Still Celebrating

Yesterday MHS held a pep rally in honor of the Wrestling Team Champions - open to the public nontheless! Mayor Rea was there along with some City Council members and of course, the legendary coach Al Smith to congratulate the team. Band playing, crowd cheering, cameras flashing, and television stations filming...still celebrating the victory. Mayor Rea even presented each wrestler with their own "key to the city!" How awesome is that!

More pics here.

Team State Highlight Video

Here is a highlight video from team state. Trenton was the last match shown and you can see Tyler behind Coach Snyder as he is interviewed.

Wrestler's Mom

Yes, I made the newspaper on the morning the boys left (Friday, the 23rd)...front page! Not a good picture...laughing, mouth open and eyes closed. I wasn't impressed with myself! Oh well, it was for good cause and it was a good time! Loving the bus though!
Ready to rumble
Cindy Reinoehl, mother of wrestler Trent Reinoehl, shares a laugh with friends as members of the Mishawaka varsity wrestling team pose for pictures Friday at Mishawaka High School. They were preparing to board the bus for the team state wrestling finals to start at 10 a.m. today at Center Grove High School in Greenwood. Parents of the team decorated the windows to include the entire varsity wrestling team. The Cavemen are ranked third heading into the state team competition.

Team State Champs

Yes, that's right, Mishawaka has claimed the title!!! Mishawaka had three tough matches yesterday at Center Grove in Indy as you can see by the scores!!! It was the most intense meet I have EVER been to. From start to finish the team state tournament was AWESOME! From the introductions...the teams come in and go around the mats and then wrestlers from each weight class would come to middle to shake hands as they were being introduced...to the Championship round.

Mishawaka was definitely ready to conquer Perry Meridian, considering they were our only loss this year. The team accompished their goal. And it was such a sweet victory. Intense is the only word to describe it.

Trenton was unfortunately just not on top of his game yesterday, with three losses - three very tough matches - Cook (PM), Kepchar (Merrillville) and Schweizer (MD). Don't get me wrong, he definitely helped the team win, in fact, every one on the team stepped up and did what they needed to do. I can't tell you how glad I was when Josh Harper sealed the deal for us during the championship round. With Trenton being the last match of the championship round, sick and just not wrestling up to par, I just did not like having all that weight on his shoulders...wondering if his actual match would be the deciding factor of a state title. That's alot to handle. And it worked out, in fact, everyone was so busy celebrating Josh's seal for victory, I don't even think anyone really payed attention to Trenton's actual match. I just wish he would have been able to celebrate too, at the time with the team. That's okay, though, he has helped this team all year and what a year it has been! So many emotional highs and lows...ALOT of hard work. Trenton and Tyler are proud to be part of this team.
Tyler even worked hard all week. He had to cut to 127 (from 140) to weigh in for the team as a back up for Josh. What a meet! Definitely proud to be a cavemen (again)!

Quarterfinals

Match 1: #10 Lawrence North 32, #9 Elkhart Memorial 32 (LN wins on second tiebreaking criteria – most match wins)

Match 2: #1 Evansville Mater Dei 52, #19 Columbus North 9

Match 3: #3 Mishawaka 29, #2 Perry Meridian 24

Match 4: #20 Merrillville 29, #6 Bellmont 27

Semifinals

Match 5: #1 Evansville Mater Dei 43, #10 Lawrence North 19

Match 6: #3 Mishawaka 30, #20 Merrillville 22

ChampionshipMatch 7: #3 Mishawaka 28, #1 Evansville Mater Dei 22

Pictures here.

Broadcasting at Team State

The action starts at 10 am on Saturday!!!!
Round 1
Match 1: Lawrence North (24-3) vs. Elkhart Memorial (16-0).
Match 2: Evansville Mater Dei (21-1) vs. Columbus North (24-3).
Match 3: Perry Meridian (28-1) vs. Mishawaka (28-1).
Match 4: Bellmont (24-3) vs. Merrillville (20-4).
Round 2
Match 5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
Round 3 Championship Round
Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6
Watch it live here!
Should be a fun and exciting weekend!!!!

American Idol - The Girls

Not overly impressed with the gals last night. Again, I thought one of the best girls was one of the youngest...Alaina. She can sing. I oddly enjoyed Amanda - she has a joan jett kind of voice. It's different. She'll be fun to watch. The other two that I enjoyed, more so than others, had to be Ramiele and Syesha. Syesha wasn't afraid to be herself and she didn't seem nervous as some. Ramiele has a pretty voice...and her name is cool too : )
The ones I didn't care for...well, that would be the remaining...but then again, they all acted really nervous, so perhaps they will come out of the their shell and really start to shine. So, I honestly don't care who goes home tonight and do not have any two that stick out in my mind, who should go home, but I did like Alaina, Amanda, Ramiele and Syesha.

American Idol - The Guys

So I was able to watch American Idol tonight. I haven't seen all of the auditions because of wrestling so I wasn't familiar with all of the top 12 guys. It was cool to find out three of the top 24 are from Indiana - two girls and one guy (Luke, and he isn't too bad). My impression of tonight's show...bewildered I guess. I had mixed feelings...a few were good but I wondered where in the world some of them came from. I know the show probably has to be fair as far as different races, etc. I just hope to God the homosexuals are not on the show because they "have to be." The one guy...Danny...was okay voice wise, but who in their right mind would consider him an "American Idol?" I was not impressed at all and I hope he is one that is voted off immediately. In all honesty, I got sick watching him sing. The other I did not like was Colton. In fact, he could be gay also...not sure on that one. Am I biased when it comes to that...probably. Both Danny and Colton sang Elvis songs. Did that have anything to do with it...probably not. I just didn't like either one of them. Colton should go too. As far as the others...I wasn't too impressed with some but a few that did stick out for me was the rocker, Robbie...I think he said he toured with Britney Spears even. He was a good vocalist and different too. I also liked the young David. He can sing and he was probably the one I was most impressed by. He has a very nice voice. I also liked the guitarist, Jason and my favorite one to look at, and can sing : ) is Michael. So there you have it...my favorites right now would be Robbie, David, Jason and Michael.

Individual State Finals

Enjoyed the weekend in Indianapolis...we were hoping to be watching Trenton but our luck just didn't turn up for us. Next year.

We did have fun watching 7 of the wrestlers from our team. Two - Steven and Joshua - both ended up the champions! Steven's first time (140 lbs.) and Joshua's third state title (125 lbs.). Very fun. We reserved our rooms last year at this time to ensure we were within walking distance for Gabi's sake and it was nice. We stayed at the Hilton downtown and we were able to come back for lunch, etc. It was only about 5 blocks from Conseco Fieldhouse. Gabi did really well. She was able to pal around with Kristin - Caleb's little sister - which made it so much nicer. She was a trooper, as always. We were sure to get a hotel with a pool as well, and Gabi enjoyed that. Weather was nice - in the 40's and sunny on Saturday so it wasn't too bad walking to and from our hotel. All in all, a good weekend, and yes, we have already made reservations for next year! Enjoy pictures here.

Happy 30th, Amber!

Wanted to wish my sister in law a VERY happy 30th birthday!!! Talked to her this morning from Indy - sounded like Addy wasn't feeling all that well. Hopefully Amber's weekend was fun filled and she was able to enjoy it with her family and it being a three day weekend for her makes it even better, I'm sure. Happy Birthday from all of us!!! We love you!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Got some beautiful roses - red and white - from Ben today, along with a heartfelt card. It's nice to feel appreciated and loved...Happy Valentine's Day.

Daddy/Daughter Dance

Tonight Ben took Gabi to a "Daddy/Daughter Dance" sponsored by the South Bend Park Department. He is going with a group of guys, mostly firemen I guess, and their daughters. Emma's daddy is a fireman and this group has gone for the past 3 years or so and this year Ben and Gabi got to join in on the fun. Gabi wore a pretty red sparkly dress and I had lots of fun curling her hair and doing her nails. She was so excited to get dolled up and daddy even got her a pretty red wrist corsage to match. Ben cleans up very well wearing a nice black suit and a red and black tie to match Gabi. I must say, they looked so cute! Joe (Emma's daddy) and Emma came by to pick up Ben and Gabi for pictures and then enjoyed dinner here. Fancy! Then off to the dance here. Unfortunately, Ben didn't have a camera during the dance but here are some pre dance photos! After the dance, Joe continued his tradition with Emma and started a new one with Ben and Gabi...they stopped in for ice cream here.

Another Driver

Took Tyler this morning to get his learner's permit to drive. I must say, he did not do too bad. Can't really tell right now if he is a good driver or if my nerves have already been wore down going through one teenage driver??? : )
Needless to say, I have one happy kid!

Individual Semi State

Heartbreak today. Trenton had a bye first round since he won Regionals last weekend. It kind of ended up being a "pick the lesser of two evils" when we figured out that since Trenton won, he would face Roach again from Crown Point (lost by 3 points last time). If Trenton would have gotten second at Regionals, however, he would have had Smith from Munster with a record of 29-10 first round and Jacob Cook from Seeger with a perfect record of 43-0. Watching Daniel Young (who Trenton beat last weekend and got second so he had this route to go), Daniel easily beat Smith and then turned around and almost teched Cook to go on to place and seal his entry to state next weekend. It was kind of a "watch Daniel to see what would have happened with Trenton." Unfortunately, Trenton got Roach - we knew he was good with his only 2 losses to Churchard. Trenton worked soooo hard all week with the coaches to prepare for this match. After the match all of the coaches found me in the hall and told me that Trenton did just as they asked...he didn't let Roach score the whole first period. Roach chose down for the start of the second period and got an escape. Score was 0-1 going into the third. Trenton had opportunity. The score was not out of hand to where he couldn't do it. I wondered, "could our 'cardiac kid' pull it off?" I had faith. I really did. Trenton chose down at the start of the third and got an escape. Roach ended up getting a takedown, Trenton got another escape with the score being 2-3 with 14 seconds left. Trenton had beat opponents before in the last few seconds. Sadly, he just couldn't do it with Roach. The coaches said Trenton hit alot of the moves they worked on, Roach was just the better wrestler during that match. Roach scored the last takedown to seal his win. Trenton lost with dignity. I could tell he was heartbroken. He really wanted to make that walk around Conseco with Coach Snyder this year. It was his goal. I guess I could continue with the "what ifs" - what if Trenton would have gotten second last weekend at Regional and got the easier route to state? But I won't. This was the outcome that was layed out for him long before we ever knew. It's like I told Trenton, "I am still so very proud of you." He fought till the very end and he gave it his all. We could not have asked for anymore than that. Now it's time to refocus...team state in two weeks! Trenton is still a vital part of this team. Go get em' boys!

Team Semi State

The Mishawaka wrestling team won team semi state tonight by beating Delphi 59-9! Trenton tech falled his opponent (McTigue) 17-2 in the third period. We are soooo excited for the team who will be going to Team State at Center Grove two weeks from Saturday. We get to decorate the buses on Friday morning before they leave and fire/police will be escorting the buses to the bypass out of town. Can't wait!!!

Pictures of Trenton's match here.

Also, check out the boys before the meet - calm and collected, having a good time together while warming up. That's what I love about this group of boys. They all get along and they know how to have a good time, even in the midst of pressure.

Man's Best Friend

Gabi has really been having fun with Maizy lately. This dog follows her around until Gabi decides to play in the evenings. Gabi will start by just walking around...Maizy close behind and then she will pick up the pace and Maizy follows suit. They will both run until Maizy decides to close in the gap and jump on Gabi to make her fall. It's funny though, because Maizy really knows to be gentle with her. Maizy will just lick her to death and make a "fake" growling noise that wouldn't scare a mouse. Gabi giggles so hard. It's funny to watch.

Change is good

I finally decided to do hair color with highlights on Friday. I usually just get the highlights but I have been seeing too many light hairs to really have a contrast. After talking to Kristi, I decided to put some red/brown color in along with the regular highlights. Along with that, I got about 2 inches cut off. Not sure if I am happy with the cut, but at least it will grow. I think I may go a little darker with the color part next time, but all in all, not bad. I am very happy with this shampoo and conditioner though. It's the only type that can be bought in the stores (not the salon) that actually helps with my hair dryness. Two thumbs up!!

Regional Champ

That's right, Trenton is the 130 lb. Individual Regional Champ! He beat his first kid from Rochester 6-0 and went on to beat Manbu from Warsaw 7-0. We knew the championship round would be good. Trenton had faced Daniel Young from Culver Military Academy before in ISWA tournaments and has never beat him. Trenton has come close, but has never done it. Today he did. Trenton beat Young in OT by a takedown (5-3)! Talk about a nail biter. I was so glad and overcome with so much emotion! Trenton has come such a long way, even in this year! His hard work is paying off more and more. SOOOO PROUD today! Next stop...Team Semi State on Wednesday and then Individual Semi State next Saturday!

Hannah Montana

Mission accomplished...fun evening with friends last night! Movie was packed, was a good movie, would have been better if a speaker in the theatre wouldn't have been out! Made some parts of the movie inaudible. I don't think the girls minded one bit. They were in Hannah Montana heaven!

Mini me

Gabi, to me, last night, while browsing through Wal Mart's huge ad with all Hannah Montana things...
"I know what your surprise is for me tomorrow...you are taking me to see Hannah Montana, aren't you? You can't keep anything from me!"
Ben overheard this, shook his head and said, "she's just like you, Cindy. You created this monster." LOL

Team Regionals

Last night Mishawaka pulled out the victory leading them to Team Semi State next week. Since they started at 135 lbs., Trenton's match was the last one of the evening in the final round putting the team score at 41-21. Trenton earned a tech fall in the second period against Riley's Miles Andrews allowing Andrews no points scored at all (15-0). We were looking forward to a redemption match against the Plymouth kid in the first round (as stated in an earlier post), but Plymouth forfeited the weight class (rumor had it the kid had stitches in his head and even sported a headband). My guess is that he will amazingly have nothing wrong with him this Saturday at Individual Regionals. Stay tuned for that news after Saturday...until then, great job, Mishawaka - Regional Champs - and good luck next week at Semi State! And remember...you can catch all the action online and live - individual and team here. Also a short youtube video of his match last night here.