Wrestling In-Season starts in November and runs through February. 

Howard County Vipers Wrestling

Learn valuable skills and techniques while participating in the Vipers Wrestling

Program. The Vipers Program offers an opportunity to compete at a level which best fits each child’s need.

Vipers Wrestling offers 4 programming levels:

(1) Clinic for the beginner in a non-competitive environment, one practice per week, no weekend commitment;

(2) Recreation for both beginners and intermediate level wrestlers in a semi-competitive environment, two per week, matches on Saturdays;

(3) Advanced Elementary Team Team for wrestlers transitioning from Rec to Advanced for a competitive level between rec and travel, two to three practices per week, matches on Saturdays or Sundays.

 (4) Advanced Middle Team Team for a competitive environment, three practices per week, matches on Saturdays or Sundays. 

Practices are at Howard County high schools – please visit www.howardcountymd.gov/wrestling for a complete list of locations and times, that will be available in September. 

RP5950.601     4-8 yrs                         Clinic               $88      Nov 11-Feb 15

RP5950.611    6-13 yrs                      Recreational   $168    Nov 11-Feb 15

RP5950.621     7-16 yrs                       Advanced Elementary (B)     $195    Nov 1-Mar 15

RP5950.631     7-16 yrs                       Advanced Middle (A)     $195    Nov 1-Mar 15

DURING REGISTERING YOUR CHILD FOR WRESTLING YOU WILL BE ASKED THE QUESTIONS BELOW SO PLEASE BE PREPARED

• Clinic, Rec, Travel Questions…

1. Apparel Size:  Shirt Size, Short Size  (Sizes tend to run a little small)
2. Estimated Weight, height and experience:  Please list
3. Volunteer Coach:  Are you interested in being a volunteer coach?  Yes/No
4. If yes please list full name, phone number, email address

Rec Wrestling Question for Team Selection…

1. Tentative Practice Locations First Preference:
2. Tentative Practice Locations Second Preference:

• 4 to 8 year olds
• Beginner, non- competitive Practice one night a week Basic Skills, fun and games
• 1 to 2 events and a match at the end of the year
• Season runs from - Nov 11-Feb 15
• Clinic practices are usually 1 hour long and are held between these times:  5:30-7:30pm

  Recreational 

• 6 to 13 year olds
• Beginner and Intermediate, semi-competitive
• Practice 2 nights a week
• 8 to 10 teams – geographically
• Feed into area high schools
• Coaches meet once a week to determine fair match-ups
• Season runs from - Nov 11-Feb 15
• Meets/ tournaments are held on Saturdays
• Rec practices are usually an hour and a half and are held between these times: 6-8:00pm

Advanced (Middle Team A) and (Elementary Team B)

• 7 to 16 year olds
• Advanced, competitive
• Advanced Team B – Practice 2 nights a week and 3 nights as a flexible option.
• Advanced Team B - level appropriate matches on Saturdays or Sundays
• Advanced Team A - Practice 3 nights week:  M, W, F 
• Practices are from 6:15-8:30pm
• Half the events are team events (dual meets or dual meet tournaments) and half the events are individual tournaments. 
• Traveling out of state is optional and very very rare, if any options are out of state they are to PA, DE, VA
• Meets/ tournaments are optional and held on Saturdays or Sundays
• Season Runs from November 1-March 15

CLINIC TO REC The clinic program is designed as an introduction to the sport of wrestling.  The participants will learn very basic and fundamental moves in a non-competitive environment.  One year at a clinic level is sufficient for a wrestler when being introduced to the sport of wrestling.  Your wrestler has either already participated at the clinic level already or is at the age where it is recommended he/she move up to the recreation level where they can participate in a semi-competitive environment and gain a better knowledge of the sport of wrestling.  This is only a recommendation and we leave it to the parent to make the decision when their wresters are ready to move up to the next level.  

 REC TO ADVANCED This year we are adding a second advanced division to assist wrestlers and families transitioning from rec to advanced.  There will be an option to register for Advanced A or Advanced B.  Advanced B will practice with the A wrestlers, the only difference is that Advanced B wrestlers will be expected to practice 2 times per week, with the third practice optional.  Advanced B wrestlers will also participate in some tournaments geared towards similarly-situated wrestlers in both experience and skill, rather than the higher-level travel tournaments that the Advanced A wrestlers will participate in.   Advanced events tend to be more on Sunday, although there will be some on Saturday.  The dual meets tend to be a half day commitment and the tournaments vary between a half day to a full day commitment.  Travel distances to most events other than those at Gary J. Arthur average between 45 minutes and an hour.  For the travel B kids (a new breakdown we are attempting this season), there may be more Saturday events instead of Sundays, because the coaches will be looking for appropriate tournaments for the B kids to participate in.   

We would like to take a minute to explain the differences between REC and Advanced wrestling within the VIPER program so that we may ensure that your wrestler is competing at the appropriate level. VIPER Rec is by far the best incubator for youth wrestling in the State of Maryland. Rec offers superior coaching and competition for beginning to intermediate wrestlers. Our "travel" program is more geared towards teaching your wrestler the skills to succeed in High School and beyond.  The term "travel" is often misunderstood as travel programs in other sports can place a difficult burden on families. We have discussed changing "travel" to just "advanced". We practice 3 nights per week and have tournament and dual meet options on the weekends. We approach competition like a buffet, pick and choose what works for your family's needs. Wrestlers are only required to compete in two separate dual meets over the course of the season to be eligible for the end of year tournament. Most tournaments are within a 45-minute drive. We usually "travel" twice per year, this year likely to Delaware (30 minutes from Salisbury) and either Pennsylvania or Virginia. Again, these are optional tournaments. We do not participate in tournaments that require an overnight stay. Coaches recommend that ANY 7th or 8th grader should be moved to travel, including beginning wrestlers. We've had great success with beginners who have started at travel because of older siblings being part of the program. If your child intends on wrestling in High School, we would like to see them at travel. Further, any wrestler who consistently placed in REC tournaments should consider moving up. All our "ALL-STARS" should be wrestling travel. This is only a recommendation and we leave it to the parent to make the decision when their wresters are ready to move up to the next level. 

For more information or details:

Please contact Amy Patton at apatton@howardcountymd.gov or 410-313-4718.  

Registering for programs

Please visit our website at www.howardcountymd.gov/RAP and click on ‘Register Now!’. You will need to create an online account which can take up to 24 hours to be approved. Once approved, you will be able to register online for Howard County Recreation & Parks programs.

Or you can call and register over the phone at 410-313-7275.

Updated 2/19/20 - Schedule for Vipers Crush Off-Season Wrestling for the end of March through June will be available on March 13. 

Please see www.howardcountymd.gov/wrestling

Or email:  apatton@howardcountymd.gov

Interested in coaching youth wrestling? This is an opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your community.  No matter what capacity you would like to help, we need coaches at all levels.  If you want to step foot on a mat, you must have a coaches badge which is obtained by going through our coaches registry process.  These steps are free and can be done online, but they take a little time.  Contact Amy Patton with Howard County Recreation and Parks, and she will walk you through the steps needed to get certified. Amy can be reached at 410-313-4718 or apatton@howardcountymd.gov.

Inclement weather line for Howard County Parks and Recs programs (and all HCW events)is 410-313-4451. Call this number if you have questions about practice or a match/tournament being cancelled due to inclement weather.

Gary Author Community Center at Glenwood inclement weather line is 410-313-4452. If event is at Glenwood Community Center, call this number to make sure gym is open. We can't wrestle if the facility is closed.