Dear Parents,
Thank you for signing your son up for wrestling! For those of you who are returning, you will find things very similar to last season. This letter is geared to the majority of parents who are new to wrestling.
Wrestling is a very unique sport and it compares to nothing else. No other sport pits opponents against each other in a test of strength, conditioning, will and technique. Our objective as coaches is to help your son develop in all of those areas.
Our approach:
As coaches, we are trying to develop athletes and an interest in the sport. Our goal is to give the boys the tools they need to succeed and continue on to the varsity level. We do not have tryouts nor will we cut any one from the team as wrestling tends to be a “self-cutting” sport. As long as he is trying and wanting to improve we will work with him. Having said that, if we have a situation where he is being disruptive, disrespectful or creating a negative situation he will be asked to leave.
What we will ask of your son:
Practice starts at 6:00 pm. We want them to be ready to start at 6 pm, not be walking in the door, or putting on their shoes.
School work comes first. The wrestling team has a higher academic standard than the booster club. The booster club requires an overall average of 77. In addition, our standard is no F’s, regardless of average. If your son gets an F on his report card, he will not be able to participate until progress reports come out. If he improves the grade, he will be permitted to come back.
Homework should be done before practice. It will be too late and he will be too tired to do it after practice. This may require your son to do homework during commons time or other times where he does not ordinarily think to do homework.
He must take a shower as soon as he gets home. There are several different skin infections that we have been able to avoid so far. We take steps to disinfect the mats, but it still happens.
Wrestling shoes are only to be worn on the mat. Wearing them outside is an invitation to bacteria and viruses, and we will not permit it.
During practices, we will ask that he try his best at all times. We will ask him to give us his best effort during conditioning. Our practices will be the most physically demanding activity he has ever done! We ask for his full effort at all time. In the beginning he WILL have trouble keeping up. We want to see the effort.
We ask that they not be disruptive by fooling around or talking excessively. Injuries happen most often when kids are fooling around. We will discipline them with physical work, if it continues, he may be asked to leave.
Equipment:
The good thing about wrestling is that there is very little equipment you will need to buy! We will provide a singlet for the dual meets and tournaments, and head gear.
You will need to buy him wrestling shoes. You can buy them on line or at Dick’s. I will have coupons for Dick’s at the first practice. I would recommend the cheapest shoe they have. It is about $45, and it offers just about everything our boys need as the most expensive shoes they have. We have a box of shoes that several boys have grown out of. They are offered on a first-come-first-served basis. We just ask that you return them if you borrow them. We also ask that if your son grows out of his shoes during the year, that you donate them to the program.
We will practice in shorts and tee shirts. Something similar to the gym uniform is appropriate. Coming to and from practice, they need to have at least a sweatshirt and hat on. They will be tired, sweaty and run down after practice. That is a perfect invitation for a cold, so please make sure they have the appropriate clothing.
Weight loss:
There will be none beyond what the boys will naturally loose due to the hard work. I would highly recommend they eliminate junk food (candy, soda, chips, etc) from their diets and replace it with fruit. I do not believe in losing weight for wrestling at this age.
Schedule:
Practice will start Tuesday November 3 and be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6-8pm. We may schedule a few additional practices particularly early in the season. All practices are mandatory, but I realize that things come up and you may just have a life outside of wrestling! Please let me know in advance if you have to miss a practice.
Dual matches are mandatory and are listed under the Schedule tab. We will try to match up all of the boys with an opponent at the dual meets. Depending on the other team’s roster, some boys may get several matches and some may not get any, but we do our best to get them all at least one. We do not have strict weight classes for dual meets. The coaches will pair the boys according weight and experience.
Home dual meets will start at 6pm. Away duals will vary with the school.
We have two mandatory Saturday tournaments. One is the Anson County Dual meet tournament on December 5 and the other is the State tournament which has not been set yet. Last year it was at the end of February in Cabarus County. The state tournament marks the official end of the season.
Throughout the season we will be attending Saturday AAU tournaments. Participation is optional, but highly recommended. If you son wants to improve, he will need to attend as many of these as possible. The schedule has not been posted yet.
Parent Involvement:
We will have occasions throughout the year where we need volunteers. Additionally, we are looking for a dad or two that can help us coach. Please let me (or the team moms) know if you are able to help.
Injuries:
They happen and your son may get injured this season. If that happens, I will be in contact with you regarding his return to the team. We are fortunate to have a dad who is an orthopedic surgeon. He is at most matches and practices and is very willing to look at our kids.
If he is injured during a match, please allow me and/or the training staff to assess it. If you are needed, I will signal you to come onto the mat. We can be penalized for parents on the mat or bench area.
Sprit Wear:
No parent’s letter would be complete with a mention of Spirit Wear! Suzanne Killman will be taking orders and is usually at our first few practices. The boys will get a t-shirt. I would encourage them to order the green hooded sweat shirt and green sweat pants. They have all sorts of other items for sale!
In conclusion:
I am very accessible. Please feel free to ask me anything. Wrestling is new to most of you, so I expect questions to come up.
Thank you.
Dan Hartman
WMS Wrestling Coach
704-904-3851
