HL and wrestling

A friend of mine is a wrestling coach of youngsters and he talked me into bringing HL to practices. So we did. I expected a get together with a bunch of little kids having fun, with some moves taught and maybe a little free wrestling mixed in for good measure. What I got was an hour of sheer Mommy panic. Now, don't get me wrong, the coaches all acted very respectful and did nothing that I did not approve of, but the atmosphere was rather strict and very serious; completely different than anything HL has ever dealt with. I think it was more my empathy for my poor son who was thrown into a wrestling group with no preparation from his parents (since we, also, were not prepared). The boys were to stand still along the wall and watch the new moves for, oh, 10 minutes or so and then they were paired up with one other kid and practiced the move with a coach. HL was clueless, we had not even told him the object of wrestling or what to expect or anything. I was panicking because I felt so bad for him. I was feeling guilty for not preparing him. I was also projecting my own feelings onto him and assuming that he was embarrassed. But, at that point, he was just having fun... By the end of the hour, however, HL was done*. He came to us, shaking his head, holding back tears- and with a loose tooth. The newness and excitement had worn off long before- he had been bested by the other boy. He was humbled and broken-hearted. Here is a boy that has grown up sheltered- so far, he does only that at which he excels. Which leaves me in a quandary- my heart says "don't make him go back, it's not a good fit", while my analytical brain is sending the message that this is an opportunity to teach versatility and determination. And maybe the fact that he was so crushed is meant to show me that this is exactly what he needs to become a well-rounded person. But, did it have to be so drastic? I allowed myself to talk myself into letting him pass on wrestling this year. My excuse was that it wasn't fair to throw him in in the middle of the year. In other words, I was taking the easy way out. Then today I talked to my buddy the coach who explained that the practice we happened to attend was not the usual setup. Apparently, the usual lead coach was not able to come that night and the replacement coach was a high school coach- not accustomed to training younger kids. He told me that by the end of that evening, he had figured out HL's perfect partner- another very cautious little boy who often ends up crying from frustration. This was a relief to me, as that is likely how HL will be, too. Then he went on to tell me how crushed that little boy was that his new partner didn't show for practice last night. Alright. I get the message. HL and I will be there for practice tomorrow night... And yes, HL agreed to give it another try, too. *Hubby and I were very proud of HL for persevering through the entire hour even though he was hating it at the end. A real feat for our cautious little boy!*