November 12, 2012

Our wrestling season will begin on November 12, 2012.  I am excited for this up and coming season.  There will be a lot of new faces on this team.  Considering we graduated 8 seniors last year.  out of those 8 seniors; 6 of them have started at one point or another as freshmen.
We have 6 lettermen returning.  Our freshmen and sophomore class could step in and make a lot of noise this year.  They are very hard working and driven individuals.  It is going to be very interesting to see where our line-up is at and where guys are going to mix it up and compete for a spot.

Wrestling is a sport where you have to be driven and want to compete at every angle.  Not just during meets, but during practice, in your classes and your life.  I was talking to a few coaches the other day and we got on the topic of competing and what it takes to be successful.  Success is measured and determined different by everyone.  Everyone in life wants to be successful at some aspect of their life.  But are they willing to do everything in their power to make success happen.  We are a society of individuals that talk about success, but are we willing to compete to be successful.  This video really made sense to me as a person.  The speaker in the video is Eric Thomas.  He is an inspirational speaker that had struggles and learned from them.  He was a high school drop out that has really became a success through his failures.  Not by his triumphs but by his failures.  If you ever need someone to pick you up and help you think, this guy does it.  He speaks with passion and feeling.

One Week away.

With one week from the start to our season.  I thought this would be a great video to watch.  I hope you are as excited for this season as I am.  We will have some new and old faces on the mat.  This year will be the most seniors I have had.  The question will be if they can lead us where we can go.  It all starts with them.  This is their team and how they will be remembered.

Matt Roth on Wrestling

"Some of Matt Roth’s  intensity  can also be attributed to his successful run as a state­ 
champion wrestler in high school. Many coaches, scouts and wrestlers ­turned­ football­ 
players will  laud wrestling for the leverage and quick hands it provides for football. Roth 
credits wrestling for the never­ say ­die attitude it gave him. 
"It’s the attitude. (Wrestling) helps  you with  your hips,  your hands and  your balance, but 
more than anything  it helps  you with  your attitude," he said. "A  lot of these kids that are 
basketball players, we eat those kids up. It’s  just our mentality ­ you’re going to get the 
job done and  you’re going to punish them." 
Roth said  his dream partner on the wrestling  mat would be Ravens LB Ray  Lewis, 
himself  an accomplished high school wrestler." 
­­ By Chris Neubauer, Pro Football  Weekly

Why Wrestle

Summer

With the upcoming summer everyone is busy and deserves a little break.  Time for family, friends and preparing for the upcoming seasons.  I know it is hard to juggle work friends and training.  It is hard to put one above the other, but it has to be done.  If you manage your time and resources all can be accomplished.  We will have open gyms on Tuesday and Thursday nights.  It is an hour that you can put in to get better.  I know you don't think it is much but if you add it up it is only 21 hours out of your summer.  It is two T.V shows a night that you can come and get better.  I have heard a lot of people say isn't wrestling a winter sport.  Yes, it is if you want it to be.  If you want it to be a winter sport it will show.  If you don't think it is a winter sport but a year round approach it will show as well.  Which one do you think will show better results?  I know the answer and have yet to be proven wrong.  Are their athletes that can just show up and perform at a high success rate?  Yep,  but I don't know any of them on our team. 
High school athletics need to be fun.  That is why we participate in them.  I get that, but why not put yourself in the best possible place to have fun.  I have talked to many wrestlers that are winning and have asked them if they are having fun.  Surprisingly their answer is yes.  I have asked wrestlers that are struggling and not winning the matches that they should or losing close matches.  Their answer is usually no.  So I am not saying winning is everything, because it is not.  But performing at the highest level you can is.  Putting yourself in the best possible position to be the best you can is.  That is life, heck we all get beat once in awhile, but dusting ourselves off and getting back after it what wrestlers and competitors do.  Make life fun, make training fun, make competing fun.  Push yourself to point of excellence.  That is a challenge,  never giving up.  Having people say you can't and then showing them you can and did.

UNI Panther

With success and hard work there comes rewards.  Rewards come in a variety of ways; trophies, championships, medals, honors and today a scholarship.  Congratulations to Taylor and his family on earning a scholarship from the University of Northern Iowa.  As of April 18, 2011 Taylor will be wrestling for UNI and Mark Schwab.  Taylor is the first CHS wrestler to wrestle for a division 1 school.  This is a tremendous honor and reflection of the hard work that Taylor has put into his wrestling skills.  Taylor will fit in very well with the UNI program.   The Panthers are going to get a great student and wrestler.  Taylor had a a hard choice in which school he wanted to go to.  In the hunt was Morningside, Grandview, Iowa State and UNI.  Taylor chose UNI because of the staff and where the program was going.  On behalf of the Carroll Wrestling Program we would like to say congrats and thank you to Taylor and his family.  We wish you the best of luck and Go Panthers!!

State!!!!

State wrestling is officially over.  We had the opportunity and pleasure to take two young men down to the state tournament this year.  Cam Knobbe and Taylor Berger.  Cam competed at HWT and Taylor at 160.  We went down Wednesday to get used to the scenery.  Thursday morning we weighed in at 7:00 AM.  Taylor won his first match by tech fall.  Cam lost his first match by decision.  Cam then had to wrestle again.  Cam then lost his second match by fall.  Not the type of tournament that Cam wanted to have.  But a great experience and feeling for Cam and his family.  Cam will return next year and I will bet he will be hungry to repeat as a state qualifier.  Taylor then had to wrestle Friday morning.  Again Taylor came out on top by decision.  Leading up to another match Friday night.  Taylor again became victorious. Setting Taylor up for the Finals.  Taylor wrestled again Saturday night for the State Championship for the second year in row.  Taylor came out a state champion at 160 in Class 3A.  Becoming Carroll's first state champion since 1932.  Congratulations to Taylor and his family. 

I would like to thank my assistant coaches Keaton, Kevin and Brian.  Middle school coaches Marty and Mike.  They have worked very hard this year and are the greatest people to be around.  They say that to be successful you need to surround yourself with great people.  They are correct and I could not ask for a better group of coaches.  Congratulations to them as well as the Carroll Wrestling Program.  This is a victory for everyone that has been involved in this program.  Go Tigers!!!!