ALCStudies Journal

The 20-something guy who runs the coffee shop I go to is headed for Canada for training to become a professional wrestler. I’ll call him Lance. Lance flies out of Pittsburgh next week to spend three months in Calgary, the Wild West of the Great White North. Lance will work with a mentor who does this sort of thing (kind of a Yoda of the mat); joining other hopefuls to hone his skills as a grappler. Then he’ll return to the ‘burgh and try to make a go of it. Speaking of the faces we show in the workplace! I wonder who he’ll wrestle as:  Juan Valdez? The Steel King? The Three Rivers Kid? If you’ve seen Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, you know the profession can be pretty gritty. When I pointed out it’s popular in Japan and South America, Lance replied, “Oh, it’s huge world-wide.” I wish him luck. We all have our dreams.