Ten Good Reasons for Football Players to Wrestle

by Dr. Bill Welker

"Ten Good Reasons for Football Players to Wrestle." 

1. Agility--The ability of one to change the position of his body efficiently and easily.
2. Quickness--The ability to make a series of movements in a very short period of time.
3. Balance--The maintenance of body equilibrium through muscular control.
4. Flexibility--The ability to make a wide range of muscular movements.
5. Coordination--The ability to put together a combination of movements in a flowing rhythm.
6. Endurance--The development of muscular and cardiovascular-respiratory stamina.
7. Muscular Power (explosiveness)--The ability to use strength and speed simultaneously.
8. Aggressiveness--The willingness to keep on trying or pushing your adversary at all times.
9. Discipline--The desire to make the sacrifices necessary to become a better athlete and person.
10. A Winning Attitude--The inner knowledge that you will do your best - win or lose.

What does wrestling have to offer an aspiring football candidate? Primarily, it teaches him "self-reliance"--the ability to make things happen without expecting help from others. A pigskin participant learns (via the mat sport) that although there are 10 of his peers on the field with him, he must perform his duties at all times. and not lean on his teammates for support when fatigued.

And that's not all. In the wrestling room, he improves his agility, coordination, quickness, upper body strength, and stamina--to name just a few benefits. So, if you have a son who's a tackle or guard and he's spending most of the snow season on his duff, suggest wrestling. He'll be a much better football player for it!

Why America Needs Wrestlers?

One former wrestler’s unselfish courageous determination can best illustrate the value in answering this question. Former New Jersey all-state wrestler, Jeremy Glick with two fellow passengers aboard Flight 93 (Tom Burnett and Todd Beamer) heeded the famous 9/11 call "Lets Roll", and proceeded to "wrestle" on behalf of us all, against terrorism. Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reily said it best; "At a time like this, sports are trivial. But what the best athletes can do -- keep their composure amid chaos, form a plan when all seems lost, and find the guts to carry it out -- may be why the Capitol isn't a charcoal pit". Sports may be trivial but the lessons and courage learned through them can become the foundation to monumental achievements. 


Parents Code of Conduct Form

We, as an organization, take great pride in the way we conduct ourselves at every tournament.  We require that the Parent Code of Conduct be completed and followed by every parent.  This Code of Conduct must be turned in prior to our first tournament.

 

Which Parent are YOU?

Which type are you...
Avoider
Not willing to commit time and energy to support their child’s participation. The avoider thinks fun is important but will not commit the time to teach and reinforce skill development and discipline.
Enabler
Does not make choices for the child but enables him or her to be successful in whatever direction the child chooses by giving support and positive encouragement. The parent will stress balance and give the child room to make personal decisions and choices.
Critical Parent
Knows how to do everything better than it is presently being done. The critical parent has opinions and makes suggestions which are not always constructive.
Abusive Parent
Generates fear and anxiety in their own children as well as teammates. The abusive parent makes threatening comments to anyone who will listen.
Back-seat Coach Parent
This type of parent always has a comment no matter what. the back-seat coach parent questions the competence of the coach and the officials. They think (and let everyone know) that if they were the coach or program administrator the team or program would be so much better. These are the parents that try to coach from the sidelines, telling their child and all of the team how to play.
User Parent
These parents use the youth sports program as a baby-sitting service. They barely slow down to drop off their children. These are the parents that are habitually late to pick their children up from practices and games.
Enthusiastic Parent
This type of parent is excited about their child’s participation and gives consistent positive reinforcement while their child is participating. They are supportive of the goals of the youth organization, are involved and participate in many activities to support the organization.
Model Youth Sport Parent
This type of parent will do anything to support their child’s participation in youth sports. They respect the people involved in providing opportunities for their child and assist in making their child’s experience as positive as possible.

 

A Wrestler's Biggest Fan - Poem 

By Jo Ann Innis