Thomas Remick’s first opponent of the year had no idea what he was in for. How could he considering that Remick’s own coaches weren’t really sure what to expect the first time the Pam Pack junior took the mat after having knee surgery in August.
The only one in the gym who really knew was Remick himself, who told coach Daniel Riggs and an assistant, “I feel bad for the guy that I’m about to wrestle” before pinning him in 20 seconds.
It was only a few months ago that that Remick was the sympathetic figure as he tore his meniscus during Washington’s wrestling camp.
“I was out our camp and I was wrestling and I did a stand up and went straight back down to the ground,” Remick said. “I heard two pops and I just knew.”
Remick tore his meniscus and had surgery to repair it during the summer. Since then has used the same work ethic that allowed him to go to the state meet last season to get back on the mat and succeed.
“Right now he’s 8-1 and his knee looks like it’s healing up a lot better,” said Riggs. “He came in third (at the Beast of the East tournament) over the weekend in the first full tournament he competed in and for not having many practices under his belt he did pretty good.”
As Remick rebounds from his knee surgery he still has to fight through some aches.
“It still gives me some pain but I just work through it,” Remick said. “If worse comes to worst I will just get another surgery after the season.”
Remick not only has to push aside the pain, but also has to shed some of the rust that was gained from missing the early portion of the season. The biggest issue right now is trying to get back into the same kind of shape he was in last year when he placed 16th in the state amongst 3-A wrestlers.
“He has to work on his conditioning because he came in late,” Riggs said. “He has to get a little better on his feet.”
Slowly but surely he is regaining his form.
“I’m definitely getting better,” Remick said. “Most of my matches I go all three periods because I’m a lanky guy and I’m not going to muscle anyone. But this weekend I could see an improvement in my conditioning because I was going through three periods much better but I’m still not in the condition I was in last year. It’s just going to take time.”
Last year Remick caught fire at the end of season and was able to propel himself to state by placing in the top four in the East regional meet. However, once he got to state he cooled off and finished 0-2 at the tourney.
After getting a taste of the big stage, the Pam Pack junior is hungry for another helping.
“I think it gave him some confidence. I know it made him hungry,” Riggs said. “He was glad he made the states but disappointed in how it turned out. I know he’s hungry for more and he wants to get another trip there and give it another shot.”