title: Wrestling with Life: Stories of My Life Immersed in the Sport of Wrestling
author: Phil Nowick
description: Phil grew-up with his identical twin brother, Dave, loving wrestling. He excelled in wrestling from his early school years, through high school, and in to college at Stanford University. While working as an investment banker on Wall Street and in Denver, Colorado, he found that he used many of the same skills and life lessons in his career that had helped him win at wrestling. Phil shares some of his observations of life in the insightful accounts of his humorous and amazing adventures while growing up and then later in his life while escaping from the devastation of 9-11 at Ground Zero.
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  The gymnasium was crowded with people that day and I had been lucky to get a
  seat on the front row only 10 feet from the sweaty athletes rolling about on
  the wrestling mat. The competition would decide who of the young freestyle
  wrestlers could participate in the Olympic Games. As long as I could remember
  I had found wrestling most stimulating and exciting and had tried to attend
  all the matches I could, and now, in my 19th year the action thrilled me more
  than ever. I watched fascinated and aroused as the last match reached the
  final stage. My favourite wrestler was about to lose as his opponent had him
  in a tight headlock and worked to press down his lithe bridge. I trembled and
  cheered the groaning youth, but gradually his body lowered until his shoulders
  were only an inch above the matting. I was beside myself and yelled in
  despair. Then he exploded, thrust up his hips, and overturned his opponent to
  pin him before he could bridge up. Did I shout with joy! I