Espo

[chasepollard]

I had the fortune of going to a Camp that Espo put on for youth Wrestling. It was held in Duncan and featured the counselors; Day 1 - Espo, Weigel, Boyd and Moran.
Day 2 - Caldwell, Weigel, Boyd and Moran.
Day 3 - Tourney by weight.

As a young Wrestler, I attended the Spates Oklahoma Gold Camp a few times and another camp that escapes me. Not that these were bad camps, as anytime a kid gets to Wrestle he benefits, especially with an NCAA Wrestler helping them. But, I feel that this last camp was great. Spent a ton of time working on position to get a TDs. Simple, effective, quick tricks that a young man can do that will make him successful scoring points on their feet. I really enjoyed the

I just wanted to point out that I am thankful for the state Programs for helping out the young guys...I call it farming and I hope it grows better Wrestlers like Fix, Gfeller, etc.

A question that I got from it is how I (myself) can help grow Wrestling in my area. Participation and funds are a big question mark, but I can overcome the funds by using participation at a camp like this in my area along side other fundraisers.

I know Ardmore has a Tyrone Lewis walking the hallways and I need to get these kids in a room. In the past, kids would come out and decide Wrestling wasn't for them. Which if I were to speak honestly, I would say that practice was much harder than any other sport and handling defeat is not easy.

For the good of the sport, we need to dramatically increase the # of JH Wrestlers that feed into the HS ranks.

 

[gyppoke]

Chase, wrestling is just a difficult sport for kids. Individual losing is difficult for most kids to accept. In the team sports, it is easy to blame teammates or coaches when you lose. The weight cutting is also something not necessarily done in other sports. Lastly, the practices are brutal. Just my .02 as an ex wrestler.

 

[chasepollard]

Yeah, I agree. But Wrestling is Life! I don't mean that in the Tshirt kind of way...Wrestling resembles Life.

You want to succeed? Work hard! Yeah, you can work hard and still get beat. But, if you continue to work hard you will win more than you lose and may find yourself on a streak.

Your can't pay your bills? Guess what, try blaming OG&E or ONG or the water Department...it won't help, blame sits solely on your shoulders.

On the weight cutting issue; I differ. I am against pulling weight during adolescence. However, Wrestling taught me how to control my weight and would benefit most people if they at least knew how to do that. I still wear clothes that I wore a decade ago...because I know how to stop gaining weight. I like the certification process in place now and feel that cutting weight for a few months out of the year isn't health detrimental. I don't believe in a 3 month fast and cutting weight to the point where body fat is non-existent. Anyway, Wresting should teach a person how to eat to be fit or how to eat to not be fat...it would help society and put fast food in a crunch.

Anyway, in Life, you have to learn how to lose. It is just part of the deal and I would rather the next generation understand that before they walk that stage for HS graduation. You also learn what it takes to not lose or work hard to succeed more. Not every kid can be a State Champ, but every kid can win more than they lose if they want to. There is a reason that USA Special Forces recruit former Wrestlers and it isn't because of muscle and I wholeheartedly believe that our young people can Wrestle and make themselves better people. Wrestling teaches the difference between want to. Want to succeed or want to be okay with not succeeding.

 

[NEcowboy]

Chase...this is a great topic and I appreciate you putting some time and effort into your posts. I think you're on the right track with wrestling as a metaphor for life. Want to succeed in wrestling/life? Incorporate hard work, accountability, health, and commitment into everything you do.

Establishing a thriving wrestling community is another question. I coached YMCA kids while I was in college, then continued coaching in high schools and freestyle clubs as I moved around the country in the military. Best advice I can give is to establish a youth program where the primary focus is not success on the mat. Make it all about the fun of practice, the relationships with their peers, and the joy of improvement. Getting parents on board will be critical. Create young men and women who love and are committed to the sport for the aforementioned reasons and not because of wins or losses.

 

[chasepollard]

Thanks for the kind words!

I truly believe that a strong Wrestling group in a community breeds a strong group of community leaders. I sat in a funeral last week and noticed several influential people in the crowd that also had their name on the wall of state placers in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Also, our little league guy is second to none and the fruit of his efforts should be seen in the next few years. However, there are too many JH age kids that need the sport...and the sport needs them.

What are some ideas that might create love for the sport?

 

[CowboyUp61]

I have struggled with that for years, locally, very close to Stillwater. While I think it is true sometimes that some kids are just born for wrestling, there aren't enough of them, so we have to have those kids be examples to the other kids their age and lead them into the room. Once they are there, there first few years should be learning good fundamentals and having fun, and focusing on improvements, not records. Coaches need to encourage growth, reward the small successes, and point out to each kid the small improvements they have made positively. We go so far as to have separate conditioning and hard drill sessions for the "dedicated" kids so as not to run off the newbies.

And no weight cutting! Not in kids or Jr. High, except for the really serious kids, and really not much then at those ages. That runs more kids (and parents) away than anything I know of after being around wrestling for 50 years. I have a constant fight about weight with kids and parents to explain it is weight control, not cutting, and will be a benefit in the long run. Let them wrestle their weight-teach the chubby ones how to control their diet, and good nutrition, and the benefits of exercise and let them see their bodies change, and the benefits.

Get them to high school. You will always lose a few to other interests, but as we all know, the ones that stick it out get all the benefits.

 

[oberebo]

I have struggled with that for years, locally, very close to Stillwater. While I think it is true sometimes that some kids are just born for wrestling, there aren't enough of them, so we have to have those kids be examples to the other kids their age and lead them into the room. Once they are there, there first few years should be learning good fundamentals and having fun, and focusing on improvements, not records. Coaches need to encourage growth, reward the small successes, and point out to each kid the small improvements they have made positively. We go so far as to have separate conditioning and hard drill sessions for the "dedicated" kids so as not to run off the newbies.

And no weight cutting! Not in kids or Jr. High, except for the really serious kids, and really not much then at those ages. That runs more kids (and parents) away than anything I know of after being around wrestling for 50 years. I have a constant fight about weight with kids and parents to explain it is weight control, not cutting, and will be a benefit in the long run. Let them wrestle their weight-teach the chubby ones how to control their diet, and good nutrition, and the benefits of exercise and let them see their bodies change, and the benefits.

Get them to high school. You will always lose a few to other interests, but as we all know, the ones that stick it out get all the benefits.

Totally agree about the weight cutting issue and as you indicate it should be a motivator for out of shape or pudgy kids to exercise and get their bodies in better shape. Let the young kids wrestle at the weight they are and gradually move up or down depending on how their body grows. Cutting weight right before a wrestling match is counter-productive especially for those young wrestlers that do not manage their weight correctly.

 

[NEcowboy]

Thanks for the kind words!

I truly believe that a strong Wrestling group in a community breeds a strong group of community leaders. I sat in a funeral last week and noticed several influential people in the crowd that also had their name on the wall of state placers in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Also, our little league guy is second to none and the fruit of his efforts should be seen in the next few years. However, there are too many JH age kids that need the sport...and the sport needs them.

What are some ideas that might create love for the sport?

Love manifests itself so differently in individuals, it's hard to throw out specific things that will increase any one young man's/woman's propensity to love our sport. As a parent, I know my kids need positive reinforcement and compassion when trying new things. As humans, most of us are naturally hesitant to work outside our comfort zones and wrestling, especially at a young age, is an exercise in being comfortable while uncomfortable (both mentally and physically). Creating an environment in which joy is derived from the effort itself and not necessarily from the fruits of that effort ought to be the goal, in my opinion. This environment is created by that young person's parents and mentors, which is why getting parents on board is super important. Teddy Roosevelt's Man in the Arena speech comes to mind...

I found most kids are more prone to develop true attachments to things that their parents are truly interested in. So that's a great place to start. Get to know the parents and work to develop their attachment to wrestling. Taking them to an OSU dual is great, but talking to the OSU staff or wrestlers and having them meet the parents would be even better. This happens a bunch, but rarely is the focus on the parents. I'll bet Coach Smith would even host them for a tour of the OSU room of something if you asked. Breaking down the unknowns and discomfort of the parents, as well as making them feel like they're members of the wrestling community, will go a long way towards building their enthusiasm for the sport and them passing on that enthusiasm to their kids.

 

[chasepollard]

Shaping up to be a good thread guys! Thank you

Obe, you hit it right on the head. As a freshman in HS, walking around at 110 and Wrestling at 103, standing at 5'7" was brutal to me. However, I believed in my coach and teammates which made the 2x/week jumping rope in the sauna easy. Honestly, I thought it was cool that I was hanging out with seniors I idiolized outside of the scope of school. As a sophomore, walking around at 125-128 standing 5'9" getting to 119 was worse. The seniors were gone, the new coach took the enjoyment out of it for me and I vowed to not cut weight anymore. It wasn't until later in the season that I figured out how to cut effectively. I didn't see 125 after Christmas break was over and kept my weight in the low 120, while eating plenty of oranges, grapes, seaweed (not sure why) and tons of water. At that point, I realized I knew how weight cutting should go. If we can keep young men on that type of diet and not binge eat, cutting weight isn't a big deal and helps with the mental aspect of things as well. But, I am against the 20 pound cuts and the fasting to get lower...and I have seen it cost kids at the end of the year. To this day, instead of buying new dress pants, I increase my water intake and eat tons of food that is either grown or killed. At one point, when my scale hit 199, I decided to see if I could still cut weight effectively. Within two weeks, I was down to 185 and I have kept it there in spite of a hectic schedule. Its a ton cheaper also!

As far as getting parents involved. That will be a tough one for me. My demographic has many kids that have a void there...not all of them, but many of them. Hopefully I can come up with things that create more of a love?

My ideas, which I hope you guys tear apart or improve. If you have any dealings with your local schools, feel free to use them.

1. I am in the process of setting up a non-profit to aid kids. Not totally in Wrestling, but I will focus on that quite a bit due to most sports having the funding to compete. Through this non-profit, I want to raise money through any legal avenue that provides support. Once we have a solid stream of fundraising, I hope to endow the foundation for Scholarships and aid. One of the reasons for this...the system cannot take the money and do as they please. The money raised will be for donation, not Athletic budget...or any other budget for that matter. My ideas for fundraisers are pretty simple thus far...except one.
-Camp with proceeds going to the foundation but marked for Wrestling.
-Tourney, same as the camp
-Golf Tourney with proceeds going to foundation
-Fundraising sales with proceeds going to the entity that puts in the work.
-Skeet/trap shoot
-My big idea
I want to have a dual, called the Sunset Brawl. Plainview and Ardmore share a city limits, where Sunset Street divide school districts. The city of Ardmore has a few venues that I feel are worthy to a big event that the town can warm up to. I would like a central lit mat, with an MC and walk in music for each Wrestler. Drawings will be held from raffles in between the "big" matches. Between concessions, raffle and entry; I feel that this could be a large money earner. Proceeds from this will go to the foundation and split equally to each Wrestling Program unless one Program is outperforming the other. At that point, the board will decide by vote on the money donation split. Tickets, concession, raffle and sponsorships should generate some money?

I think the big idea there is to provide something that younger kids look forward to and the community enjoys.

 

[CowboyUp61]

One of the best things that we did when I was a kid (I know, it was 50 years ago) was let the kids wrestle in the middle of a dual.

The JV would wrestle-then there would be 4-5-6 kids matches before the varsity. A BIG deal for the kids to wrestle in front of the crowd like that, and the coaches always rotated who wrestled. You earned that right for how you did in practice, as far as working hard, being coachable, improvement etc-not for your win-loss record. Results put in the newspaper right with the high school results. Big things for kids to get their name in the paper.

Chase, I like your ideas for a foundation to support them. We are constantly fundraising to support our high school/junior high programs, with the goal of being able to "endow" the wrestling programs so no one gets any ideas about low budgets.

 

[chasepollard]

Yeah, great point/idea! Our Little League is strong and some of those kids would relish the idea to compete on that kind of stage! I like it and will pitch that!

Just from your point of view, how hard is it to raise the money on a consistent level to where an endowment is possible? If we could get the fundraising to a point where it was a constant $50k a year, I don't think it would be tough to operate the scholarships through endowed money? Just say 5 years at 50k, then use that as a few named Scholarships from the endowment?

Also, if any of you feel that these ideas are good enough to act upon in your area...please do. I want the sport to grow here, in the state and the nation. I believe the more Wrestlers we have leading society, the better off we will be.

 

[CowboyUp61]

We are trying to get to $500K, figuring interest of 5%, that is $25,000 per year. That should pay coaches stipends and travel budget, including meals and hotels (wrestlers don't need much food, and they can sleep on the floor if necessary) as well as uniform replacement. Anything left over would just stay to build up for major purchases, like new mats. Fundraising would not stop at that point.

It is very difficult to get there. We are at less than $25K, but using future donations through wills, insurance, etc. I think that we will be there before I retire in 10 years. I won't have any kids left, but want the program to be in place for all of the kids through the years. 3 years ago we had 7 wrestlers in the high school-last year we had 24. If each family involved donates $100 each year, that will cover general operating costs.

When the oil money starts flowing again, that 501(c)3 will be invaluable in getting larger donations, that really start to build the fund. I would say don't try to start too big with your scholarships, just enough to let people know they are happening, and to be appreciated. Make a big publicity push when giving them, it will help the donations start.

I think your ideas go beyond what we are doing, and I don't mind stealing them!

 

[chasepollard]

I hope they work!

The only thing that I know of in the past was selling Cookie Dough and Hams. We had an early season tourney a few years ago, but not sure how that turned out money wise?

On the scholarships; yes, they would be very public, I hope. Also, I want to give to other sports and deserving people in the memory of certain people. I feel that will widen the scope of what and who donates!

 

[chasepollard]

Had a dinner last night with the coaches and another ex-wrestler. We had some confusion on how the endowment would work. To me, and to gather the most interest in donation on a broad spectrum, I would like to keep from labeling the foundation as a non-profit Wrestling foundation.

To me, if our efforts benefit all kids involved in extra-curricular in the entire area and give away scholarships in the name of great people in our area, our forward movement would be easier?

One concern was that we would have to be specific on what the non-profit was for? If we plan to give to Wrestling, we have to declare that. I don't think this is the case, but I'm not a tax lawyer, nor an accountant.

Things we discussed were golf tourneys and long distance running events. Of course our goal is to raise enough money to endow, but we are a long ways from that. We are even further away from that if we have to label our venture as an Ardmore Wrestling non-profit.

Another thing that we discussed was investing our funds with me or another area supporter with the expectation that an amount similar to the commission earned would be donated back to the fund. I'm also not sure what the gray area for that is.

 

[CowboyUp61]

You could make it the "Carter County Youth Scholarship Foundation, which would include all activities. Your statement on the 501c3 would be something like (fundraising to promote achievement in Carter County youth, donating scholarships to persons with outstanding achievement in academics or extracurricular activities.)

I would refuse, unless I was a professional financial counselor, the responsibility of investing the funds.

 

[chasepollard]

I am securities 6 and 63 registered. There is another gentleman with the same goals and ideas that is an FA though...just not sure if he would donate the commission back.

Honestly, I want to name the Foundation after a late friend that was a counselor to many troubled youths in the area. Then I would like to name scholarships for pioneers in the area that we've lost.

If any of you guys are looking into similar ventures...the running events are awesome. They take some planning, a little overhead, but they are simple and money makers. We are now in the planning stages of a race that consists of age groups, different distances and something fun during the run. This will eventually move into one of the themed events that have become popular; which we hope isn't a fad.

The Golf Tourney should happen, but I am not sure how much money we can expect to gain from this?

That goal of $500k is daunting, but not out of reach...kind of like a State Title?

 

[Pokes2010]

I somehow stumbled across this and basically set up an account just to be able to chime in on and discuss this. The point's made in this thread are tremendous and the more people that step in and take active roles in these youth programs the better it is for the sport, and because of the exact same reasons you've said about the lessons it teaches in life to kids, it makes for a better overall society also.

I was lucky enough to be somewhat of a firsthand witness to a guy that basically built a program from the ground up. He was my coach when I was younger, but when he was a kid he and a few other guys got interested in the sport so one of their dad's bought a mat and put it in the garage and started teaching them as their school didn't have a program yet, but because of the interest they generated by the time they were at the high school level they put it in the school's and were fairly successful. I think 1 or 2 placed at state, etc... He ended up going on to college to become a teacher, coached at some other places then came back home.

When I was in the youth program there were great parents, etc... within the youth and JH program that he probably owes a lot of his legacy to, but he did personally become heavily involved in developing those and as he and the group of parents around him built things up those programs inevitably fed into the high school program and with a group of kid's about my age we managed to make a pretty good run and won state all 4 years I was in high school. My freshman year was the first time my hometown had won state since the 1920's.

I wanted to share that story first just to basically put it out there, and hopefully it doesn't put you to sleep. I'll give you some specific advice to go with it shortly, but there were a # of things that came together to make that go so well that I didn't even realize at the time, but they were really sharp with raising funds, keeping kids interested, etc... and that's what made that happen.

 

[Pokes2010]

What everyone's said in here about you as a coaches interaction with the kids is probably the most crucial piece. If you can develop interactions with them that are fun they'll have a good time and even though practices can be tough, etc... they'll be willing to push through it because they enjoy the ride.

Market the program in every way possible. Social media costs nothing, but can really get your program on the map in many ways, which is big in some of your fundraising efforts, but it's also something kids are really into. If you have maybe a parent or mat-maid that's pretty savvy with that sort of thing put them in charge of it. Have them take pictures in dual's, tournaments, etc..., and post them on your pages and tag the kids. This can help keep the best wrestler on your team down to the worst(which both can be very important) willing to stick things out because maybe that kid that's no good doesn't have much going for him otherwise, so being able to tell people he's a wrestler is a really big thing for him, and even if he's not a starter, so no one sees him in a dual they can prove it with their social media stuff. Try to make it "cool" with highlight video's and everything else you can throw in that will get people to watch/follow it. The NWCA has some good advice on that sort of thing.

http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcawebsite/home.aspx

Get everyone you possibly can that's not a toxic person involved. Parents, mat-maids, former wrestlers, coaches, etc...as long as they're not cursing at kids or high all the time or some other thing like that parents can be a big help with fundraising, getting kids to and from practice, things like managing your social media, etc... find maybe 4-5 roles that you can think of that you don't really have time to handle because of your coaching duties and have a parent manage them. Ex... Social media manager, Takedown club president(if you don't have a takedown club form one), assistant coach(even if they don't know much on wrestling they can be some help if they know just a little bit and do some research online. Not sure what situation your program is in in that regard.) Getting kids that aren't necessarily wrestlers I.E. Mat-maids, etc... involved is important also. They obviously can help in keeping up with things, but they also make the sport more social for the wrestlers, which is usually more fun for them. Former athletes/coaches can be a big help also, try to solicit advice from them and get them involved. Their experiences could help.

Try to make it a somewhat "cool" environment for them. There are tons of free marketing materials you can get from local college programs that you could hang in your locker/wrestling rooms. Last year OSU had 3-4 different ones that were all free. That type of thing can be impressive to a young kid, and if you really work to design your room to be a good atmosphere in that regard it's exciting to some kids.

 

[Pokes2010]

Fundraising is a huge piece to developing something like this. Arguably the most important one.

I don't know enough on your program to know what you'd have here, but one thing I'd recommend is possibly kicking off your season with some sort of event involving all you possibly can to develop some funds at the beginning of the season. Maybe have a ranking match, where every single kid on the team gets a match and you try to bring in all the parents, grandparents, former wrestlers, coaches, etc... you can to sort of show case what you're doing, but also solicit some money. Really get out there and pull in anyone in the community to get involved with it that you can. Maybe go speak to some of your Rotary, Lion's Clubs, etc...? to get them out. Just say "It's free, but we'll be taking donations at the door for the program" and see what happens. It wouldn't cost you anything, but your time and hopefully would bring in some cash. Worse case scenario you promote your product a bit.

You could work the sponsorship angle into all of this. If you build up your social media profile and get a lot of followers, likes, etc... you could probably go to local businesses and say "for $50 we'll mention you once a week during the wrestling season on our profile" and I'm guessing some might do it. That would be of no cost to you. You could also tell them you'll put sign's they provide up, their name in flyers, etc... and see what happens there.

You seem to have some pretty solid knowledge in the fundraising regard, probably more than me, but I'd also recommend maybe blasting out email's to whoever you can to see if they're charitable towards wrestling. A lot of MMA guys are former wrestlers. Maybe you could get an MMA guy to come in and sign autograph's with half the money going to the program? or possibly just find a few former wrestlers that have some cash and would be willing to drop it your way. There are some out there you just have to research and find them. The wall street guys that pay gold medalists are one that comes to mind.

 

[chasepollard]

Will read after work!