What do the best wrestling programs in the country have in common?

[ccbig]

Being from Minnesota I have watched Apple Valley's success for many years.

 

Recruiting - The teams that are among the best in the nation do not have to recruit wrestlers. Wrestlers and their parents will come to those teams on their own just like parents search out the best schools for academics and neighborhoods to feel safe and reside. This happens for coaches too. Young talented coaches will want to be a part of a winning program. Once a program has a winning reputation it is often a self fulfilling circle to stay that way.

 

Feeder Programs - To be able to reload year after year a strong youth program & middle school program keeps a high school program strong year after year.

 

Parent & community/school involvement - Parents willing to volunteer for fundraisers, working tourneys, being refs, table workers, coaching youth. Communities & schools offering practice and event space etc, helping to promote the sport within the community. The is never enough funds for everything. Without unpaid volunteers a program is doomed.

 

Commitment from the organization to being a year round activity is also key. A program that is only active during the folkstyle season will not be as successful as programs that wrestle all 3 styles of wrestling including freestyle & greco and wrestle the whole year round.

 

Coaches - Coaches must have passion/enthusiasm, understand that coaching is often a 24 hour a day job and be able and willing to delegate some duties to other coaches and to their volunteers and the really lucky coaches will have a very understanding and supportive spouse.

 

 

[Ahawkeye]

Anyone stating recruiting is the reason MD is a top team is just plain WRONG . We've been through this a 1000 times those guys are home grown. There may be a couple of move in's, but year in and year out it's the same names. I can't speak for other teams in the state but I can say that the other Evansville schools aren't calling foul. If MD was recruiting I think Evansville Reitz would be throwing a fit, especialy with the streingth of the teams they've had lately with another strong team this year.

[Y2CJ41]

Mater Dei MUST recruit or else they would not have any students in their school.  They must promote that their school has unparelleled academics along with other great extraciricular activies for their students.  Just like Bishop Luers, Bishop Dwenger, Cathedral, Roncalli, etc, all private or parochial schools must recruit their students in some way, shape or form or else they will have to close down.  Mater Dei has no district boundaries and if someone from Merrillville wants to drive to Evansville every day to go to Mater Dei they can. 

 

By no means is Mater Dei doing anything illegal per the IHSAA, but you need to take your head out of the sand if you don't believe that recruiting of students doesn't take place.  Sometimes the recruiting is easier when parents, aunts and uncles have attended the school and they keep coming back because of a great experience. 

 

Mater Dei's recruit is by no means on the level of teams like Blair, St. Eds, St. Paris Graham, etc.  MD's recruiting area comes from the greater Evansville area, while those other schools tend to draw athletes from a greater distance.

[MattM]

Now that we have changed this thing into a recruiting thread.   ;D

 

MD does have an designated diocese district of the west side of Evansville where they get student from.  Somewhere towards the east part of Evansville is the Reitz district.  However, how closely they follow these parameters is something I can't answer.  

 

I would agree that the major national power are usually private schools, in some cases even have arrangements for boarding student who travel long distances.  In other cases they may be from public schools in large metropolitan areas in states where the athletic boards don't worry to much about the details of whats happening.

[Ahawkeye]

Mater Dei MUST recruit or else they would not have any students in their school.  They must promote that their school has unparelleled academics along with other great extraciricular activies for their students.  Just like Bishop Luers, Bishop Dwenger, Cathedral, Roncalli, etc, all private or parochial schools must recruit their students in some way, shape or form or else they will have to close down.  Mater Dei has no district boundaries and if someone from Merrillville wants to drive to Evansville every day to go to Mater Dei they can. 

 

By no means is Mater Dei doing anything illegal per the IHSAA, but you need to take your head out of the sand if you don't believe that recruiting of students doesn't take place.  Sometimes the recruiting is easier when parents, aunts and uncles have attended the school and they keep coming back because of a great experience. 

 

Mater Dei's recruit is by no means on the level of teams like Blair, St. Eds, St. Paris Graham, etc.  MD's recruiting area comes from the greater Evansville area, while those other schools tend to draw athletes from a greater distance.

I can take that answer ..... somewhat but to call it recruiting I think would be false. I never had anyone knocking on my door or sending me letters asking me to attend. Not that I was a state caliber wrestler but I was a wrestler none the less. This may be your sight but I'm gonna go ahead and say you are wrong on the "Scrlet Letter" you're sewing on to those MD singlets. Those 5th 6th 7th and 8th graders already know where they're going to highschool.

[maligned]

Being from Minnesota I have watched Apple Valley's success for many years.

 

Recruiting - The teams that are among the best in the nation do not have to recruit wrestlers. Wrestlers and their parents will come to those teams on their own just like parents search out the best schools for academics and neighborhoods to feel safe and reside. This happens for coaches too. Young talented coaches will want to be a part of a winning program. Once a program has a winning reputation it is often a self fulfilling circle to stay that way.

 

Feeder Programs - To be able to reload year after year a strong youth program & middle school program keeps a high school program strong year after year.

 

Parent & community/school involvement - Parents willing to volunteer for fundraisers, working tourneys, being refs, table workers, coaching youth. Communities & schools offering practice and event space etc, helping to promote the sport within the community. The is never enough funds for everything. Without unpaid volunteers a program is doomed.

 

Commitment from the organization to being a year round activity is also key. A program that is only active during the folkstyle season will not be as successful as programs that wrestle all 3 styles of wrestling including freestyle & greco and wrestle the whole year round.

 

Coaches - Coaches must have passion/enthusiasm, understand that coaching is often a 24 hour a day job and be able and willing to delegate some duties to other coaches and to their volunteers and the really lucky coaches will have a very understanding and supportive spouse.

 

 

 

I must confess I don't know the Apple Valley situation well.  I was speaking in general terms concerning the well-known nature of Blair, St. P.G., St. Ed's.  With that said, your analysis is strong, and I know you're absolutely right that the quality of the program attracts top kids--even where recruiting is officially permitted and carried out.

 

ahawkeye:

I'm the one that's been mentioning recruiting as a tool for top programs, and I clearly stated I'm not talking about Indiana.  I'm talking about the aforementioned national superpowers who are free to recruit and do it well.  I think you only read ccbig's comment and assumed someone had attacked MD--again. 

[Y2CJ41]

I can take that answer ..... somewhat but to call it recruiting I think would be false.

You can call it whatever you want, but in plain terms Mater Dei must recruit students to the school.  It isn't necessarily illegal recruiting of a coach knocking on doors and talking to all the stud athletes and enticing them to come to their school.  instead MD is selling that they have great academics(95% college admission, 99% graduation rate, etc), have faith based classes and great extra ciricular activies like sports and band and such.  You can call it selling, recruiting, showing off, etc, but they have to have a way to entice parents to pony up the money to attend the school.

 

I never had anyone knocking on my door or sending me letters asking me to attend. Not that I was a state caliber wrestler but I was a wrestler none the less.  This may be your sight but I'm gonna go ahead and say you are wrong on the "Scrlet Letter" you're sewing on to those MD singlets. Those 5th 6th 7th and 8th graders already know where they're going to highschool.

Everyone of the middle school kids in Garrett know exactly where they will be going to high school.  The recruiting of the students at Mater Dei doesn't take place in middle school, but obviously a lot earlier when they sell them at the elementary level.  Obviously if the parents/kids have great experiences at the elementary they are going to continue to pony up the money each year.  Even if the parents and grandparents went to Mater Dei and their feeder schools, they would not be sending their kids there if they did not have a great experience.  If Mater Dei had poor teachers, poor school environments, poor academics, then no one would keep going to the school.  Many times the selling of the school takes very little if any effort other than the history and reputation of the school.