The Takedown Newsletter * 02.23.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
02.23.09 Volume 01- Issue 13

WHS Coach Pederson Submits Resignation: After taking the position of head coach, on short notice and completing just one season of coaching the Panthers, Coach Mark Pederson submitted his resignation to WHS Athletic Coordinator Tony Villarreal and WISD Athletic Director Oscar Riojas, the week of February 12, 2009. Pederson stepped down due to health reasons. The Takedown takes this opportunity to thank Coach Pederson for the time and effort he put into training and coaching our wrestlers. We wish Coach Pederson continued success in his future endeavors; it was a pleasure assisting you and the team this year.

Suggestions for the Wrestling Coach Position: Head Wrestling Coach Job Qualifications: An experienced wrestling coach who will be responsible organizing and directing a training program to develop the team to its fullest potential and to play a leadership role in the continued development of the high school team, and implementation of a middle school team, in terms of recruitment, promotion, teaching, motivation and competition.. Must be able to work as a team leader, and coordinate program with the building wide academic and co-curricular programs. Should have experience in supervising the team at all practice sessions, setting up and conducting wrestling meets and tournaments, and have current CPR and First Aid certification. Must have or be willing to obtain Texas teaching and coaching certification, with a current teaching credential in any subject area.

Job Description: The coach will be responsible for training athletes and preparing them for inter-scholastic competition; will implement a coaching philosophy that promotes the expectations of high school athletics; will be responsible for program inventory, ordering, program budget, and program evaluation; will enforce discipline, nurture student needs, model sportsman-like behavior at all times, and implement a middle school program that will feed into the high school program. Applicant will work within the UIL and WISD rules and philosophy for extracurricular activities as stated in the UIL and WISD manuals. Work under direct supervision of the WHS Athletic Coordinator. Varsity coaching experience in wrestling required.

Assistant Wrestling Coach: Primary duty will be to assist in coaching a varsity team and help develop a middle school program. Duties will include supervising the team at all practice sessions/games as assigned by the Head Coach. The Assistant Coach will be expected to assist in organizing and directing a training program to develop the team to its fullest potential and to play a leadership role in development of the team in terms of recruitment, promotion, teaching, motivation and competition. The Assistant Coach will coordinate duties and responsibilities with the Head Coach and other support personnel (managers, scorekeepers, etc). The dates of final coaching responsibilities are determined by post-season tournament competition.

4 Seniors Complete Their Final Year of Wrestling: Robert Martinez (2nd Yr.–215), Michael Torres (1st Yr.–189), Josh Smillie (1st Yr.–130), and Monica Martinez (1st Yr.–119) have completed their final matches. We wish them well in their future endeavors.

Off-Season Plan to be Successful Next Year: Now that the season is over many of you may be sitting around sulking in your own self pity for the way it ended. Well this is your wakeup call! Your opponents are out there right now planning for next season; so the question is: What are you going to do about it? You have a couple of options: you can go back and sit in front of the TV and play X-Box 360 or you can get up and get a piece of paper and plan out the next 8 months and start training for the 2009/2010 season.

1. I want to get better, what can I do? Practice 3 to 4 times a week. Make sure you are drilling mostly and wrestling the rest of the time. Going to open gym is important, but you need to be really putting in the time towards drilling. For example, you want a good single leg by next year. They statistics say that to have an effective takedown you need to have drilled it correctly 20,000 times. That seems like a lot but break it down. Doing 100 takedowns correctly (only choose one like a single leg) will take you about 30 minutes a practice. So that’s 200 practices, better get started. If you just go out there and wrestle you will pick up moves a lot slower and learn bad positions as well. So Drill!

2. I don’t have much experience? Go to as many tournaments in the off-season as you can. You should get a minimum of 50 matches before next season. If you get on average 4 matches a tournament, that’s 12.5 tournaments (or one tournament every 2 to 3 weeks) to reach 50. This is tough, but not impossible to do. The nearest tournaments are in San Antonio and Austin; it requires a commitment of time and money. It might be possible to put together a “valley team” so that we can share the experience and help our part of the region grow stronger.

3. I don’t have a ride. Understandable, but don’t let that stop you! Set a plan and make it happen. Plan to come at least 1 to 2 days a week to the gym and make it to a tournament every 2 to 3 weeks. That’s really not too much to ask from your parents and if you can get a ride from a senior (or junior) who has a license, even better. Car pooling is an option as well.

4. What tournaments should I go to? Definitely mix it up; go to some local and some that are further away and more competitive. If you keep wrestling the same guys over and over again all summer and pinning them your progress will be very slow. You need to wrestle people who can beat you and you can work and improve to beat. Rides are a factor but if you commit to making it to an out of town tournament at least once every four to six weeks, that will help.

5. Should I go to a wrestling camp this summer? Camps are great; you get exposed to other styles of wrestling, wrestlers from all over the nation, and have a lot of fun. You can also go workout at the gym consistently and also get someone local, one of our alumni wrestlers, who you can drill with.

6. Should I be maintaining my weight in the off season? Not really. Don’t go crazy and eat taquitos, barabcoa, and other fattening things because you can all the time. Workout a lot, wrestle and lift and eat healthy. Don’t forget to treat yourself every now and then with things you love, for example fajitas, milkshake, etc. You should really focus on perfecting your technique, 2 leg attack takedowns, 1 defensive takedown like a front headlock, 2 moves to get off bottom, and two moves on top. Practice that over and over and over again. Avoid learning low level moves solely because they are cool looking.

7. I’m not as strong as the other wrestlers. First off you need to lift 3 to 4 times a week. It’s essential. Three days a week you should be doing the same routine and lifting legs. Exercises are Front Squats, Radial Dead Lifts, and Plate lunges. That will be enough for your upper body as well but it won’t hurt to do at least 100 push-ups and at least 20 pull-ups every time you work out. For those in the athletic period, you should consult with a coach to set up an off-season workout plan.

8. Can I really be as good as some of these other guys that went to state? YES!!! First of all, you have to stop saying that you can’t. And all of you that say you can but don’t do anything about it; you need to get to work. It may seem at times overwhelming or impossible. The reason is probably because you don’t have a plan. Set a plan, put it in writing, look at it every day, and note your progress daily. Make some goals for the off season and for next season. Figure out how you are going to achieve them and then put it into action. Want to be a champion! Then start acting like one!

North Texas Schools Start Training For Next Year!

Club Rock Star will begin their four month spring/summer training on Monday March 9th, 2009. Coaches include Stars Wrestling coaches and Texas National Junior Team coaches Shawn Wilson and Tommy Goodman as well as Pennsylvania standout Cameron Plocus. Coach Plocus is one of the premier youth and high school coaches in the United States and has recently moved to the Dallas area. Cameron’s credits include more national team titles in the schoolboy, cadet and junior division than any other coach in the nation and he has been sought out by many of the top college recruits and high school standouts. Cameron brings a whole new level of instruction that will compliment Shawn and Tommy and give Club Rock Star wrestlers an unmatched edge when they step on the mat!

Practice will be held at Lewisville High School wrestling room on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 and will focus on technique, conditioning and strength. The spring/summer season will run from March 9th - June 25th. There will be 3 practices per week. TUITION: $550.00; Less than $11.50 per practice; $7.64 per hour. 72 total hours of practice.
As one website reader noted: Wow! That is huge news. The rich get richer (not meant to be a complaint, just a bit jealous!)

King of the Mat Slates Return to Valley this Summer: A post on Inside Texas Wrestling on February 19, 2009, stated that “King of the Mat Tournament Series” is set to return to the Rio Grande Valley this summer. Additional information is expected in the near future. The one response to this post is from Coach James Pembrook of Sharyland High School who is offering the use of his gym for this event.

State Tournament on Tap this Weekend in Austin: Ninety-eight high schools will be represented at the state wrestling tournament this weekend at the Delco Center in Austin. The brackets have been set and can be viewed at the UIL State Tournament Wrestling website. The Rio Grande Valley will be represented by twenty-two wrestlers – ten boys and twelve girls. The brackets list the following seeds: David Diaz, McAllen Rowe – 103, 9th seed; Chris Madsen, McAllen Rowe – 145, 5th seed; Frank Rivera, La Joya – 152, 16th seed; Jacob Sandoval, PSJA-Memorial – 152, 10th seed; Albert Velez, La Joya – 160, 2nd seed; Sam Mangum, McHi – 180, 8th seed; Jose Gonzalez, La Joya – Juarez-Lincoln – 189; 9th seed; Chris Hernandez, La Joya – 189; 5th seed; Joe Alvarez, La Joya – 285, seeded 1st; and Scott Inskeep, McHi – 285, seeded 7th. Good Luck to all.

Wrestling doesn't build character -- it reveals it.