Vermont Wrestling

To the Vermont Wrestling Community:

I just got home from another cancelled dual meet and it’s got me wondering if wrestling in Vermont has a future.  I know from recent conversations with some of you that I’m not the only one who’s worried.  I’m not sure what the actual numbers are statewide, but from what I’ve seen this season, participation has to be way down.  That high school wrestling in Vermont has been in decline for years seems indisputable.  The question is: What are we going to do about it? 
Notwithstanding the fact that I was a mediocre wrestler myself, some of my fondest high school memories—most of them, in fact—are of my time on the mat.  As I remember Vermont wrestling in the early to mid-eighties, a typical mid-week dual meet featured a full JV lineup followed by a full varsity lineup.  I went to North Country, and even up there in the frozen wasteland of the Great White North we had a full squad.  This, mind you, was in the midst of a bad recession and before the advent of the over-involved wrestling parent.  At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I would say that wrestling has had as profound an impact on my life as anything else.  I would like my kids to be similarly influenced by the disciplined lifestyle that the sport requires. 
To that end, I would like to start a dialogue here in the hope of generating some positive ideas: what works in other states, what works for you guys at Mt. Anthony, etc.  The high energy I see at youth tournaments gives me a measure of hope that a renaissance is right around the corner—if we can keep it rolling.  Come on, folks, let’s hear what you’ve got to say!

Sincerely,
Doug Bliss

My wife made the observation this morning that one of the biggest problems is the near total lack of media coverage, most notably by The Burlington Free Press, which is—regardless of what you think of its politics—a statewide paper, and therefore a valuable resource. 

Does anyone have any experience dealing with the various media?  Could we form some kind of clearing house for Vermont wrestling results, from which we would forward information and photos?  And on that note, why aren’t there more articles on our wrestlers who have gone on to college?  I’ve seen a couple on Robert Hamlin, but considering how he’s doing, there should be many more.  What about other Vermont kids who are wrestling in college, regardless of division?  When is the last time anyone saw an article about Norwich wrestling?

Please give me some ideas on this front, as it seems like something that can be addressed immediately—lets get some stuff in the paper this week!  Does anyone have photos or results from the Otter Valley, Peru, Milton, John Spohn (or wherever else) tournaments?  Perhaps an interesting anecdote (100th win, honor roll student, etc.)?  How about from dual meets that actually happened this week?  We’ve only got ourselves to blame when our kids get no recognition for their hard work and dedication.  Shame on us. 

I honestly believe that more parents need to understand what youth wrestling can offer their kids (boys AND girls!) and help them stick with it.  We have to shake the stigma of the WWF clowns with their soap-opera theatrics -- media coverage would go a very long way to helping people see what we our kids do and why they need to support it.

If parents truly understood the deeper life lessons that wrestling has to offer, the intense training and mental discipline that can positively impact the rest of their children's lives, more of them would be willing to tough it out with their kids during tournament season.

I've printed off the Parent's Guide to Youth Wrestling to share with all my new parents, and I can only hope half of them read it. 

Perhaps having more events like scrimmages and wrestle-a-thons and open house demonstrations for the public or something?  Maybe if each team would spotlight a different team member in a little newspaper clip each month...a coach one month, a new wrestler the next month, a seasoned wrestler, and so on.  Not just what medals they won, but a quick profile about why they wrestle, what they like, their biggest challenge, what wrestling has done for them or what they hope to get out of it, etc.

Local t.v. reporters should be invited to scrimmages and meets and tournaments...each team should befriend a reporter.  Find out how best to meet the t.v. station's needs or the newspaper's needs -- if they want a sports feature, give them that.  If they want a human interest piece, do that.  But do SOMETHING.  :-)

Maybe the wrestling team can do a bottle drive for a local senior center or build dog houses for a local animal shelter.  Do a community activity as a team; it'll build team camaraderie AND can get you some recognition as a team with heart...'huh?  I didn't know our town had a wrestling team!'  Also -- march in a local parade.  Wear your team shirts and carry plastic grocery bags to clean up litter as you go...wave and hand out candy or small inexpensive toys.  When the parade stops, break into pairs and circle each other, lock up a couple of times, no real moves or takedowns, obviously.  But look fierce.  Be wrestlers.

That's all I can think of right now, but it's all stuff we can ALL do at the team level.  We're wrestlers -- let's fight for our sport; let's fight for our kids!   

Opps hit the send button too soon.  Our AD indicated that this was the perfered method per BFP.  I get an article and pictures into the local paper weekly, and they provide us with solid coverage.   I feel the weak link is the 7th and 8th grade programs.  As 6th graders in most youth programs they have twice the mat time they enjoy as a middle school wrestlers. They need more mat time to keep them interested and competitive.  I bring mine to every dual meet I compete in, in hopes of securing them a match.  We need to focus on this feeder program.  For the most part parental involvemnt is not as keen at this level and several high schools do not even have middle school programs. To remedy some of this I feel  we need to draw this program closer to the varsity ranks, involvement in dual meets where-ever possible, petition the VPA over earlier entry into the high school programs, mini-tournaments within a varsity tournament.....whatever.  We have to tie this program to a weekly event or better yet  bi-weekly ( if we can tie them more closely to dual meets. ) I applaude those schools that run JH tournaments and events, we just need more of them. Anyways for what its worth that is my 2 cents.

At MAU I tried to get an early season JR High jamboree off the ground.  I posted it on this site and also sent emails to every coach I had an address for.  I got virtially no response from VT schools.  It was set for Dec 10th (the first date we could begin to compete).  We had to cancel our event due to a lack of interest and ended up going to Greylock Mass to their event instead.  Guys need to keep plugging away at it, invite some neighboring NY and NH schools when you run a tournament, that way your not wrestling "the same old kids."  NY is a bit tougher in that they are very closely regulated and have to use a "point system", each event is so many points, complicated, but it can be worked out.  For example we travel to NY schools for duals when they already have a league match scheduled.  We wrestle their kids and the other teams kids and it doesn't cost the NY school extra points.  Moving 6th graders in to the JR program would help with numbers and I think help meld the JR High and youth transition.  Also when Varsity and JV travel perhaps they could bring along their JR high kids and arrange for matches prior to the HS event.  May schools don't have full HS lineups, so their should be plenty of time.  Coaches can just email each other a few days prior with the kids weight and abilities and have the match ups all set when they arrive.  Leave it up to the home team coach to do the match ups.  That should get the JR. High kids more mat time and bring them in closer with the JV and Varsity programs.  The "same old" isn't working, we have to get creative and progressive with this, it also keeps the kids fresh.

As a follow-on, I think Jeff has a great idea about setting up Jr. High matches at varsity events.  The mats are set up, the referees are paid, and the fans are (ostensibly) in the stands--how could it be easier?  I'm not sure if there are any VPA restrictions, but it seems as though it is in the VPA's own interest to help Vermont wrestling survive...

Actually at the pre-season state meeting over the spring/summer, we announced it.  Not sure if the information got back to the MS programs.  The MS coaches should make sure that they send a rep to the spring and fall meetings, they have been lightly attended by the MS guys. 

We will again attempt to host a jamboree on the first Saturday of competition if teams are interested.  I may be able to get some out of state schools as well (at least I'll try). 

Doug,

That is the way we have been running our MAU MS Duals every year, very popular.  Could be done mid week.  Reaching over the border to NY and NH would also help you guys up north as well.......