This story wasn't supposed to be told. The whole concept behind the trip to Blair was about THE DUAL. We wanted to see what it would be like spending a week in Blair Academy's wrestling room as they prepare for the showdown. As everyone knows, Blair was humiliated last season at St. Paris Graham. This was supposed to be about how this Blair team was going to take revenge and reverse that sour taste these current athletes had to endure. That story is not being told here. Something else happened on the way to that dual. Jeff Buxton happened.
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This is his week. Oh, he won't tell you that. He will say, "This isn't about me, it's about the kids." I wonder how much of that he believes. Getting him to admit he is special here is about as common as a shutout loss. It's not happening. It has to be the greatest moment of his career. This is the week they name the room after him. Who gets that when they are still in their prime? This is the week they officially recognize the man after 29 years. Every kid and staff on campus knows this is his week. Alumni are coming from around the country. Many can't because they are wrestling or coaching at colleges around the country. But, plenty will be there and this is the time when Blair Academy officially knights the King of High School Wrestling. Oh, there's something else happening. They have to pound revenge come Saturday. But there is no way those words are spoken. Everyone knows it.
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He has plenty of other special moments. He has another guy he calls his Russian son. His name is Marat Tomaev. Buxton lights up telling the story of how this kid arrives at Blair unable to speak English and how he made it his mission to watch over this kid. Marat has been spending holidays at the Buxton home ever since. He's his son. There's more. There's Ray Mendoza. If you go to the Ironman, you know the name. It's the most prestigious award given that weekend. Most passionate wrestling fans know about Ray losing his life in Iraq on his third tour of duty. But hardly any know the deal Jeff made with Ray before he left. His kids were students and Jeff said he would take care of them if anything happened to Ray. And he has. Those are the stories he's embarrassed telling, but someone needs to know. I'm humbled he trusted us with it.
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So what else? What else is there about the man? What are the secrets that produced so many NCAA All-Americans? What is it about him that churns out NCAA champs like Steve Mocco, Mark Perry, Zack Esposito and so many others? I wanted to know what is happening on this campus that makes parents gladly part with $45,700 so they can live this special life. After a two- hour interview he asked if he could show us around the campus. We agreed and he proudly brought us to the library and to the admissions building. He brought us into the cafeteria and told us how the male students wear ties to dinner twice a week and rotate tables every three weeks so they know every student and staff. Jeff is in his glory. He is a man in love with Blair Academy. We run into a family of three from China who seem lost. Buxton starts guiding them around and has completely forgotten about us two story tellers. He's asking the prospective student where he wants to go to college. In broken English he answers, "Stanford." He responds with "good choice." I find it peculiar the first encounter is about which college he will attend, not about Blair. But, nothing's really normal with this guy.
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If you ever wrestled in high school, you know how brutal this can be. I hated just knowing it was coming. After what seemed like an insanely long first period, I timed the second. It was four minutes. The third period brought the live wrestling to 12 minutes and that was followed by a one minute overtime period. The kids were whipped and sweat was dripping off each kid's face. He then had them go three more 45-second periods. I wanted him to stop.
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Saturday was a lot like a wedding. It went by like a blur. Everyone wanted a few minutes, a hand shake and an occasional hug. This was obviously an uncomfortable day for him. The wrestling match against St. Paris Graham can't get here fast enough. After plenty of tributes, it's finally time to wrestle. The entire 425-student assembly is here. The entire Blair staff is here. All the alumni are here. It's time to get it on. Jeff takes his seat and puts a stick of gum in his mouth. He doesn't talk. He's watching something completely different than we are. The man is in the moment. The man is in love.
Steve Elwood can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com. Chris Danyo can be reached at cd1421@gmail.com.
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