Building a Program

petertherooster · December 16, 2014, 08:30:13 AM

I am very curious to see what some of you say. What do you think it takes to build a program from the bottom of the conference to become a top contender for the conference title? How long does it take?

1Iota · December 16, 2014, 09:04:36 AM

I have observed a few programs in the SE part of the State go from worst to first in the last decade & they all have few things in common. Number 1 is as Tews stated, the HC took an active interest in the youth program. It is very hard to compete in today's world without a number of kids who have been wrestling for a number of years prior to their freshman year. I also believe that the stronger the relationship between the youth program & the high school program directly correlates to the support viewed at matches, which in turn makes kids more excited about being a member of the team. The final thing I have observed is the benefit of having a coach who is also a teacher at the school. This allows the coach to actively recruit kids who may not have considered wrestling otherwise. Numbers are a huge part of creating successful program.

EIUwrestler1 · December 16, 2014, 09:25:49 AM

I believe everything Iota said, the only thing I would add is we took some of our more competitive kids to tougher tournaments and it seemed to help when they got to high school, otherwise HS wrestling was way to physical for them, and 3-4 years in my opinion to get things on the right track

crossface21 · December 16, 2014, 09:56:10 AM

I would say having someone in the building is huge. Also having a strong feeder program, especially if there's no wrestling program at the middle school level.

maggie · December 16, 2014, 09:59:57 AM

a lot of Backers who are somewhat dedicated to the sport and willing to give when asked..along with a good coaching staff and an organizer gets along with both parents and kids and who understands the kids needs...about a yr...

and of course, a good Kids program!

bigG · December 16, 2014, 10:33:35 AM

Great points. Good one, Mag. Dads and moms can turn a mediocre club to a heavy hitter. Those fundraiser tourneys can bring in nice $$ and that means more opportunity for more kids. Even greater opportunity for the gifted/dedicated rasslers.

When it's clear who the coaches are and what everyone's job is, the club can move to MS and HS and really show its colors.

EIUwrestler1 · December 16, 2014, 11:03:50 AM

Get in some dual meet tournaments, kids love them, way less chaotic than those 3 man round robin circuses. Half of the high school season is dual meets and many kids have never seen one. LAW Duals, Wannakee Duals to name two, I am sure there are a lot more out there, if not invite some one to come over and wrestle.

Crafters · December 16, 2014, 02:16:36 PM

Manitowoc is having a middle school Dual tournament on Feb 22nd. Look it up on the tournament calendar.

missinghome · December 16, 2014, 02:32:14 PM

We had a great program. Then lost our head coach. Have had 10 coaches in the last 15 yrs and still suck. I would say from experience it is 100% the head coach. You need the feeder program, supportive parents and community support but if you don't have a leader to make all that stuff work nothing will come together. We had a great feeder program that no coach would pay attention to (now that is a shambles) we had great parent support ( without a leader that fell apart) we have lost all community support (because we don't win anymore) So my advise is if you want a successful program you need to find a great head coach. He will put the pieces into place.

head57 · December 16, 2014, 03:37:42 PM

Quote from: missinghome on December 16, 2014, 02:32:14 PM
We had a great program. Then lost our head coach. Have had 10 coaches in the last 15 yrs and still suck. I would say from experience it is 100% the head coach. You need the feeder program, supportive parents and community support but if you don't have a leader to make all that stuff work nothing will come together. We had a great feeder program that no coach would pay attention to (now that is a shambles) we had great parent support ( without a leader that fell apart) we have lost all community support (because we don't win anymore) So my advise is if you want a successful program you need to find a great head coach. He will put the pieces into place.

I think that goes without saying. Now, what can a leader do to turn things around?

1)Create a culture with clear expectations. Fun should be a part of that.
2)Remind kids that wrestling is tough. Losing is harder than in other sports. But winning is better, as well.
3)Stress FAMILY. FAMILY. FAMILY. The wrestling community's big edge over any other is the family that it creates.
4)NUMBERS. Get new kids out. First year or not. Get numbers.
5)Middle school program. Youth is great to avoid losing kids to BBall and hockey early, but if you can get a kid out in 6th or 7th grade you are doing well.

padre · December 16, 2014, 04:46:49 PM

When I am asked how long it takes to really field competitive teams I generally go with 7-8 years.

Feeder program- If you do not have a quality feeder program the best head coach in the world can't do much. You have to have some kids in the lineup that have been wrestling for a long time to truly become a top team.

Good parents- Parents have to buy into what you are doing. If a parent buys in there is a much stronger chance the child will also.

Good relationships throughout- Club to junior high to high school coaches need to be on the same page. When everyone gets along throughout the program things will run more smoothly.

Organization- Parents are involved in too many sports that are unorganized and becomes a major turn off. The person in charge must be ready with practice schedules, tournament schedules and a good practice routine.

RECRUIT!!! RECRUIT!!! RECRUIT!!!- this is a full time job and just because a kid says no one year doesn't mean he won't the following year. It becomes a bit easier as your teams become better but is a never ending job. All coaches should be recruiting every day of the year and hopefully the families and wrestlers will be helping in that.

Coaches- Coaches should be relatable to the athletes. I have seen people that know the sport but aren't liked...that will not lead to success. If your coaches have good relations with the athletes you are headed in the right direction.

We are on the low end of D2 and will be going D3 shortly and have had a full line-up the last 4-5 years...so it can be done...but in no way am I saying it will be easy especially on small schools that are fighting the numbers besides the toughness of the sport.

bulldog · December 16, 2014, 05:15:34 PM

I was going to say "ask padre"...if I have ever seen a program built it was that program. I watched a guy with a vision who had a head coach that supported that vision and has been a crusader in building a program.

Other schools that have built strong programs are Kaukuana, Stratford and of course Wisconsin Rapids. You go into these schools wrestling room in August and there are 30 kids on the mat sometimes. What the have in common...a head coach that supports the programs growth and he is involved at all levels. Maybe the coach isn't the guy that coordinates everything but he has someone (or several people) behind him that is passionate about the sport and are always promoting the sport. Not just November to March. Every community has that person...you just have to let them run.