Win the Day! Emery Parker Ignites at Ignatius

2x All American from the University of Illinois, Emery Parker, was a special guest instructor at a youth wrestling clinic on July 1st and 2nd. The clinic was held by St. Ignatius, in conjunction with Beat The Streets Chicago. To start the practice, Parker led the kids through a versatile warm-up which included sprints, rolls, cartwheels, handsprings, and flips. He followed up with defensive demonstrations, elbow passes, and take-down finishes off of a high-crotch. As far as clinics go, this is par for the course, but Parker was not satisfied with giving a typical clinic. After the workout, he gathered all of the participants around him in one big semi-circle. He patiently waited until the noise died down and the gym became silent. Once he garnered the attention of the wrestlers and coaches, he gave his word of advice; “Win the day”. Parker told the children that when he was making a transition from a sophomore to a junior in high school, that one change in mindset shifted his life forever. He realized that if he wanted to achieve a big goal such as winning a state title or becoming an All-American, he would have to win small challenges in the time leading up to that event. In practice he would have to push himself to win the last sprint, at home he would have to make sure that he was eating correctly everyday. Accomplishing these little goals each and everyday eventually manifested itself in a very successful wrestling career. 

It’s not just a wrestling match that’s important to win, but the values and lessons that come from the sport. This is what 3x USA National team member and University of Indiana head coach, Angel Escobedo, had to say on the second day of the clinic. In a similar fashion he gave the participants a talk at the end of a clinic. Escobedo noted how, as a minority he came from a single-parent household with four brothers and lived in a poor area. He told the kids that wrestling provided him an opportunity to make a name for himself and provide for his family. It was on the wrestling mat that he forged his destiny of becoming not only one of the most successful wrestlers in Indiana Hooshier’s history, but also their head coach. What was more important to him though are the lessons that he learned from the sport. Escobedo told the kids that he learned how to be disciplined, patient, and most importantly tough. Life has a way of throwing curve balls at you and sometimes you can’t choose your circumstance, but you can always choose how you react to those circumstances. With that being said, “Win the day!”.