The Day Ethan Flipped the Giant

By the time Ethan was in second grade, he had a whole year of wrestling under his belt. He was still one of the smallest kids on the team, but he didn’t care. Wrestling had become his favorite thing to do. He loved the way the mat felt, the way Coach Johnson cheered for everyone, and even the smell of his sweaty headgear. But his favorite story from second grade wrestling was the day he flipped "The Giant."

“The Giant” was actually a kid named Lucas, who was in third grade. Lucas was huge—almost a whole head taller than Ethan, with legs that seemed like they went on forever. Everyone said Lucas was unstoppable. He’d won every match in practice and had even gotten a medal at a tournament. To Ethan, Lucas might as well have been a superhero—or maybe a supervillain.

One day, Coach Johnson announced it was time for practice matches. Ethan’s stomach did a little flip when he heard Coach call his name to wrestle Lucas. Ethan felt his palms get sweaty as he walked to the center of the mat. Lucas smiled down at him. “Don’t worry, little guy,” Lucas said. “I’ll go easy on you.”

Ethan’s cheeks burned. He didn’t want Lucas to go easy on him. He wanted to prove he could hold his own, even against someone bigger.

Coach blew the whistle, and the match began. Lucas lunged forward, his long arms reaching for Ethan’s legs. Ethan dodged, darting to the side like a cat. Lucas was quick, though, and soon had Ethan in a tight grip. Ethan felt the weight of Lucas’s arms pulling him down.

“Think, Ethan, think,” he muttered to himself. He remembered Coach’s advice: Stay low, move fast, and use their size against them.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Ethan’s head. Lucas was strong, but he was also tall and off-balance. If Ethan could move fast enough, maybe—just maybe—he could pull off a hip toss. It was a move Ethan had practiced a hundred times, but never on someone so big.

Ethan planted his feet, twisted his hips, and threw all his weight into the move. For a second, nothing happened. Then, to Ethan’s surprise, Lucas’s feet lifted off the mat. With a loud thud, Lucas landed flat on his back.

The entire gym went silent for a moment. Then, Coach Johnson let out a huge laugh and clapped his hands. “Ethan! That was incredible!”

Lucas sat up, looking more surprised than hurt. He stared at Ethan, then started laughing. “That was awesome, dude!” he said, giving Ethan a high five.

Ethan couldn’t stop grinning. He’d done it—he’d flipped “The Giant.” For the rest of practice, the other kids kept asking him how he’d done it. Even the older kids gave him nods of approval.

That night, Ethan told his mom and dad the whole story at dinner, acting out every move with dramatic flair. “And then—BOOM! He went down like a tree!” Ethan said, slamming his hand on the table for effect.

His dad laughed. “Sounds like you’re not so little anymore, champ.”

Ethan went to bed that night feeling like he was on top of the world. Wrestling had taught him something important: it didn’t matter how big or small you were—what mattered was heart, practice, and never giving up. And that was a lesson he’d carry with him, no matter who he faced next.