• Strategy to move light users to medium users
  • Explain value of competing more often
  • Offer discounted pricing for multiple events
  • Provide recognition at the club and state level for medium users
  • Increase opportunities for novice wrestlers to compete on level playing field
• Strategy to move medium users to heavy users
  • Market previous competitors (alumni) and their paths to their accomplishments
  • Demonstrate the value in traveling and competing in higher level events
  • Dispel myths about regional and national competitions
  • Provide recognition at the state and local level for heavy users
  • Demonstrate the return for the added expenditure
  • Provide opportunities to offset costs

Over the years we have developed a lot of things that worked and some that didn't. We didn't give up on the things that didn't work but figured out why, tweaked them, reworked them or dumped them. The result is a lot of ideas that were put into practice that paid dividends for us. From marketing to club rules to parent tips, all of this stuff has helped. We hope that if you can't use any of this that it at least sparks an idea for you that pays off down the road. READ MORE

found this on a local forum...

all off season long i thrive to get better
to do more this year than a varsity letter
countless sprawls shots and drills
to enhance my awareness and sharpen my skills
now the season is here and its time to shine
my goal is to win it all this time
i could feel it through my veins every second i breathe
that i can dominate my opponents if i only believe
so i shake my foes hand and look him in his eyes
the ref blows the whistle and my jitters just die
every drop of sweat every drip of blood it all boils down to this
i vow this season to begin consistent, ref's will always raise my fist...

authored by nj2mustang

Is wrestling easier today than five years ago? How about ten? Fifteen? Twenty? Technology has given wrestlers, clubs, teams, and families the ability to see wrestling opportunities from coast to coast as well as across their home state. Growth has created more tournament opportunities and state organizations often face the enviable task of whether to sanction two or more events every weekend. Visibility and growth have created more choices for wrestlers and clubs. Has this made wrestling easier or is it harder to decide which competition to attend? Throw online registration statuses in the mix and you have another visible factor in the decision making process.

So is wrestling easier today than five years ago? This question prompted us to try and prove the answer is yes.

Here is our solution to make wrestling easier this December.

1. Five match guarantee
2. Satellite weigh in
3. Economical entry fee
4. Positive environment

These four things make wrestling easy. Need more? Check out the Moore County Scramble for details.

LINK TO EBAY AUCTION

These all leather converse wrestling shoes are circa 1972 (estimated). They have never been worn and still have the tag on them.\ They are in excellent condition and are undoubtedly collectible. There are two cosmetic imperfections which are visible in the picture the leather on the rear upper and the interior of the collar are cracked and peeling from being in storage for 30 years. These shoes were donated for auction to benefit the Friends of North Carolina High School Wrestling efforts to purchase custom medals for the 2011 NCHSAA State Individual Wrestling Championships.

TWO DAYS LEFT!!!

It is the end of September and the sports media is all about football. The obligatory article about volleyball and other high school sports dot the sports pages but football dominates.

Stories about wrestling...not many, believe me I know. I get them delivered to my inbox daily and then I post them on a very popular forum in NC (www.ncwrestlingscoutreport.com) to share with the community. I haven't posted an article since 3 September and that was about a coach being honored. This week three North Carolina wrestlers commited to or were accepted to the Naval Academy and a fourth committed to Penn State. This is a big deal here, heck it should be a big deal anywhere. Military Academy's are very tough to get into and it is an honor to be accepted and honourable to commit to the Service of our Nation. I haven't seen anything in the news, of course that doesn't mean there hasn't been anything written. And yes, I know that the media usually waits for the signing ceremony for publicity but come on, this is North Carolina's second wrestler to commit to a Big Ten school. That makes this pretty darn historic. For those of you that don't know the Big Ten is college wrestling.

It wasn't that long ago I wrote about publicizing your own programs. If you don't understand why you should publicize your program, team, or club; youth, high school, or college; please stop reading you probably should get back to doing whatever it is you were doing.

So wrestling news is slow but that doesn't mean that there isn't wrestling news, particulary here in the great state of North Carolina. The Super 32 isn't around the corner anymore it is right in front of us and our Nation's best will converge in Greensboro, NC to compete. We had four BIG commitments to collegiate programs. Parkland High School is perched to stretch their record holding dual win streak to new heights as well as defend their dual team and individual state championship titles for the fifth straight time and the second time after moving up from 3A to 4A. There are numerous clubs and high schools accomplishing things worth publishing. Our state affiliate of the national governing body just had some significant changes in its leadership and revalidated its commitment to folkstyle wrestling (which was a big change in the middle of last season).

So there is plenty of wrestling news but not enough of it being published. The answer is simple; write you own stuff! It is not hard and it does not take a bunch of time. Write it and send it to every reporter or media outlet's email address in your area, be sure to include a note that says you don't need a by line and they can modify the content as needed for a story. You may not make the front page of the sports section but that shouldn't bother you. Get one person or outlet to publish it and then send that link to everyone you know (including your principal and AD). Take advantage of local and national media blogs and post away, by the way they are free.

There are 32 days until the first day of high school wrestling in North Carolina. Don't wait until 1 November for your wrestling news, get it out now.

<originally posted at Team Rhino LLC>

LINK TO EBAY AUCTION

These all leather converse wrestling shoes are circa 1972 (estimated). They have never been worn and still have the tag on them. They are approximately size 13. They are in excellent condition and are undoubtedly collectible.

There are two cosmetic imperfections which are visible in the picture the leather on the rear upper and the interior of the collar are cracked and peeling from being in storage for 30 years.

These shoes were donated for auction to benefit the Friends of North Carolina High School Wrestling efforts to purchase custom medals for the 2011 NCHSAA State Individual Wrestling Championships.

As we prepare to enter into this wrestling season, a lot will be placed on the line week after week. Invariably, someone will feel they have been wronged, violated, impuned, or otherwise unjustly treated. Tempers will flair, things will be said, words exchanged, and punches thrown. Conversely, a lot of positive things will happen as well and I hope they are publicized appropriately.

For many of us in the wrestling community, particularly here in the "Old North State", we are painfully aware of the sacrifices made daily in another subculture.
Today, more than others, I found myself putting my life and the life of my family in context as I read of the sacrifice of a 24 year old young man and his family. I encourage you to read the attached biography and not focus on the cause of the sacrifice but the sacrifice itself. Then look a little deeper and realize that in the six years this young man had been in our Army, he had completed five combat tours, and was on his sixth.

The attached is a simple biography, however, I am sure that when you read this and take the time to reflect on it, you will find a way to appreciate all the opportunities in front of you this season. And when challenges present themselves this year, and they will, I hope this helps you keep them in context and handle them positively.

Attachment

Good morning Coaches, Wrestlers, and Wrestling Fans. We need your help.

Last year we included women's and girls' folkstyle divisions in our dual event. We even waived entry fee. Only one girls' team registered. This year we did not plan on including a female division until we were approached by a couple of coaches and parents who requested we do so. We are all for supporting grassroots efforts for wrestling so we are including the division this year and are waiving the entry fee again to help offset travel costs. If you know of any team, club, state, etc. that may be interested in attending please have them contact us immediately at the nationaldualsdirector@rhinowrestling.org. Thanks and "Never Quit".

http://nationalduals.rhinowrestling.org/national_duals/nationalduals.html

~ Marty Bartram

After qualifying 11 of 14 wrestlers for the NCHSAA 3A State Championships in 2009 from a young team, the apparent big preseason story for the Vikings is starting the 2010 season with 7 returning state qualifiers including two transfer student athletes. However, if you look a little deeper, there is something going on behind the scenes. A quiet revolution in Moore County is brewing and Coach Matt Ragsdale is leading the way.

The revolution is the development of a district wide wrestling program built from a foundation of highly qualified young coaches. First Coach Brian Gray was hired as a Math teacher and assistant wrestling coach. Coach Gray wrestled for James Madison University where he was a four-year starter. Coach Gray was the head coach at Alfred State College and was a New York high school state champion. Another stone was laid in 2008 with the hiring of Coach Chris Vondruska as a Social Studies teacher and assistant wrestling coach at Union Pines High School. Coach Vondruska was a two-time NCAA Qualifier and two-time NWCA Academic All-American while in college at Hofstra and Ohio State. The National Wrestling Coaches’ Association named Vondruska the 2009-2010 North Carolina Assistant Coach of the Year, one of the most prestigious honors in the nation for a high school assistant coach. Coach Vondruska is also the head coach of the Copperheads Wrestling Club, a youth wrestling club serving Kindergarten through High School aged wrestlers from Moore and neighboring counties.

Coach John Lowery was hired over the summer as an English Teacher and head wrestling coach at Crain’s Creek Middle School. Coach Lowery is a graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School, one of the premier wrestling programs in the nation. At Walsh Jesuit, Coach Lowery was a two-time Ohio state placer finishing fifth and second as well as a two-time high school All American on Team Ohio’s national championship teams. Lowery’s collegiate wrestling career includes two years at the Virginia Military Institute as a varsity wrestler and co-captain and two years at Campbellsville University where he was a two-time NAIA national qualifier. Coach Lowery was the NAACP 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year. Coach Lowery is looking forward to his first year at Crain’s Creek, Moore County’s new middle school as well as coaching with the Copperheads Wrestling Club.

Coach Ragsdale says, “The 2010-2011 season is going to be another breakout season for Union Pines.  We have been very busy this off-season and once again we expect it to pay off.  We are looking for short term success with the additions of our coaching staff but it will surely help in the long run.”