Who am I to cast asunder the optimism of Jake and Elwood Blues?

Rumors may be abounding, teeming, possibly making nuisances of themselves or just mussing one's hair a bit about the Louisiana Wrestling News not attending this year's state championships.  And they should, as I started them.  This year I will only have myself and two other photographers.  The LHSAA is "cracking down" a bit on the number of people they want on the floor, and that is understandable even if it prevents the magnum opus I wanted to create about this year's state championships by having six cameras clicking at a time.  In my opinion I would not be able to do justice toward the event and its participants, nor my desire to do something better than last year.  I mulled over the situation with my cat, and her stoic "don't give a damn" attitude convinced me that I should take what I got and go with it.  Actually, I am grateful that I get two photographers plus myself, as most media outlets only get two press passes. Then I remembered the first few years of the Louisiana Wrestling News, when I only had one Canon T3 camera and outdoor lenses, and I had to pore over uniforms, shoe colors, knee braces or anything else that would help me identify the wrestlers and the rounds in which they were competing. Then I recalled my high school wrestling days, when a phone call only cost a nickel, pharmacy's had television tube testers and replacement tubes, reality television was local at 5 and 6 p.m., and national at 5:30 p.m., the Monday Night Football hosts were Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and "Dandy" Don Meredith, and chisels and tablets were in demand at sporting events. I decided three cameras were better than none, even if I will only be able to take photographs of only half of your children on the mats.  (Please email the editor and let him know which half of your child he should photograph.) If anything, the article should be completed much earlier than is usual.  My daughter will not be there to take photographs, but she is determined to make $1,000 off of the event somehow, so it will be via working with the photos.

I thank all of my readers and Facebook friends who have been so supportive of the venture I started in 2012, and I apologize that this year's article will not be what I envisioned, nor what the kids deserve.

Yours sincerely,

Martin G. Muller

Back to Top