Capitalizing on the wave which has sparked the growth of youth wrestling on the Peninsula and surrounding parts was easy for the Pin2Win club in Hampton. After all, they were around in the beginning of the movement.
Just ask Janet Williams.
Williams, a fixture at the annual Virginia Duals (she is the secretary of the Peninsula Wrestling Association and the meet), has been with the club since its formation almost 20 years ago.
“In the past, there were a lot of kids and parents who saw wrestling as WWE (professional wrestling), and it was unfortunate.”
For the 35 or so young athletes, aged four to 15, who spend two or three nights a week developing their skills in the wrestling room at Bethel High, the mission to be followed is probably not as flashy as a Ric Flair soundbite, but certainly more meaningful.
Reading from their own statement, the goal of Pin2Win is to “nurture the balanced student-athlete through the personal growth of each wrestler.”
Says Williams,“our philosophy is - the more mat time you’re getting, the better.”
To that end, the club, whose season runs from December to April, is in preparation for one of its two yearly fundraisers. On Saturday, March 1st, the team will host its sixth annual Rookie Open at Bethel High.
“It’s for first and second year wrestlers only and we’re excited about the event,” says Williams. “Last year, we had close to 300 wrestlers compete.”
It’s the personal touch that works best for the Pin2Win group. On a recent holiday Monday, 16 young grapplers filed into practice and began training under the watchful eye of several coaches, led by former Hampton High coach Ron McRae.
For McRae, the decision to take a break from the high school ranks was not too difficult.
“I wanted to spend more time with my family. My son has been wrestling for a few years. I wanted to have time to work specifically with him on the sport. I’m certainly not done with (coaching) high school, but I’d like to be with him until about 7th or 8th grade.”
There is precedent behind McRae’s plan. Head assistant coach Chris Vargo has a son on the team. Also, McRae succeeded John Swartz, who coached the Pin2Win squad until last year before making a full transition to Smithfield High as head coach, a team that also included his son.
Although in Swartz’s case, the move was incidental.
“In all honesty, my son was an incoming freshman and between (us), he was looking forward to wrestling for someone other than his dad as he’d done since he was three years old. Unfortunately for him, I was his JV coach in eighth grade and now his varsity coach in ninth. So much for those plans!”
But it’s the family aspect that keeps Pin2Win successful. In spite of their historical lineage, which includes having future Division I college All-Americans, such as ODU’s Chris Brown, on their roster, a perfect practice would include a group of wrestlers of all ages and genders practicing with near one-to-one instruction.
Adds Williams, “there was one day recently where we had 16 out here with nine parents participating – basically one for each pair. We encourage our parents to get involved.”
The Pin2Win team practices from 6-8 PM at Bethel High. The novice team practices on Tuesday and Thursday, while the advanced wrestlers meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. For more information, the Pin2Win website can be found at http://www.leaguelineup.com/pin2winva.
Just ask Janet Williams.
“In the past, there were a lot of kids and parents who saw wrestling as WWE (professional wrestling), and it was unfortunate.”
For the 35 or so young athletes, aged four to 15, who spend two or three nights a week developing their skills in the wrestling room at Bethel High, the mission to be followed is probably not as flashy as a Ric Flair soundbite, but certainly more meaningful.
Reading from their own statement, the goal of Pin2Win is to “nurture the balanced student-athlete through the personal growth of each wrestler.”
Says Williams,“our philosophy is - the more mat time you’re getting, the better.”
To that end, the club, whose season runs from December to April, is in preparation for one of its two yearly fundraisers. On Saturday, March 1st, the team will host its sixth annual Rookie Open at Bethel High.
“It’s for first and second year wrestlers only and we’re excited about the event,” says Williams. “Last year, we had close to 300 wrestlers compete.”
It’s the personal touch that works best for the Pin2Win group. On a recent holiday Monday, 16 young grapplers filed into practice and began training under the watchful eye of several coaches, led by former Hampton High coach Ron McRae.
For McRae, the decision to take a break from the high school ranks was not too difficult.
“I wanted to spend more time with my family. My son has been wrestling for a few years. I wanted to have time to work specifically with him on the sport. I’m certainly not done with (coaching) high school, but I’d like to be with him until about 7th or 8th grade.”
There is precedent behind McRae’s plan. Head assistant coach Chris Vargo has a son on the team. Also, McRae succeeded John Swartz, who coached the Pin2Win squad until last year before making a full transition to Smithfield High as head coach, a team that also included his son.
Although in Swartz’s case, the move was incidental.
“In all honesty, my son was an incoming freshman and between (us), he was looking forward to wrestling for someone other than his dad as he’d done since he was three years old. Unfortunately for him, I was his JV coach in eighth grade and now his varsity coach in ninth. So much for those plans!”
But it’s the family aspect that keeps Pin2Win successful. In spite of their historical lineage, which includes having future Division I college All-Americans, such as ODU’s Chris Brown, on their roster, a perfect practice would include a group of wrestlers of all ages and genders practicing with near one-to-one instruction.
Adds Williams, “there was one day recently where we had 16 out here with nine parents participating – basically one for each pair. We encourage our parents to get involved.”
The Pin2Win team practices from 6-8 PM at Bethel High. The novice team practices on Tuesday and Thursday, while the advanced wrestlers meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. For more information, the Pin2Win website can be found at http://www.leaguelineup.com/pin2winva.
No comments:
Post a Comment