Grandmother inspires them
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
A reminder right knee pad.
A phrase that has been a motto for Poe, a wrestler at Harmony High School, all season long. Joseph Lyttle, a wrestler from Boone High School, has the same slogan.
The two half brothers have #AbuelaStrong written on their equipment. It symbolizes the fight their grandmother, Gladys Lyttle, affectionately known as abuela — grandma in Spanish — is currently undergoing.
Gladys has been dealing with a debilitating infection that has spread through her organs.
When Poe and Lyttle head to the mat for the FHSAA wrestling state championships beginning on Friday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, #AbuelaStrong will be on display on their wrestling shoes with a fabric marker and fabric paint.
Lyttle, a senior and the older brother, enters the state tournament with a 34-7 record in the 106-pound division after spending a majority of the season competing at 113 pounds. Poe, a sophomore, enters the tournament with a 40-3 record in the 113-pound weight class.
Poe and Lyttle wanted to honor their grandmother, whose health has declined after developing an infection. Her fight has served as an inspiration for the duo.
“[Doctors] still don’t know what happened, but it basically tore up her whole body, and we’re now kind of seeing it’s probably not going to get better,” said Clint Lyttle, the father of the two boys. “But we’re still not giving up, and they’re fighting for her and they are wrestling for her.” is written on Aiden
Poe’s time before I go out to my match, I always touch my knee pad and look up to the lord. That’s kind of been my routine.”
Joseph was on board immediately. He wrote #AbuelaStrong on his headgear.
The wrestlers decided to add the message to their shoes during the state tournament.
“It was kind of like we both knew we wanted to do it because, ‘Why not? We already got it on our knee pad, our headgear,’” Joseph said. “It was like we both knew we were going to do it. Like we had to do it.”
It’s one of many things shared by wrestlers who live in different homes and go to different schools.
“They train together night and day,” Clint said. “They’re best friends.”
The two listen to the song “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. The song reminds them of how their grandmother is a strong, faithful Christian woman. Poe listens to it after a hard practice or in the morning. Joseph listens to it during his free time or whenever he’s thinking about her.
The tears flowed from Clint when his sons told him about #AbuelaStrong. They told him every wrestling match was going to be dedicated to their grandmother.
“It broke my heart,” he said. … “It’s so nice to see that they love like that. That my mom has passed that on from us to them. It’s about family. Family first. They put God, family and then wrestling. It’s nice to see.”
The relationship between Poe and his brother mirrors what their grandmother taught them.
They have a desire to help each another, which has shown up twice on the wrestling mat this year.
During a tournament in Lake Mary, the two met in the finals of the 113-pound division. The previous year, the two wrestled and ended up hurting each other in a bout that Poe won.
At Lake Mary, the two came up with a skit where Poe “Jedi mind tricked” Lyttle, who fell over and Poe did a WWE style fake pin on him for the win. The two met again in the finals of the Flagler Rotary Tournament and Poe forfeited the win to his brother.
The connection with each other is tight and their grandma is the source of their inspiration. She’s person they think about before each match.
“She means a lot to me. I look up to her,” Joseph said. “She shows me a lot. Shows me not to give up. It’s been tough for her, and that’s why I always look up to her.”
Said Poe: “She’s the strongest person in our family, hardest fighter. If she can get fight through things like that, I know I can get through any adversity.”
Winning a state championship with #AbuelaStrong on their shoes would be the pinnacle of their season. They are just trying to make her proud.
And their will surely be asking for the videos of them no matter the result.
“Joseph and Aiden are examples of her. It’s crazy,” Clint said. “And when they are with her, you can just see it. There’s a bigger meaning to all of this, and we just don’t know, but we can kind of see it come together. It’s kind of cool.”