By Kevin Witt
Times Herald-Record
[email protected]
Sean Floor hits the road with his father and brother almost every weekend in search of wrestling tournaments.
The competition is great, Floor said, and will make him a better wrestler this winter when he takes the mat as a Port Jervis sophomore.
But he can’t put a value on the hours he spends with his father, Carl, and his younger brother, C.J.
“My three sisters never go, so it’s good quality time, “Sean Floor said. “I always look forward to it.”
And he’s entitled to a some happiness, after what has been a difficult time for him and his family.
On Mother’s Day, Sean’s mother Patricia lost her battle with breast cancer “leaving behind a husband and five kids. Then, April floods that ravaged the Port Jervis area caused problems with her burial.
But Sean said he felt like they connected late last month. He prayed to her, just before he took the mat for his third-place match at the National High School Coaches Association National Open Wrestling Championships at Virginia Beach, Va.
Then he went out and beat Allen Held of Florida 5-3 at 140 pounds in the Middle School Division.
“I asked her for help, and it was like she was there, “Floor said.
Minisink Valley’s Sean Taft finished second at 145 in the High School Division. Port Jervis’ Matt Parlier took seventh at 152 in Floor’s tournament.
Floor finished fifth in the Section 9 high school tournament as a Port Jervis freshman in 2005, just two years after taking up the sport.
Floor’s favorite sport in seventh grade was football, and only took up wrestling that winter, he said, because football coach Ernie Jackson told him to.
“I thought the dedication you needed was so cool, “Floor said.
Most 13-year-olds cringe at the idea of discipline. Floor grew up on it, as his father is an ex-Marine.
If Sean Floor was going to put the time in, Carl Floor was going to find places for him to wrestle. Patricia Floor also used to go.
“She would never watch because she was afraid I was going to get hurt, “Sean said. “But I always liked it when she went, because no matter what happened, she always said, ‘Great job.'”
Floor still likes football, but wrestling is his main sport. Good enough to make the varsity as a freshman, he said he had a 26-9 record this year at 130 pounds.
His mother went to as many matches as she could, when she was feeling up to it. But she never missed a match, because Carl Floor made sure they always were videotaped.
Sean Floor said he’s improved as a wrestler. Since the high school season ended, he went to tournaments in Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
He has also improved as a person since his mother’s death.
“I’ve definitely changed, “he said. “I do more things around the house, like the dishes. I have a lot more respect for what she used to do.”
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