It's a (W)rap - Matside Minnesota Season 1

Yeah…
Season one in the books, Minnesota style.
Grab your headgear, we takin’ it matside.

Twenty-two episodes, yeah we put in the grind,
Talking Minnesota wrestling every single time.
From the first big show when the season got goin’,
Coach Horn and Moen had the welcome mat rollin’.

Pillager in the house, yeah the wrestling world grew,
Building up the community, that’s what wrestlers do.
Cardinal editions digging deep in the past,
Staples wrestling history all the way back to ‘59 fast.

Derek on the mic asking questions so clean,
Studio he built looking sharp on the scene.
Chris telling stories from the ref’s point of view,
Years on the whistle so you know it’s all true.

Sometimes we stumble with the “alright… well…”
Tryin’ to drop the ums but you know the show’s swell.
Talking coaches all around the state line,
Koetter, Card, Pickar, Wagner — wrestling lifeline.

Bemidji girls coach Bahr brought the energy through,
Then Adam Hagen — yeah we taped that one twice too.
Technical glitches but we powered right through,
That’s podcast wrestling grit — what we do.

Big moment though, history written that night,
Three Staples-Motley girls heading down to state lights.
Girls wrestling rising and we’re learning the game,
Minnesota’s growing — remember the name.

Live from Anchor North, yeah the crowd came to hear,
“Winner winner chicken dinner!” fundraiser cheer.
Cardinal fans backing wrestlers all season long,
That community support keeps the program strong.

Got a superfan listenin’, never missin’ a take,
Willy Tappe tuned in to every move we make.
Even brought a clock so the hosts stay on track,
Still run long sometimes — but we appreciate that.

So thanks for listening all across the state line,
From youth mats to the bright state tournament shine.
Season one done but the story’s not outside—

Stay strong…
…and stay Matside.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

22 minutes on minutes over 2 micro activities on the west of the screen community code. Stay strong. Stay mat side.

SPEAKER_03 1:47

So here we are. Uh one more time. Gonna kind of do a wrap on the first season of the Matt Side Minnesota Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Yeah. That's stuff that worked, some stuff, well, maybe didn't work.

SPEAKER_03 2:04

Yeah. Not so much about wrestling, more about podcasting.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Right. Yeah. Or just even uh, I don't know, it was you you you meet some really neat people and and uh I think if if we wouldn't have wouldn't have done this, we probably wouldn't have met. We probably wouldn't have met.

SPEAKER_03 2:19

Exactly, exactly. And I think, you know, I think I've said it a few times that, you know, being out of it, being in it pretty deep as an official, and really getting to know coaches and fans and table workers and that kind of thing as an official, and then being away from it, um, that's what I missed.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

I didn't I didn't really miss being down getting my butt kicked on a mat. I would I would agree. I would agree. Yeah, that's the part you miss. You miss the uh one, you know, as far as from a coaching standpoint, yeah, the talking with the other coaches in the in the you know, the lunchroom or whatever. Yeah, sweet Olsen and thaw some banger. You know, he's uh you'd have everybody in that place laughing. Yeah. Because he's just a jokester. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 3:09

So that's just that's the stuff. Exactly. And I think, you know, I'm not gonna say we got there this season doing this, but like you said, meeting some, you know, I think uh, you know, you know, having Jamie Ketter on from Holy Born early and and uh take card and and uh Adam up in Oh absolutely Adam and then and then running into him in Walker and having a conversation.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

So actually I walked into Locker and I sat down and I thought to myself, huh, I wonder, wonder where Adam's at. And one of his kids is walking up the him like, hey, where's your coat? And they're like point and he's like three people down from me. And I'm like, oh, okay. So he came over and talked to me for quite a while. And uh yeah, so he would that's a really neat story. Yeah. I hope that he has some success up there.

SPEAKER_04 3:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

So just again, yeah, reconnecting with the wrestling community, I guess. And that's m you know what brought us here and uh why I I I enjoyed it and and uh I'm looking forward to doing it again.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

And then the just the emergence of of girls wrestling and just to be part of that, you know, and especially in the in every community probably has this going on with girls wrestling as a first. It's always gonna be first, but you know, with with us being from Staples Motley, we got to we had to see a lot of firsts this year in girls wrestling. Yeah. Yeah. It was you know, it was really neat to be a part of that. And and uh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:40

Well, you know, and I when you think of podcasting, uh whatever, if you call this whatever we call what we're doing, and you know, there's a podcast for pretty much everything these days. Everybody's doing it, and I've had a couple, you know, it's not that big a deal anymore. But at the same time, I feel like being at that that cusp of the girls wrestling, um, kind of just that that re-emergence and engagement from the uh as a whole in the sport. So it's fun to be here. It's not like we I mean, I don't know. That that it's just it's it's re-energized me, and I think that's it the whole sport, we're kind of in that. So to be here and do that, and yeah, there's two or three, four other ones in the state um that are doing what we're doing, and you know, they do an awesome job, and it's been fun, been fun getting to know those people.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Right, yeah, yeah. Molden Brewer and yeah, he's been uh yeah down at the state tournament. We we run into him. Yeah.

unknown 5:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

And talked we've talked to him over you know, we we never ran into him throughout the year, but I guess it messaged him or whatever. Yeah. Yeah. We had a phone conversation with him once. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, it's fun. It's fun to and it's out. I mean, and I don't know, it just seems like always good people in the sport of wrestling. They're always when you when you run into somebody, they're good people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

So yeah, that's kind of you know, where we uh where we're at and why, or I don't know. You know, I mean, I I think back when you texted me last little over a year ago, and you know, you brought up the idea, you know, I right away I'm like, oh yeah, it's pretty easy. I got some audio equipment stuff. We can I can put together some audio there. Oh no, no, we gotta build a studio and have have it on video. Um so it's been a like if you but it it's been fun, it's been awesome learning. I think um I I would hope if you're listening, you know, I know this isn't uh we probably don't have a ton of listeners out there right now, but um I hope you would agree with us that we feel like over the year went we we we got better, we we've kind of understand maybe what we want to do and should be doing. We changed direction a couple times.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Right. Well, I think you just that's kind of how you gotta do things. Yeah, just figure it out as as you're going.

SPEAKER_03 7:09

I mean, yeah. Um, you know, with that, you know, I guess I would ask, you know, any ideas, thoughts, criticisms. Right. Anything send it, you know. You you know how to find us on Facebook or on the YouTube or just even personally. Yeah, just uh text us, yeah, email, whatever if you want to be personal messages. Yeah, because we I we want to you know, we want to be better. I mean, we want it and we want to deliver content and information and w what you want to hear too, as as an audience. So if if you have suggestions or ideas, uh let us know. I mean, I know um I mean I know we're we we want to do, I think early in the season, been talking with a local physician about doing a weight cutting episode and those things, but um, you know, that's gonna be right right away. But you know, what is it do you want to hear? I know we felt like we shifted from kind of we don't want to read scores.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Right, because you can find them anywhere.

SPEAKER_03 8:16

Yeah. Yeah. And you know, to try to find the stories. And maybe that's the more of the if there's a a fun, unique story out there that we could share. Um Yeah, let us know.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:30

And you know, we're gonna keep I got a list of ideas for next year as far as you know, maybe some ways we can, you know, get the word out a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

One of 'em you know, just an idea right now, but maybe to try to do some like a match of the week where we go visit a a a school in our area and a big rivalry or just uh you know, a match that's that's got a little bit of hype behind it. Yeah, some significance to it, but like you know, I just throw one out this year, like when when Perl and went D UNC. I mean that there was a lot of there was a lot of hype behind that match. That would have been a fun one to go do.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Yeah. So we're kind of doing some research into some tools and better equipment to uh do live. I don't I'm one that I don't really want to just show up with an iPad and do a live event. If we're gonna do it, let's uh let's try to make it trying to sound kind of the same way.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Yeah. So make it a good show so people wanna wanna watch.

SPEAKER_03 9:34

And well, you know, and I as a listener, you're probably gonna laugh at this, but um yeah I know we can't recreate college game day experience. Um but for okay, or the Pat McAfee show. But that's to me what would be fun to be able to say here's a spotlight match of the week, and um we're gonna come to your school and you're the Mat Side Minnesota match of the week. And yeah, promote that um on both the the homeschool and the bidding visiting school, and and uh you and I I think are getting more comfortable not only sitting behind this microphone and this equipment, but working the NSPN um getting more comfortable calling wrestling and then and doing it from that aspect. I feel like there's still a lot to learn there and be better at. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

Trying to educate educate the fans that are watching it, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:31

Yeah. Yeah. So that's a little bit in the works. Um see what we can come up with. But again, um I think we both just want to any thoughts, ideas, comments, just let us know.

SPEAKER_04 10:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:47

The good thing is, is you've chosen to listen to us. Right. Listen, you must you must like us. You're we're not forcing anybody to listen or watch.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

So absolutely. So yeah, so yeah, I think it's I don't know, it's been it's been fun. I've I've enjoyed uh hanging out and talking wrestling all year, and I guess that's kind of why we did this, right? Just to talk about wrestling and and hopefully we get some listeners.

SPEAKER_03 11:18

And it's you know, here's the other thing. I'm just gonna, you know, I basically I think we've known each other all our lives, but I mean it's been kind of fun. I think we've kind of gotten to know each other a little bit better too, you know, and and uh kind of a different, you know, like I said, it's we've just never really well, I mean, hell, I think there's times I feel like I could live in this right.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Me too. Yeah. Yeah, you're a little bit old, a little bit older, but uh yeah, so I mean it's not like we No each other, but we didn't just go to things together, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 11:54

Yeah, maybe talked wrestling here and there over the years, but so you know, that's been fun and and uh again, it's so it's not just you know who we're meeting out in the wrestling world, but yeah, just here. Um so just uh We got to know Willie Tappy a little bit better.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

If we didn't do this, we probably Will Willie wouldn't be listening right now. Yep, yep, and giving us our feedback.

SPEAKER_01 12:19

You know, they've been he's been uh, you know, got us the clock and his lovely wife probably in the in the support.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

So yeah, that's it's been uh again, it's just been fun to right.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

I think even a bunch some bunch of my high school buddies listened to, but I I don't know, some of them didn't wrestle there's swimmers, football players, but well I don't know how much they listen, they say they do.

SPEAKER_03 12:49

Yeah, I know. I I I I keep thinking if I counted all of the people they said they listened, but then I go on the stats and look at the stats. But um, no, it is, and I pre- I think we appreciate you know whoever. And obviously at this point in time, you know, you you if you've been following us and and listening and watching, you realize there has not been a ad break or a commercial break or any sponsors. So if that you know we're not we're not making money, we're not doing this for the money, we're not doing it for that part of it. Um we're doing it because we love the sport of wrestling, and if we can share maybe us personally share some stories or share stories from guests, that's what we're trying to do.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Exactly, that's what we're trying to do.

SPEAKER_03 13:40

But I'm not gonna stop there either, though. I will ask if that's something we we do want to consider to to do some sponsors, and not not again, not necessarily to for us because we realize we're not gonna get rich doing this. But it's like coaching. Yeah. It's a lot like coaching. That's why I was an official. They pay you, but uh they don't pay you much. So yeah, and with that, you know, if we can get I I think our goal would be if we could get some sponsors, would be more to just cover some of the expenses of the equipment.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

Like if we're gonna do some matches of the week and stuff like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

The the subscriptions, you know, um bringing this, you know, the I'm looking at the platform here right now on the computer, um, you know, that's a monthly subscription. There's some of that just to kind of help with that. That's that's all. I mean, so we're not so if you're if if you know, as a listener and you're interested, you know, I'm not gonna say it's X amount of dollars or how, you know, we're we're open to that. And um some thoughts and ideas on how we can, you know, get a handful of sponsors to help us out.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

So I mean don't like not want to go beg, but it it would uh you know to help us with some of the equipment. We don't need to be like the Papin IFO. No. So Yeah. I don't know. All right. Well you said you said we shouldn't do this in fifteen minutes, and I said, I don't think it's I think it's gonna take us one and fifteen minutes, but we're probably at about fifteen minutes.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Yeah, I got about yep, you're right. So but yeah, and uh I just again just to uh just a thank you. I mean I can't.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Right, yeah, from what you said at the beginning with the with the pillager team and that all that exciting it around that program and right down to the to the it just said turn and beat in your yeah. I guess that was on the Cardinal edition, but but it was here.

SPEAKER_03 15:40

So yeah, thank you to the listeners, thank you to the guests for taking time to come on for some of those, especially those early ones. Right. We're still trying to figure out the technology and you know, Adam for actually doing it twice, Gage and Kobe for doing it twice. Um Adam's a big listener too, but I know he said he doesn't he doesn't miss too many. So yeah, I mean and I don't know, do you have was there a one that stood out, uh one of your uh favorite minds?

SPEAKER_01 16:10

I did enjoy talking to Adam. Yeah, I did too. Yeah, we've talked about this many times. And I told him that while here too. I said that it's probably one of our more favorite ones because just because of his story and where he's at. And yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 16:26

But you know, I look at yeah, it's hard because they're all they're all fun stories and all but all were awesome guests, you know, and and uh but I also I I think maybe one of my favorite memories w of this season will be kind of that first night when we had in-house, we had the pillager guys here, yeah, and talking about that story. Um I think there was just the anticipation from them for their start of their season, our anticipation for the start of this.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

Um Right. And what what a what a great coaching staff they have over there and just it's just full of energy and and I think the yeah, the kids are just just and it's only gonna get better over that. Oh yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

Yep, I think they're gonna build something.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

Right. I know me and me and Mark, we had Mark Anderson on the show here too, and we were talking about that. And he said, Well probably won't I mean obviously Staples Miley's at high right now, and Pillager is a pretty new rivalry. And he said it'll be it'll be fun to see at what point a pillager can be competitive with Staples Miley. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:43

But it I think just said the simple fact that they I think it's amazing that they every duel they wrestled they did it with thirteen kids. Right.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Uh and that's I mean they're you know a pretty good size school. Yeah. So they will they will do well.

SPEAKER_03 18:00

All right. Well, um even though it's it's for the most part, it's uh I'm gonna say for for the most part a rap and the end of our season. Just stay tuned. Um I might have a special guest on in a couple weeks as uh um the NCAA tournament. So I might do a little bit of a uh college edition just to uh Yeah, you'll have to bring it special guests for Dynamog. Yeah. Derek is we we we'll get him there at some point. It's a different you know, watching watching college wrestling. Uh yesterday I watched well over the weekend I watched the Big Tens.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

I them there's I mean it's it's uh the difference I think, you know, the quality of the wrestling obviously is just it's unbelievable what you're watching with some of these guys do. But the the excitement level, it's just there's that there's there's just those different levels between the high school and the college. That's probably the biggest thing. But it's uh I enjoy watching it and I follow it pretty closely. So yeah. So what watch for that. There might be another college recap coming out.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

All right. And if you want to start your calendar, we're probably roughly 260 days until our next episode.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Yeah, yeah. So we will be back. I think we I guess we never went, yes, we're doing this. I think we've we've made the I don't know why we wouldn't. Yeah, I that's where I don't know what would Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

So thank you, everyone. Yes, thanks, Mike.