The season-long journey of two New Jersey high school wrestlers on a collision course with destiny is well documented in Pinned, written by Alfred C. Martino (Harcourt, 2005). Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane come from two very different backgrounds, but struggle with many of the same issues: the daily grind of the wrestling season, making weight, family problems, and the abstract concept of love.

Korske, from fictitious Lennings Township, battles the demons of his mother's death while trying to break away from Smalltown, New Jersey. He dreams of wrestling for a Division I college powerhouse, and knows that a state title is his only chance. Fast-paced nightly runs and rage-filled encounters with his coach provide insight into the magnitude of Ivan's intensity. His softer side is revealed when his feelings for Shelley, a lifelong friend, grow stronger.

Zane, from Millburn Township, struggles to stay focused on wrestling as his family and social life crumble in front of him. The sour taste of defeat are enough to convince him to reprioritize his life and more clearly focus on what remains of his high school wrestling career. This focus allows Bobby to maximize his potential as a talented wrestler and mature as a young adult. On the mat, Bobby's dedication enables him to ride a red-hot winning streak into the state tournament while taking on the role of Cinderella.

The two wrestlers meet in the highly climactic 129-pound New Jersey State Championship final.

Martino does a wonderful job of intermeshing the trials and tribulations of high school wrestling while allowing the reader to immerse in the characters. The accuracy with which Martino describes the pains of cutting weight suggest that he wrote the story while sitting on a stationary bike covered from head to toe in a plastic suit. Just as the precision of weight cutting lends credibility to the story, the omission of move-by-move wrestling action allows the reader the imaginative freedom to create the perfect match.

A connection is made between the reader and the main characters, if only for the short period of time needed to read the book. As a reader, this story brought to the surface many memories that defined a special period in my life in which wrestling alone mattered. Imagining Bobby sitting in a closet with blankets wrapped around him immediately triggered memories of sleepless nights trying to make 103 pounds as a high school freshman. On one particular night, I was able to trick my body into falling asleep, while my psyche mocked me in my dreams with an overflowing bucket of water.

The events surrounding Ivan's tumultuous relationship with his coach rekindled controversial episodes involving the administration at my high school. Perhaps Martino would be interested in buying the story rights of a particular southwestern Minneapolis suburb that endured a myriad of better than fiction story lines, including:

• An unsuccessful coupe to overthrow the coaching staff.
• The falling-out of two friends after a season long competition for a spot in the varsity line-up.
• A team picture scandal involving guns, knives, and baseball bats (cc: David Chase, creator of HBO's The Sopranos)

The approach used by Martino to create an aura of invisibility around Ivan Korske struck fear into my heart (and pain into my neck) as I revisited nightmares involving an old nemesis. His identity will remain safe, except to mention that he was roughly the size of Mike Zadick (present day) wrestling at 103 pounds. To this day, I have never felt more outclassed in a match: after toying with me for nearly a minute, this beast sucked the life-breath out of me with a tight-waist and turned me (heels over head) onto my back with a half-nelson. The academic world is still working through the physical laws of nature that were broken during the execution of that single move.

This intriguing tale meshes the lives of two young men struggling to reach their goals, and provides the reader with an eye-opening matside view along the way. Most importantly, Pinned brings to life the memories and emotions of anyone who has had the courage to be a successful wrestler.

Copyright: RevWrestling, 2005