posted
I have already sent this but once I did I thought it may sound a bit pushy. I sent it to our football coach who has not shown himslef to be very supportive of the Wrestling program. I am hoping to change his mind. What do you think?
quote:Coach Wolfe,
I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Josh Inglis and I currently teach at Lima West Middle School and I was just recently hired as the new Head Wrestling coach for Senior. The reason I am writing you today is to propose an idea that I believe will help both our programs in the coming years. It is no secret that the wrestling program is a hair's breath away from being cut. We have lacked the numbers needed to be competitive for too long. I look at this as a great opportunity to build a new attitude and commitment about the program. But to do this the program will need the support of the community and this is where I ask your help.
It is my belief that we can greatly benefit one another. I am in desperate need of student athletes and am hopeful that I can gain your support in encouraging the members of the football team to participate in wrestling. In return those young men will learn a great deal about what it will take to be even more successful in football. The following is a copy of what I give a lot of football players that want to improve their game:
Do you want to become a better FOOTBALL PLAYER?
Become a WRESTLER ……10 Good Reasons!
1. AGILITY: To be able to change the position of your body quickly and easily. 2. BALANCE: To keep from falling down easily. To keep your feet, your base. 3. FLEXIBILITY: To be able to move the different parts of your body through a wide range of motions. 4. SPEED / QUICKNESS: To be able to make several similar movements in a short period of time. 5. COORDINATION: To be able to put several similar movements together, in a smooth flowing way. 6. ENDURANCE: To not tire easily. A. Muscular Endurance – The ability of your muscles to keep doing hard work over a long period of time. B. Cardiovascular-Respiratory Endurance – The ability of your heart and lungs to get food and oxygen to your muscles, and to remove waste products from your muscles, so that you can do hard work without running out of breath easily. 7. EXPLOSIVENESS / POWER: A combination of speed and strength. 8. TOUGHNESS / AGGRESSIVENESS: An attitude to keep trying – no matter what – a bold determination to go after the victory. 9. DISCIPLINE: Making yourself follow the rules necessary to become a better athlete. 10. WINNING SPIRIT: This is a way of life, an attitude. Knowing that you have given your best, and that – win or lose – YOU HAVE NOT BEEN DEFEATED!
I understand that a number of football coaches often worry about their athletes participating in wrestling. Weight loss and injury are the two reasons I hear most often. To the concern of weight loss all I can say is that I do not encourage weight loss that will jeopardize the safety of the athlete in anyway. There is a safe amount of weight that should and will fluctuate during the shift from football to wrestling but only if done right through a balanced diet and intense conditioning and training. This weight loss tends to be only body fat and leaves the muscle undamaged. This is the type of athlete you can expect from my program, perhaps a bit leaner but definitely much stronger and more competitive. To the Idea of injury, well, you can hurt yourself in any number of ways only walking down the street. This is high school and these kids should focus on competition and the joys of sport and not what may or may not ever happen to them while they compete.
If you are interested in this joint opportunity to build better student athletes together I would be very interested in meeting with you and discussing further how we may assist one another.
posted
It sounds good. Is there an overlap between "wrestling season" and "football season"? Is football in the fall semester and wrestling in the spring, and is the football coach allowed to hold practices in the spring? I could see these all being valid reasons for why he woudn't want his athletes in a different sport. Maybe you could even propose to have him help you work out a mutually beneficial training regimen for athletes that want to cross between the two sports. That would still give him a modicum of control, at least to begin with.
In this area, most HS football players go out for wrestling, and sometimes even track, just to stay in shape. I'm surprised that is not the case in other areas.
But I know that politically, when it comes down to which program gets the district funding, it can pit coach-against-coach and all try to keep monies for their programs.
Hope it works. All depends on what kind of personality this guy has.
posted
Speaking as a former wrestler, who would still be wrestling if his body was as willing as his mind (I had a career ending injury). I fully support your efforts. I know that at my high school all football players are encouraged to try wrestling during the winter season. Out of all those football players who try wrestling, 90% don't come back after their first practice. Our sport is for those who are strong, mentally, and physically. A lot of football players think they are "hot stuff". Every year we have an unofficial boxing match between a foot ballplayer (the wrestlers choose, usually a starting line backer, or quarter back) and a wrestler of their choice (they tend to pick on the 125 pounders). Every year the wrestlers win, and for the entire year, the football players stay out of our way (they like to make wise cracks about us rolling around on mats with other men), because we proved that any one of our guys is in better shape than any one of their guys.
I go to Bloomington South High School in Bloomington IN. We hold the records for most individual state champions (118) and most team championships (25). Our boys run between 8 and 11 miles a day during our pre-season, and when I say our boys, that includes our heavy weight (who weighs in at 245lbs. and averages a 6:10 mile). If your football coach doesn't believe that wrestling betters an athlete, tell him that he is more than welcome to come to Bloomington and see what kind of athletes an excellent program turns out, the kind of program that I assume you hope to make.
posted
Sounds like an intelligent appeal. Best of luck though. A few years ago I coached highschool soccer. And in my experience, other coaches (football coaches especially in our district), don't like to see their kids to participate in other sports for some reason. Nevermind that developeing well rounded atheletes should be their primary concern, the coaches I worked with jealously guarded their students off season time and admonished any activity that took them out of the weightroom or interfered with their 52week training schedule. Craziness IMO. I read an article the other day that might apply to your request.
posted
" To the Idea of injury, well, you can hurt yourself in any number of ways only walking down the street" seems much weaker than the rest of the letter. Can you put something in about better all-around body conditioning from wrestling helping to prevent football injuries (assuming it does, of course)?
posted
the injury part is where most coaches will worry. Sure you can injure yourself walking down the street...but you are a hell of a lot more likely to injure yourself wrestling than walking down the street. As Dragonee mentioned, you could bring up info on conditioning and such...but simply saying you can get hurt anywhere is unlikely to bring a coach around.
Posts: 1901 | Registered: May 2004
| IP: Logged |
This comes off a site run by Ken Chertow a very well respected coach and clinician. He posts on JJHuddle.com, a forum about Ohio High School Athletics and put this link up one time. A very cool site.
posted
good point about the conditioning making your body more tollerant to injury. If I get a reply I'll be sure to bring up this point. Thanks
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Ok, now that I'm in a mood to talk about wrestling, here are some of my favorite wrestling mottos, the last one of which my team recited every time we met, at team meetings, after matches (win or lose), and after pratice, while we are tired sweaty and in pain.
Wrestling prepares a boy to fight the game of life. The wrestler is the one athlete that must meet his opponent and so do battle completely on his own; no one can substitute; no time outs are possible. He has no one to check, screen blocks or assist him in any way; there is no one to blame for his mistakes. When he wins, he must show quiet pride and modesty; when he loses, the responsibility is his alone.
Wrestling is a mans sport. In other sports, when contact is made, they blow the whistle to stop the action; in wrestling, when contact is made, we're just getting started. No sport requires more sacrifice than wrestling. The individual, through self-denial, offers more to his character than can ever be explained here. It is something he carries with him throughout life, and through every trial, test, and tribulation.
Most men stop when they begin to tire, good men go until they think they are going to collapse, but the very best... Push themselves further beyond all limits; only when all their limits are shattered can the unattainable be obtained,
I step out into the ring, to do an impossible thing I am the champion of my fears; Blood, sweat and tears. No foe shall I fall to, I am strong, I am the rock I stand at the top of a peak, upon the backs of these who I defeat My body is the sling, my heart the stone I will crush my opponent with a powerful blow Victory is my fortune I face all my demons, giving up is not an option There is no such thing as a failure who keeps trying. Mental, Physical, spiritual pain This is why wrestling is so much more than a game.
"It's all a state of mind" If you think your beaten, you are, If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win but think you can't, It's almost a cinch you won't. If you think you'll lose, your lost, For out in the world you'll find, It's all a state of mind. For many a race is lost; ere a step is run: And many a coward fails, ere his works begun. Think big and your deeds will grow. Think small and you'll fall behind: Think you can, and you will, It's all a state of mind. If you think your outclassed, you are, You've got to think high to rise: You've got to be sure of yourself before you can ever win a prize. Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man: But sooner or later the man who wins is the one, Who thinks he can.
Posts: 1094 | Registered: Mar 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
goose bumps, I have freakin' goose bumps! I miss competition so much some days that it hurts. But alas, my body has also put me on the sideline. (back surgery two years ago) But thank you for the material. htis is one thread I will be saving for future use.
Hey JT if you ever feel like talking wrestling drop me a line (my email is in my profile) or catch me on AIM some night. ID = beatnixjd
posted
I agree the "walking down the street" line should be dropped, especially if you can make an equivalent claim like "better conditioning = less injury". Good links have been given, although I'm not sure I'd want to advertise the fact that wrestling can turn you into Pee Wee Herman.
The strongest argument, in my opinion, is that the effect of a 2nd sport on the 1st team's success just shouldn't matter. Even if having football players wrestle made them lose more games in the fall, if it made them better athletes and taught them more life lessons, that's a worthy tradeoff (in high school).
Posts: 1839 | Registered: May 1999
| IP: Logged |
posted
CRAP! I just found out that the football coach I was writing to quit about three hours after I wrote him this letter. CRAP! but on the up side, I can put into effect some of the comments made. Thanks.
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
yea, wrestling is a scary thing to behold! Some people just can't take it all in and not go insane.
Posts: 1294 | Registered: Oct 2003
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Coaching is really a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy it!
