Calendar and Schedule – (subject to change) – have been posted.

Calendar and Match Schedules (with directions links) (subject to change) have been posted.

First Practice!

We had a good turnout and some good energy today! It’s great to be back and to see so many familiar — and some new — faces. Keep the recruiting effort up, as we still need to fill a couple of holes in the lineup, particularly at 103.

Practice will be at 3:30 sharp for the rest of the week, and we’ll be scrimmaging up at Ridgefield HS this Saturday morning from roughly 9:00-12:00. Details on transportation will follow later this week. We should have a complete schedule for the season posted in a day or so.

If you’re new, don’t forget to subscribe to the WHSwrestling.wordpress.com site’s e-mail feature. Click the link here or click below the 3 Captain’s picture on the right, and then click the link in the e-mail the site will generate to confirm. After you do that, every time we post an update here, the site will push it out via e-mail at roughly 11:00 PM. We rely on the site to communicate important changes to schedules, etc., so have your parents sign up too.

If you haven’t gotten your forms and fees in, get them in. No practice without them.

Let’s work hard, and have fun!

Monday’s coming…get your blue cards, etc. in.

We did a count of wrestlers and managers. 38 total so far. That’s great! Keep recruiting, especially among underclassmen. We also did a count of blue cards. That one should have been 38 too, but after double-and triple-checking we only found 13, including one that needs a signature…so really, 12.

Since we are all gentlemen (or ladies, in the case of our 3 managers), we will not use inappropriate language to describe that situation, as much as it might be warranted after having multiple pre-season meetings, web postings, etc. to remind you to get your administrative stuff taken care of so that we can start practicing right away. Once again:

GET YOUR FORMS IN. PAY YOUR ACTIVITY FEES.

Practice is at 3:30 on Monday. Be ready to go.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all the wrestlers, their families and fans: Happy Thanksgiving! Eat well, sleep well, and enjoy your break. We’re looking forward to starting the WHS season on Monday. You have a few more days to relax, and pick up any last minute items you’ll need for our opening day.

Equipment
Some of this is a repeat of some older posts, but for those of you who still need to buy them, check out this link from WrestlingGear.com on how to buy wrestling shoes. Suplay.com has a short video that might be helpful too. Locally, Sports Authority, Dicks, and Modell’s carry wrestling gear. If you’re a first-time buyer, don’t spend a fortune on a high-end pair of shoes. It’s not necessary. $40-$60 is a reasonable price for an decent quality shoe. You’ll also need “regular” running or cross-training shoes for conditioning work, running, and lifting before we get on the mat. By the way, you should never wear your wrestling shoes except when you’re on the mat.

You can find knee pads for volleyball at Wal-Mart in Norwalk which work fine for wrestling. They cost about $9. We recommend picking up a pair because if you bang your knee, putting a pad on afterwards isn’t going to make the ache go away. This is a low-cost item that will save you some aggravation. Specialized knee pads for wrestling are available online and at some of the local sporting goods shops — but the volleyball pads will work and again, there’s no need to spend a fortune on these.

WHS supplies headgear and competition singlets, so there’s no need to purchase those. Check out the Spirit-wear packs the boosters are offering this year as well, if you don’t have sweats, shirts and shorts.

Have braces? Mouth guards are available from Wal-Mart, Sport Authority, etc. but you won’t need them unless you have braces. If you have upper and lower braces, you need a guard that covers both sets. No mouth guard, no wrestling.

Hygiene and Grooming
Buy some soap or body wash and shampoo. Bring a towel to dry off after showering after practice. Plan on showering, quickly, after every practice. Bring your wet towels home and wash them — every day. Wash your workout clothes — every day — and only wear clean, dry clothing to practice. Don’t throw your clothes on the floor and leave them lying on the bottom of your locker. There’s nothing worse than a smelly wrestler…unless its one that has also has a skin condition. Keeping yourself and your clothing clean will keep the team wrestling.

No jewelry — rings, neck chains, earrings, etc. are not allowed. If your hair extends beyond a normal shirt collar, flops over your eyes and hangs past the bottom of your earlobes, get a haircut. There are grooming rules in our sport, and you must follow them. This isn’t critical before the first practice, but it is required before the first competition. Trim your fingernails and shave, if you need to. Your wrestling partners will appreciate that, and you won’t get pulled out during the referee’s pre-match hair and nails check if you take care of this now. We keep a pair of scissors, a razor and shave cream, and nail-clippers in our equipment bag, just in case, but neither coach is an expert barber. We are, however, very creative.

Health
If you have severe allergies or if you’re asthmatic, bring your epi-pen or your inhaler to practice and to meets. If you have an extra, we can hold it for you in the med kits, but if you need them you don’t want to have to call home for them. If you need anything taped, etc., see Courtney in the training room before practice is scheduled to start. Get there early so you’re on time to warm up and help set up for practice.

Administration
Finally, make sure all your forms are in, your WHS Activity fee is paid, and be ready to go on Monday. Coach will give you an update on weight certification, which is a state requirement prior to competition, early next week. Keep recruiting, especially underclassmen. Let’s have a full mat!

Several Big Thank Yous!

Thanks to Les Gutches for his time, energy, and good humor during today’s clinic. We were fortunate to have him…and he was fortunate to have Colin, who took being a demo wrestler for Coach Gutches in good stride. Way to go Colin, you won’t face anyone who’s had as much success in the sport again this season!

Also, thank you to Ted Young, director of the Wilton Youth Wrestling program, who persuaded Les to come in. Congrats to all the Youth Program participants, parents, organizers and supporters! They kicked off their inaugural practice this past week.

Today’s clinic was the first-ever use of our new mat, and we also want to thank all the boosters, fans and friends, along with WHS’s administration and staff for their support of the program.

Wrestling season starts in 8 days! See you on the mat!