At this stage of development, long term goals and direction is mandatory. There is no requirement on this (everyone has different aims), but we will not have “floaters” on our team. Having a clear direction in life is expected here. This relates NOT ONLY TO WRESTLING. We expect all of our wrestlers to become alumni of our program, pursue excellence in life, and help the younger teammates do the same. This is a fraternity of success. Many of our wrestlers in this age group have been with us since elementary or middle school and are performing at a very high level. If you are an inquiring beginner or novice, you are absolutely welcome on our team and expected to contribute to our culture or work and focus. Leadership is taught and expected of our wrestlers in this age group. You will learn more about this upon joining the team. We are not just producing stud wrestlers. We are teaching our young people how to lead and win through training and exposure to adversity. Wrestlers who come out of our program will be assets to themselves and their community. We have a fully operational high school national dual team that everyone on this roster will have an opportunity to compete on. They are very competitive and helps our wrestlers get the exposure they need to get recognized at the national level. Competing is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged to get the most out of this sport and our program.
Strength training is an absolute necessity in our program. We are developing wrestlers to train for and compete at the national level. It is ethically wrong to allow our wrestlers to do that unprepared. All the wrestling skills in the world won’t defeat a significantly more physically dominant wrestler. We must have BOTH. There is a great deal of psychological confidence that comes with being physically strong. Confidence is a huge part of the mental development that we cultivate here and strength plays a huge role in that. In this stage of development, we continue to make progress on what’s been previously built and begin to prioritize higher intensity resistance training as well as bodyweight training. As they get older, we will move heavier loads to maximize development, performance, and reduce the risk of injury. We will increase their overall work capacity to allow them to handle higher stress loads that will help them grow into stronger and more physically developed bodies.
When everyone else is sleeping in on their Summer break, our boys and girls are turning into men and women at 6:30 in the morning. This program displays the people who are extremely committed to self-improvement. Everything about it is uncomfortable. This is where weaknesses get exposed and the real ones emerge. All ages are welcome. Leadership roles are assigned to, and required of upperclassmen.