Wrestle Dad

Synopsis

They call him "Notebook Jimmy," or "Jimmy With the Notebook," on account of the fact that he carries the green spiral wherever he goes: dual meets, summer tournaments, club practices. For years, Jimmy has been one of the fanatics. He is a wrestle dad—measuring life in long car rides, crowded gyms, and weekends that start before sunrise and end long after the final whistle. And he loves every moment of it.

As Jimmy and his son Brady, a high school senior, take their final road trip to compete in the New Jersey State Wrestling Championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, everything feels different. Every match carries the weight of something bigger. Not just wins and losses—but endings. While Brady wrestles his way through his bracket, Jimmy wrestles with the idea that win or lose, after this weekend it is all over.

Wrestle Dad is a story about obsession, identity, and the quiet heartbreak of loving something you can’t hold onto forever. It is a love letter to the New Jersey wrestling community, a portrait of the beauty, the sacrifice, and the bond between father and son that exists far beyond the mat.

About the Author

Scott Laterra is a writer, attorney, and wrestle dad from Northern New Jersey. He grew up in a wrestling family, and returned to his roots when he became a wrestle dad to two wrestlers. Drawing from years spent inside the culture of high school wrestling as a participant, a fan and then as a father, his writing captures the highs and lows of competition, and the parent-child bond that forms through a shared love for the greatest sport in the world.