WHAT DOES MY ATHLETE WEAR TO PRACTICE?
Practice attire can vary. We require two special pieces of gear, wrestling shoes and headgear. After that shorts and a tee shirt is fine.
WHERE CAN I FIND WRESTLING SHOES AND HEADGEAR
Someday we may get a team distributor but for now google will lend the best source for shoes and headgear. The cheapest option is perfectly fine. Especially for first year wrestlers. Shoes won’t make them better and all headgear works.
As far as fit, shoes should go right up to the toe. So next year you’ll be buying another pair.
WHAT WILL THEY WEAR DURING COMPETITION?
At some point we ask you purchase something with your teams name on it. We will offer two types of uniforms in the team store, a singlet or a two piece.
A singlet is the classic wrestler attire (seen above). About 75% of kids will be found in a singlet at competition. The other 25% will be in shorts and a compression shirt. These clothes are tight! They are not meant to be worn outside of competition.
When arriving at an event your athlete will wear their uniform with layers over the top. Because our season is winter we suggest you have a singlet, shorts, a tee shirt and warm clothes over that. So when you arrive you can walk around in the hot gym in shorts and a shirt covering your uniform.
WHAT IS THE WRESTLING SEASON
We offer four seasons. But when people talk about THE “wrestling season”, they are referring to the Winter season. This season runs from the week after Thanksgiving, till about early to mid March. It involves a regular practice schedule, regular competitions, and ends in a State Tournament Series and Regional Championship.
There are multiple styles to wrestling. In the Winter Season the United States focuses on Folkstyle. A style only used here. In the Spring we move to the Olympic Styles, Greco Roman and Freestyle. These are practiced around the world and are what our Senior level team competes in during the Olympics and World Championships. We end this season by offering the kids the opportunity to qualify for the Massachusetts National Team going to US National Championships in Fargo!
In the summer we focus on getting in shape or staying in shape. With hard work outs and drill sessions the kids are focused on building strength and cardio.
Finally the Fall season prepares the kids for the mat in the Winter. We hone in on drills and exercises specifically designed to improve the kids own arsenal. These practices prepare you for the podium!
In each season the youth group and beginner group is there to have fun and learn or reinforce the basics.
WHAT KIND OF COMPETITIONS WILL MY ATHLETE PARTICIPATE IN AND HOW WILL MY ATHLETE BE MATCHED UP DURING THE SEASON FOR COMPETITION?
There is a lot to this question and every coach we work with is specifically chosen to help build a strong community.
First competitions are broken into a few different types; dual meets, tournaments and scrambles. A Dual Meet is when two teams compete directly against each other. With weight classes and age groups athletes represent their program by going out on the mat. When on the mat they are alone against their competitor. Depending on how the match is won is how many points they score for the team! Pins are the best!
Tournaments are when multiple teams come in and have a formal competition to see who is the best. Weights and Age groups separate the athletes into brackets or what is called a round robin. In a bracket athletes will progress as they win. Tournaments are often double elimination meaning they have to lose twice to be out. Round Robin is when 4 to 5 athletes are in a bracket and they each wrestle each other throughout the day. In both tournament styles depending on how your athlete finishes is how many points scored for the team.
Scrambles are less formal competitions. Often times coaches separate athletes by age, weight and skill level and just try to get as many matches with other kids in the room. These don’t have team winners and losers but instead are designed to get as many kids as much experience as possible.