Guidroz duo honored for service
By Kevin Foote; 11 p.m. CST January 28, 2014
When Jean-Louis Guidroz decided to go out for wrestling after football season ended during his freshman year at Comeaux High way back in 1994, those involved in the sport had no way of knowing how significant of a decision that was.
“I remember him coming home after football season saying that he needed money for some wrestling shoes,” his mother remembered.
Prior to that request, mom had no idea Jean-Louis was even considering wrestling.
No one had any notion how that early spark would affect the lives of his parents for decades to come.
Like most high school athletes, Jean-Louis participated in three high school sports and then mostly left the campus for college and to begin his life as an adult.
His parents – Byron and Elaine – though fell in love with the sport and haven’t left it since. Since the days they were still high school parents, if there was a high school wrestling tournament being held in the Lafayette, Lake Charles or even the Baton Rouge area, there was a pretty good chance Byron and Elaine Guidroz are there unselfishly doing whatever it takes to make the tournament a success.
Because of their unyielding dedication to the sport, the dynamic Guidroz duo is this year’s honoree of the Ken Cole Distinguished Service Award to be presented as part of this weekend’s 38th Annual Ken Cole Wrestling Invitational at Comeaux High.
“When I found out about it, I told them that I wasn’t ready to retire yet,” Elaine Guidroz said.
Neither is anyone else.
“I wish we could keep them around high school wrestling for 100 or more years,” Northside wrestling coach John Simmons laughed.
“When they quit, I may quit too,” Comeaux coach Keith Bergeron said.
Indeed, the influence these two Guidroz do-gooders have had on high school wrestling tournaments in these parts is already legendary.
It began that first very year that Jean-Louis was on the Spartans’ team in 1994 serving in the Ken Cole hospitality room. By 1996, Elaine had convinced tournament officials that running the event from the computer room was the way to go, and no one has looked back since. Some were initially hesitant, but coach Stephen Lotief gave her that first try at the regional tournament to rave reviews.
Once other coaches saw what these two could do to make a tournament run smoother, the news quickly spread ... and so did the requests.
For example, they personally helped to organize nine tournaments this season, ranging from Sulphur to Moss Bluff to Rayne to several in Lafayette to Baton Rouge to Gonzalez. She even offers her technical advice to tournaments over the phone if she’s running a different event elsewhere.
“I just have always liked things to be well-organized and run as well as they can be,” Elaine Guidroz said. “Jean-Louis played football and also ran track, but we just stuck with wrestling.”
First, it suited Elaine’s technical skills and also was in Byron’s personality wheel house as well. After retiring as a Comeaux High social studies teacher, he’s had more time to devote to his wrestling hobby. While his wife is normally confined to the computer room during a tournament inputting results and spitting out updated brackets, Byron is meeting people from around the state while taking care of everything from the mats to the clocks to janitorial needs. “He’s the set-up guy and the PR guy,” said Elaine, who retired after primarily working at the University Medical Center in her career. “He interacts with people and makes them feel comfortable. He’s also the fix-it guy.”
Always thinking of ways to prevent trouble at tournaments, Elaine got a mobile hot spot for Christmas this past December as an insurance policy.
“We tell the coaches that anything they need, we will furnish,” Byron said. “Just tell us what you want.”
What has amazed Byron over the years is the togetherness that wrestling promotes from school to school, despite the intense competition on the mat.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “You can call a coach from anywhere around the state and they’re ready to help you. Wrestling is different than most of the other sports in that way. It’s a wrestling community all around the state. It’s more a social event for everyone.”
The beauty of wrestling for Team Guidroz is just that – it’s hours of time they can spend together laboring to make the lives better for the coaches, athletes and parents of a sport they yearn to promote ... and just love every minute of it.
“The only thing they really ask of you is to coach,” said Simmons, who has worked for years with the Guidroz couple in his All-Acadiana Metro Tournament. “It’s amazing what they do. It’s almost like they’re an extra coach. They can be at a tournament for 10 to 12 hours one day and then they’re there the next day, fixing whatever problems arise, never grouchy, always there to help in whatever way you need. “They’re just a joy to be around. They treat everybody with respect. And no matter how much they do, they never act like anybody owes them anything. They’re truly a blessing.”
Bergeron said he can’t even imagine how many headaches they’ve saved him during his years of running the Ken Cole Tournament at Comeaux High.
“They really are part of our wrestling family,” Bergeron said. “I guess you could call them the Grandma and Grandpa of wrestling in our area. Really, I don’t know what we’d do without them.”