And how about overcoming the idea that just because other peers his age were athletes for so long, it doesn't mean that they weren't any better than him, right? He just didn't find his passion at that point. So it, I think it, he scratched his way to the surface by wrestling and to claim that self-confidence and self-worth, you know, and he pushed himself beyond his comfort zone, which is something I wasn't sure he was ever gonna be able to do, because he's always so cautious. And I think, you know, it created discipline for him. It was hard work, accountability. Then he found himself, like, just contributing by going over to the rec center and, and wanting to volunteer and like wanting to, now I want to do something for the, the young kids. Like, mom, why didn't you make me do this when I was little, when I said, no, why'd you let me say no? I'm like, okay, well, maybe you, maybe you started it exactly when you were supposed to start it. And now guess what? You're involved in this youth program. And you're getting little kids excited to do something so that when they are, you know, up at the middle school, high school level, they already have some experience and are going to be like, yeah, I remember doing this and I want to continue doing this. So, um, he, you know, so he just felt like, you know, it's, it's, there's, he'll describe the team or wrestling as like, there's respect. They encourage each other, they support each other. There's life lessons through winning and losing and enduring difficulty to improve and achieve personal success. Um, so he's just feels like, you know, he's, he's grateful. Um, he thinks it's, you know, it's a sport that if somebody feels sort of indifferent, like, what do I don't know if I want to do this, I want to try this. I'm kind of nervous. Um, he thinks it's once they started, it's an opportunity that they'll see that they can better themselves and they'll want to try new things. So he wants to be able to, I know he wants to take that passion for wrestling and. you know, be able to establish something with youth someday. So that, you know, whether it's through business, whether it's through coaching, whether it's I know, he's already thinking that, you know, for me, it, it helped me face obstacles and gave me again, this discipline, this self respect, determination, and more love and compassion for himself and others.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_05]: So it's just, it's, it was so much more for him and you know, when he loses, is he mad that he lost? Sure.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Right.
[SPEAKER_05]: We love to win. Of course, winning feels great, but you know, he knows it's so much more for him and he's appreciates every coach he's, he's had.
[SPEAKER_04]: Can I just add to Mirella that, um, um, you know, Chris was a junior when he started and had never played before and he, you know, to his credit, he worked his tail off and then he worked off season like every minute he could to get better at the sport. And I mean, now he's progressed to the point where he's a leader on the team and was appointed captain of the wrestling team for the GBL co-op, which is, Again, to me, it's like amazing to watch Chris's journey because he went from literally like, as you heard Morella not wanting to do it to leading, um, the GBL co-op and they're, and they're having a really good season this year. I remember last year, um, I went to the first tournament and, um, Morella didn't go because, you know, Chris, Chris was like, don't, don't come, don't come. And, uh, And he won, he won his meet that day. And I was excited to share it with her. And then fast forward this year to this first tournament, and he is dominating on the mat. And Marella is standing literally right in front of him videotaping the whole thing. And that's what brought me to tears. Because it was a kid that was so unsure of himself a year ago, just trying something out. The transformation I've seen in Chris and my own son over the past year because of the sport is just, it really is inspiring. And I think I speak for Morello when I say we want that for all the kids in Medford, which is why we're here today and to talk about not just our journeys, but the journey that we see for kids in Medford that are younger and just starting out and looking for that thing.
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah, because there are so many kids that just don't, aren't interested, have tried, aren't interested in your, you know, your, your, I guess your typical sports. And this is something that is so inclusive and it's, it's just, it's fun out there. It's fun and you can see there's the teammates. There's a lot of love between them. Yeah.
[Danielle Balocca]: I like hearing the difference in your two stories, where one son knew what he wanted to do, the other one didn't know what he wanted to do. And they both had you guys helping them to figure it out, and also finding this for them, and supporting them, and finding this thing. And it sounds like they're both really thriving on this team. So I think it's a good message for people to hear. you know, wrestling can be for everybody and that you can kind of, you know, if there's, you know, if they're sort of struggling in other sports or other sports aren't for them, this is a nice one to try. And I hear this a lot about, like, the more individual sports, that it does have this different kind of character building element where, like, you know, we hear, like, cross-country runners are, like, really focused on their, like, academics or, like, that this, this, like, sort of individual drive in athletics helps with an individual drive in other things. That's lovely, yeah, and it sounds like, you know, you guys have just sort of gotten this, gotten some momentum built for kids in Medford that are part of this team. So how do you want to continue that or what can people know to get involved?
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, for sure. So what we also realized, you know, about halfway through the season last year was that if you don't start If you wait to start wrestling until you're in high school, you're a little bit behind the eight ball. So it's a tough sport to just pick up. Although you can, as Chris did, as Peter did. But we thought in order to really grow the sport in Medford, we need to start younger. So we approached the rec center, the Medford Rec Center last winter with the idea of starting a youth program, starting in grade school and middle school to really get the next generation interested in the sport. And the guys there were great, Kevin and Danny, very supportive. They were all for it. They had time on Saturday, but what they didn't have was a wrestling mat. which is really the only barrier to the sport. Actually, I should mention the other great thing about wrestling is little to no cost. You really just need a pair of wrestling shoes, and even then you can wrestle in your socks, like when you're little. And so what but what you do need as a facility is is the mat. So I said okay well if that's the only barrier I'm, you know, we're going to get a mat, we're going to find a mat. And then I researched how much they cost, and they are thousands and thousands of dollars brand new. So I hit Facebook again and there's a bunch of wrestling mass wrestling websites, I'm sorry, you know pages on Facebook and I just asked out I just asked the universe like, is anybody looking to donate an old Matt or use Matt, so that we can start a wrestling program. Um, and, uh, I got a response from, um, Excel Academy. Um, uh, the coach's name is coach Brad. He's a very, he's a great guy. He's, he goes to all these events, um, as well. And he was a real, is a real advocate for growing programs, um, in, you know, in cities and towns like Medford. So they had an old Matt. And I rented a U-Haul, and there was a dad who was a real, he was like the third leg of this parent team last year. He moved, unfortunately, or fortunately for him, he moved over the summer. But he and I went to Excel Academy with a bunch of wrestlers, loaded the mat onto a U-Haul, you know, drove it back to the rec center and plopped it in the space. And so I was like, okay, now you have it. So let's run the program.
[SPEAKER_05]: We just needed coaches now, right? That's right. So then Morelia, go ahead. Yeah, so then I just again posted it out all over the place everywhere I could find on social media and got some responses and we have a coach for the rec center. I think I got him from like this, you know, the Somerville Facebook site and It was somebody who had experience and he's been with us since and he's done great. His name is Jacob. And then we're like, okay, so now let's see if we can get somebody, a coach to represent Medford. So here we have a co-op team and we've got somebody from Malden and Everett and Chelsea. And we don't have Medford. I again posted it all out and we got a handful of responses and I kind of just would pass it along to the Superintendent Cushing. And he just recently, I want to say within the last week, hired one of them. So we have somebody that will be joining and representing the Medford group.
[Danielle Balocca]: This is like, I think so in doing this podcast, like I feel like there's so many people in Medford that have this sort of energy to like, well, if it doesn't exist, we're going to like make it happen. And this and like, it's just like really gives me a lot of hope, like for the future, like for like the kids now and for the future, that like there are these parents and like community members in Medford that really want to create these opportunities for the younger generations. And so thank you for doing that. I mean, it sounds like you've really worked hard to bring this together.
[SPEAKER_04]: We have and it's been a team effort for sure. And, you know, obviously we have to thank the city for supporting us. You know, Bobby and Rachel and Dr. Cushing, Peter at the administration level, all of the, geez, all of the, people that have volunteered along the way, like Brad with the mat and Claudia's the coach. Yeah, so many people, but it is, you know, Medford's a big city and it's a diverse city. And that can be like a positive and a negative. It can be hard to get things done, but it's also an opportunity to really get like-minded people together. and really push things forward that you wanna push forward. So just like any grassroots thing, you just have to persevere and have a goal. And these have been incremental goals. The first was start wrestling at the high school, then find a coach, then start a youth program, get a mat. So if you have these micro goals along the way, and folks that are dedicated to doing it. It's, yeah, Medford can be a wonderful city to get things done.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, and so how can people become involved? How can they, if they're interested in having their kids start wrestling, if they wanna support your team, how can they do that?
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, well, first of all, like sign up. So the rec center is, we are a part of They're offering every, I think it's every eight weeks, they offer a new program. And so they are offering winter session too. I think that starts at like end of January. So sign up, check it out. Get involved, for sure. Reach out to myself or Mirella. We're always looking for more parents. Right now, it's sort of a two-woman show. Although we really love it, our kids are getting older and sort of on to the next journey, so we're really looking to hook up with some parents and caregivers that are looking to, you know, keep it going. So I would say, yeah, we have a Facebook page, Friends of Medford Wrestling. We have a, oh, we're also, sorry, I forgot to mention, the rec center, Mirella and I met with the Friends of Medford Recreation, which is the fundraising nonprofit arm of the rec center. and we proposed to them what we really need to grow the sport in Medford is a regulation mat. So the mat we have right now is a remnant and it's also well-loved, pre-loved, let's say. And so, you know, it was good to get the program started, but in order to actually really get the kids ready for competition and meets and even host competitions and clinics ourselves, we really need to invest in a proper mat. And so we had a conversation with the friends of they are in full support. And so they are actually starting a fundraising campaign to get a new mat for the rec center, which we hope to have by the fall. Or even the summer, you know, summer clinics are huge, all the other towns around, which I should point out, by the way, Danielle is every other town around Medford, for some reason has a very robust and You know, active youth and high school program so. We are not alone in having wrestling as a sport. We just have to have the infrastructure to support it. So yeah, donate, reach out, sign your kid up.
[SPEAKER_05]: Sign up. That's the big one. Sign up.
[SPEAKER_04]: Sign up.
[SPEAKER_05]: We want that youth group to really grow. We want it to just go from the fall, the winter, spring sessions to summer clinics, which would be just really is going to get a lot of kids involved. I think summer clinics are really important because parents are always looking, working parents are looking to have their kids be involved in something. So I know my kid had to go to other cities and towns to do a lot of the clinics and it would be great if we could just have it right here at home.
[Danielle Balocca]: So I'll make sure to put some of that information in our show notes so people can find it easily. But anything else that you want to make sure that we mention before we wrap up?
[SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, just again, all the thanks. Just thanks to everybody that's helped us along the way. I hope I mentioned everybody that needed to be mentioned. It's just been a huge team effort. You know, and yeah, the journey's just starting and we really hope that it will take off and we just really see a bright future for the kids in Medford and we just want to offer the same opportunities to them that our kids had. So yeah.
[Danielle Balocca]: And if kids want to watch one of the meets, how do they do that?
[SPEAKER_04]: Great question.
[SPEAKER_05]: There's, um, yeah, there's a yeah go ahead. The high school meets we we we have a schedule. I'm actually not sure if it is posted anywhere in terms of like method athletics, but we do have a schedule and Anybody can go to them. The larger, like the tournaments, anybody can also go to those, but there is an entrance fee. But for matches and quads, anybody can go. We actually have a home one coming up. I want to say it is the second week of January. So there'll be one. It's a quad meet at Malden High.
[SPEAKER_04]: We can give you the, you can also post calendar, I guess, in the show notes. Also the GVL Co-op is hosting the sectionals this year, which is huge. So that is like an all day event, like seven to seven. And there is an entry fee, but that's gonna be, that's how actually, when Peter was a freshman, we were like, okay, you wanna try wrestling? Let's go to sectionals and so you can see it. And that sold us because we were like, wow, there's like hundreds of people. It's such a huge event. It's like, I'm literally getting chills just talking about it. It's really great. If you just wanted to go and watch live wrestling, come to sectionals at Malden High this year. I think it's like February 10th or something. Yeah, that's a great, to me, that's, if you're not sold watching that, then wrestling's not for you.
[Danielle Balocca]: Yeah, we found going to like the high some of the different high school sports with the kids and then also some of the tough teams like going to watch like it's really it's a good way to get through a weekend. But also the kids love it like to have like older role models doing the things that they love is really great.
[SPEAKER_04]: Speaking of which I should mention that Peter and Chris and our other son Nate They volunteer at the rec center for the wrestling program. So for them, it's a, and I know that Mirella had mentioned it, it is a way to give back. And also, like you said, be that role model for the little kids. Yeah, Peter got like a little thank you card yesterday. Yeah, for which he's like, you know, so proud of, because he's seen as like, you know, The old guy. So I love that. I love like the idea of it's not just about you. It's about community. It's about, you know, inspiring others that therefore inspire you. So yeah, it's been great.
[Danielle Balocca]: Thank you. Yeah. Thank you both for teaching us all about this and hopefully we can make it to a match. Thank you. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. The Medford Bites podcast is produced and moderated by Danielle Balacca and Shelly Kisherman. Music is made by Hendrik Idonis. We'd love to hear what you think about the podcast. You can reach out to us by email at medfordpod at gmail.com, or you can rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Thanks so much for listening. Guys, what's the name of the podcast? Medford Bites. Medford Bites. Good job.