Matt Cross - The First Chapters of my Autobiography - Family and Wrestling
My father Tom Cross was a UFC Fighter. He was in the middleweight class and held the title from 1989-1991. Watching him fight as a kid was incredible. I remember going to a few of his fights when I was younger. It was absolutely astonishing watching him enter the ring and dish out massive damage to his opponents. He was such a strong fighter, standing upright exchanging blows, dodging hits and punishing opponents with his signature move, a powerful uppercut. I remember when I was 8 years old watching him live in Las Vegas, in a tough match against a huge rival of his at the time, my dad was getting beat bad and it was in the final round of the match. Suddenly, like a resurging fire, my dad had a burst of energy. Practically flying at his rival, he landed punch after punch. One to the stomach, one to the cheek, one to the ribs, and finally, the fateful blow. BAM! An uppercut strong enough to lift his rival off the ground and out of his shoes. It was a shocking finish, but the crowd erupted and my dad won by knockout.
My dad propelled me at a young age to try sports. I didn’t need much encouragement though, constantly watching him fight, train, and practice, I knew I wanted to grow up and be like my dad. He put unparalleled effort into fighting and it inspired me to be just as great one day. I started wrestling in middle school but had barely above average talent at that time. It was the summer before freshman year of highschool where I really made big strides. My dad put me into a special training program over the summer and this is when I really started to improve my form and get stronger. In my freshman year of highschool I went undefeated on the season because of the advanced training that I had access to and the extra time I spent training. I continued my extra practices with my dad which were always a lot of fun and helped me improve immensely. In my sophomore year of high school, I went 11-1 on the season, but something felt off. I felt like I didn’t feel like I earned my victories, but that they were given to me. I went 19-1 in those two years, but didn’t feel satisfied or excited about wrestling anymore. I guess I was just fatigued at that point, I don’t really know any other way to describe it. I know how pretentious or stupid or arrogant that might sound since I had such an incredible record and was so lucky to have the trainers supporting me that I did, but it’s the truth. I didn’t feel satisfied with wrestling and after a very long time thinking on the issue, and a very long talk with my father, I decided to stop wrestling and pursue a different sport, football. I wanted to make my own story. To overcome obstacles and earn my victories on my own. No special advantages, just my own efforts. My father was entirely supportive of my decision. Of course he had hoped I would go on to win my own belt in the future, but he wanted me to do what would make me happiest more than that. I am beyond thankful for my dad for being the best father I could ask for and for teaching me so much. I’m taking my experience with me into the world of football, and I want to make my dad proud and ensure him that this was the right choice by becoming a top player in the league.
624 words
My father Tom Cross was a UFC Fighter. He was in the middleweight class and held the title from 1989-1991. Watching him fight as a kid was incredible. I remember going to a few of his fights when I was younger. It was absolutely astonishing watching him enter the ring and dish out massive damage to his opponents. He was such a strong fighter, standing upright exchanging blows, dodging hits and punishing opponents with his signature move, a powerful uppercut. I remember when I was 8 years old watching him live in Las Vegas, in a tough match against a huge rival of his at the time, my dad was getting beat bad and it was in the final round of the match. Suddenly, like a resurging fire, my dad had a burst of energy. Practically flying at his rival, he landed punch after punch. One to the stomach, one to the cheek, one to the ribs, and finally, the fateful blow. BAM! An uppercut strong enough to lift his rival off the ground and out of his shoes. It was a shocking finish, but the crowd erupted and my dad won by knockout.
My dad propelled me at a young age to try sports. I didn’t need much encouragement though, constantly watching him fight, train, and practice, I knew I wanted to grow up and be like my dad. He put unparalleled effort into fighting and it inspired me to be just as great one day. I started wrestling in middle school but had barely above average talent at that time. It was the summer before freshman year of highschool where I really made big strides. My dad put me into a special training program over the summer and this is when I really started to improve my form and get stronger. In my freshman year of highschool I went undefeated on the season because of the advanced training that I had access to and the extra time I spent training. I continued my extra practices with my dad which were always a lot of fun and helped me improve immensely. In my sophomore year of high school, I went 11-1 on the season, but something felt off. I felt like I didn’t feel like I earned my victories, but that they were given to me. I went 19-1 in those two years, but didn’t feel satisfied or excited about wrestling anymore. I guess I was just fatigued at that point, I don’t really know any other way to describe it. I know how pretentious or stupid or arrogant that might sound since I had such an incredible record and was so lucky to have the trainers supporting me that I did, but it’s the truth. I didn’t feel satisfied with wrestling and after a very long time thinking on the issue, and a very long talk with my father, I decided to stop wrestling and pursue a different sport, football. I wanted to make my own story. To overcome obstacles and earn my victories on my own. No special advantages, just my own efforts. My father was entirely supportive of my decision. Of course he had hoped I would go on to win my own belt in the future, but he wanted me to do what would make me happiest more than that. I am beyond thankful for my dad for being the best father I could ask for and for teaching me so much. I’m taking my experience with me into the world of football, and I want to make my dad proud and ensure him that this was the right choice by becoming a top player in the league.
624 words
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