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| River Falls Wrestling YOUTH WRESTLING PROGRAM River Falls Wrestling has a wonderful program specifically designed for the experienced as well as the first-time wrestler from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. Students from St. Bridget's, Montessori Academy, Heartland Montessori and home-school programs are highly encouraged to participate. Our youth director brings a wealth of knowledge and his primary purpose is to keep our program on track, keep it fun and help parents understand exactly what is happening, make them comfortable and keep them informed and engaged. In addition, we provide parents with insight and thoughts on our program for later years – in middle school and high school. The certified coaches work on the mat with the kids on technique and skills but keeps things fun keeps things moving along. Throughout the season, guest clinicians and special guests will provide some new perspective and insight to the kids and possibly – the parents as well. 2011 team photograph below. |
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| Youth Wrestling Mission Statement ...It's simple… Our youth wrestling mission is to foster the desire (for youth) to be participants, fans and lifelong supporters of wrestling. Pictured: 6 yr. old - Tony Black as a hefty 42 lb. ball of fire circa 1987. Although an exceptional high school and college wrestling career is behind him, Tony continues to support wrestling currently as the USA Wrestling - manager of state services. Tony and countless other youth wrestling participants have continued to support our club and this sport in many different ways. | 
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Quick Links on This Page |  | Annual Youth Tournament | | Why Wrestle Article | | Bus Trip & Tourney in Baldwin | | Pre-Season Clinic | | Competition Article for Parents | | Youth Regional Tournament | | Nutrition Article | | Free Admission to Home Duals | | Wrestling Fanware Clothing |
| Youth Director | David Black |  | Dave Black oversees the youth program and is in charge of the coaches on the mat. He is the primary contact for everything related about the program: the itinerary, the practices, the schedule, the purpose, events and overall direction. You will see him at most youth practices and at many area high school wrestling events. If you have any questions about wrestling, Dave is the best person to speak with.  715.425.7946
 dave@riverfallswrestling.org
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Practice Details | Start Times Our first practice begins Tuesday January 17, 2012 through Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at the River Falls Armory. Parents are highly encouraged to stay during the 1-hour practice and watch from the sidelines. This is an ideal time to chat with the youth program director about all of your wrestling questions, ideas and thoughts. Same-day registration / sign-up will be available ½ hour before each start time. Cash or checks payable to River Falls Wrestling (no credit cards). No refunds. Group | Grade | Days | Times | Early | Pre-K, K, 1st and 2nd Grade | Tuesday & Thursday | 6:00 - 7:00 PM | Late | 3rd, 4th, 5th Grade | Tuesday & Thursday | 7:00 - 8:00 PM |
Note: if you have an early group wrestler, please respect the athletes by restricting your child from mingling into the later group's practices and visa versa. This is an unnecessary distraction that can easily be avoided.
 
Note: the armory is currently under construction. Practice itself will not be affected; however, there are noticeable inconveniences including no running water and restrooms are outside satellite portable toilets. We will do everything we can to work with the crew to separate construction areas; however, please be very aware that there is construction in the same vicinity as the wrestling mats.
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Activity Overlap? Regardless of the day, we are always overlapping our season and practices with other winter activities. Students that also participate in ski & snowboard club, hockey, winter basketball or any other activity - are absolutely encouraged and allowed to overlap their schedules; just talk with the director. We will not exclude any multi-activity students. |
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| Practice Clothing | What to Wear | After Practice |  | Wrestlers should dress warm when coming and leaving practice. During practice, we recommend wearing shorts, any t-shirt, socks, and clean shoes. Note: no belts, buckles, zippers or buttons on shirts or shorts. In order to maintain as clean of a mat as possible, please carry-in your practice shoes rather than wearing them on your way to practice. We recommend wrestling headgear; however, this is not mandatory. Actual wrestling shoes, headgear, singlets, and kneepads are NOT required and not mandatory. Please bring a great attitude, respect for the coaches and plenty of excitement to practice. After you go home (sweaty or not), please shower and scrub thoroughly with soap. Skin infections are very serious, very contagious and avoidable.
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Youth Wrestling Documents | Must Reads Please invest the time to better understand and to prioritize your commitment to learn about this unique sport. We have provided just a few items that will make your (and your wrestler’s) experience much better.  Registration Checklist - Read First
2012 Youth Registration Form Parent Responsibilities Folkstyle Wrestling Rules & Objectives Summary  "Too Much Too Soon" Article - Kevin Black
| Youth Tournaments-What to Expect Map / Directions to RF Armory (Scroll to Bottom) Health Check Article - Kevin Black Calendar Page Technique Videos: Review & Learn Proper Technique |
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What Actually Happens at Practice? In 2010, the River Falls Wrestling youth program was selected as a pilot program for USA Wrestling’s Folkstyle Wrestling - Core Curriculum Series. Since then, this program was rolled out to the entire country for use in clubs throughout the wrestling community. There is a detailed practice schedule that everyone (including parents) can follow. This assures that through both our head coach Butch Cummings as well as volunteer assistants – everyone is on the same page in terms of specific items to cover, the sequence in which to cover them and the objectives of each session. Feel free to download and follow along. 
| USA Wrestling Coaches Core Curriculum (Level 1 Folkstyle) |
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Snow Days What if School is Cancelled?
If school is cancelled due to weather, we will not have practice that evening at all. If school is let out early due to weather, we will not have practice that evening. If school is delayed in the morning, then we will have practice. WCCO School Closings | | 
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Saturday October 22, 2011 Youth Pre-Season Wrestling Clinic Open Registration Opportunity 10:30 AM until 12:00 PM Located and hosted by Victory School of Wrestling at 125 North Main Street, River Falls, Wisconsin. We have learned that while youth parents still need details on the program, clarification of expectations and help filling in "the blanks", the youth group of wrestlers or potential wrestlers need their own time. Many kids (and their parents) are hesitant to actually register because they just have no idea what to expect. They usually have no concept, a misconception or a different idea of what the amateur wrestling sport can do for them as an individual. This short clinic will help them understand and have a good taste of the sport prior to any commitment. Even after this clinic in October, families will still have almost 3 months to attend three high school meets free, possibly attend and observe the Northern Badger Wrestling Classic (high school varsity tournament) and think about signing up before practices actually start on January 18, 2012. Rather than having the youth group try to wade through our parent information meeting in November, we felt it was better to have a hand's on clinic and registration just for youth (Pre-K through 5th grade). You will meet the coaching staff and youth director. We will have handouts and all the information related to the season at hand. This is not a drop off event. As the kids are attending the clinic, the parents will spend time with the director, the wrestling board and other key individuals. T-short orders will be taken at the same time.
Pizza and pop served at no charge following the event. Contact Dave Black for questions. | 
CAN'T MAKE IT?
This event is not a requirement to participate during the regular season. If you cannot attend the clinic, there are three other easy ways to register. Checks payable to River Falls Wrestling. 1. Mail registration form with check to River Falls Wrestling - PO Box 432, River Falls, WI 54022. 2. On-site at River Falls City Hall (Parks & Recreation department). 3. Same-day registration at the River Falls Armory - ½ hour prior to first practice. |
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Nutrition, Diet, Weight and Health 
Kevin Black has studied this topic extensively and put together a comprehensive easy-to-read guide for parents and wrestlers on this extremely important discussion. Whether you are concerned with diet, what to pack for a lunch for a tournament, what to eat after a match, or ideas on new foods to try. There are many misconceptions on food and diet when it comes to sports and especially wrestling. Kevin has worked with local, regional, national and international wrestling programs and has a great breadth of knowledge on this topic. Health Check Article by Kevin Black Victory School of Wrestling | |
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Why Wrestle? By Dan Gable
The sport of wrestling is a very natural thing for kids to do at a young age. Kids are always wrestling around in the yard or on the carpet in the house. Organized wrestling can bring in an element of safety and has many other benefits as well. Wrestling is a great sport because anybody can do it. Because you wrestle people of your same weight, size is not an issue as it may be in a sport like football or basketball. There are now many opportunities to get involved. All but maybe a couple of states have sanctioned high school state wrestling championships. California, Texas and Hawaii have both a boys and girls high school state wrestling championships. Over the past ten years, the number of girls involved in the sport of wrestling in this country has gone from 300 to 3,700 so it is a sport that is on the rise for young females. One reason wrestling is beneficial to people at a young age is from a self-defense point of view. Kids need to protect themselves from bullies or someone who may jump them on the street. You may be asking, “What are the odds?” Well, pick up a newspaper. You see kids being kidnapped far too often. First kids need to be taught about who you can and cannot talk to and where they can be with whom, but it is also nice to have a little bit of a fight attitude from the point of view of protection. I have daughters and many people ask me if my daughters wrestle. I tell them I teach them just enough for protection purposes. The sport of wrestling also helps young people develop important qualities such as self-esteem, sportsmanship, work ethic and leadership skills. It also helps by instilling a competitive edge. A competitive edge is a real key. You really learn how to compete in wrestling because it is a unique one on one sport. Team sports are great, do not get me wrong, but there are some unique aspects of wrestling that make it stand out. For one, in wrestling you compete at all times. You are playing the game the whole time you are out there. Matches may last six, 7, and up to 9 minutes, but for that short amount of time, you are competing. You do not have to wait for a ball to come to you. There are very few breaks and it takes focus and concentration every second you are out there. There are feelings that take place when you compete. There can be the feeling of not being successful, which can teach you how to overcome adversity and there is the feeling of winning. It only takes winning once to know the feeling and you will want to strive for it again and again. It does not even have to be the feeling of winning an actual match. Sometimes you get a feeling of winning after completing a good hard practice because you pushed yourself and got through it. Dan Gable Biography Gable Wikipedia Article Almost Immortal | |
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Competition :: Some Common Sense is Required.
Our Focus is on Development. Competing in youth tournaments is encouraged but strictly voluntary and is not a requirement of the program. During the season, there are many area (open) tournaments. The club will highlight and select one or two of these tournaments based on level of competition and location and provide coaching and assistance at these events. The purpose of the selected tournaments is that a majority of the “team” can experience this event together. Parents - please do not feel compelled to force your wrestler to compete a lot at this critical level. They will get plenty of competition as they develop and get older; too many kids have so many tournaments and competitions so that by the time they are in high school, they burnout and ultimately quit before they graduate. Not all wrestlers are ready for competition and parents should speak to the youth director when in question of physical and mental readiness. Please do not let your ego override the state of your kid. That being said, families that choose to participate in area tournaments are responsible for their own transportation and applicable fees. The River Falls Wrestling Boosters / Toss & Turn will not pay the entry fee for the selected tournaments mentioned. In addition, you may select additional tournaments at your own expense. Details on what to expect at tournaments may be found in “Youth Tournaments - What to Expect”. At all tournaments and events, every member of this organization (athlete, coach and board member) is expected to maintain a team attitude and adhere to the “Code of Conduct”. It is incumbent on parents that wish for competition and tournaments - to get out and go to them on your own. We support local area wrestling. Check here for a listing of schools that have submitted their information and opportunities for competition at their hosted tournaments. This is not a complete listing; only a listing of those groups that took the time to send us their particular flier and information. A complete listing of are tournaments can be found on Guillotine and Wisconsin Wrestling Online. Each site can be found on the links & media page. Parents - try to carpool or go as a group. This will create friendships and relationships that will solidify in later years and throughout your child's life. In addition, it makes things fun for all. Too Much Too Soon Article (an absolutely must-read) - Kevin Black | |
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Free Admission to Home Duals Youth wrestlers are afforded FREE entry to all three dual home meets this season. Young wrestlers (their parents and siblings) are highly encouraged to come and watch the high school meets. On your way home, be sure to ask them whom they liked the best. Ask them whom they think they wrestle like. Please bring the kids to allow them to become fans of the sport. 
Get the dates set on your calendar to come to the next home event. Definitely invite your child’s best friends to come along. Grab a bag of popcorn and get ready to have fun. Take pictures of your kids at the event. Viewing the sport at this higher level is an excellent learning tool and provides valuable support for our high school athletes. Public support of River Falls Wrestling helps us continue to bring opportunities to the youth. We offer several ways to expose your young athlete to the sport of wrestling at various levels. The River Falls Wrestling Boosters encourage you and your wrestler to support both the middle and high school wrestling programs. Who is free? 2011 wrestlers and all registrants for 2012 are free but parents and siblings do pay the nominal admission fees. | High School Home Duals
Get there before 6:15 PM to watch the junior varsity matches. The varsity matches usually start at 7:00 PM. Meets are usually over around 9:00 PM.
Home Dual Meets - December 1 - Rice Lake - December 15 - Chippwa Falls - January 12 - Eau Claire Memorial Calendar Page |
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Images by Angie Team Photo Night This is a big night for all youth wrestlers. Date, location and additional details are preliminary and yet to be finalized. We are a team and want to capture our wrestling family in a great photo opportunity. Photo pick up will be at one of the last practices.  Order Form. Team photographs only. | |
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2010 Youth Open Photo Album
RF Super Youth Tournament Sunday, February 5, 2012
Every year we host a super tournament. We should conclude mid-afternoon. This is a Folkstyle event. Pre-K up to and including 8th grade. Throughout the season, this event will be a priority focus for entire-team participation. We have adopted and implemented over 20 suggestions and ideas for improvement from the 2010 event. All ideas are to improve the overall quality of every aspect of the tournament. River Falls Youth Open Tournament Flier 2012
Youth Tournaments - What to Expect | |
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Bus Trip :: Youth Open Tournament Date and Details are pending The coaches and the entire team will travel together on school bus to this open youth tournament in Baldwin, Wisconsin. This event is not mandatory; however, it is highly encouraged and will be a great day. Pack a light lunch, something to drink and prepare for fun. The coaching staff will be here to help, assist and coach the kids at this team-building event. Parents can come on the bus or drive separately if they like. Anyone riding on the bus must also return on bus - NO EXCEPTIONS. Call Dave Black for any questions. Baldwin Tournament Flier Youth Tournaments - What to Expect | |
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Wisconsin Wrestling Federation Kids Folkstyle State - Regional Tournament 2nd Saturday in March - Saturday, March 10, 2012 This fantastic tournament is a “qualifier” for the WWF Kids Folkstyle State tournament. Two weeks after the regional tournament, the state tournament begins at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. The top two place winners in each age and weight classes qualify for entry and participation in the state tournament. All wrestlers born 1995 and after are encouraged to participate. This is truly a taste for a higher level of competition and is a large tournament (usually somewhere around 400 kids) held right here in River Falls. Youth wrestlers are encouraged to talk with the coach and director about this tournament. This is one of the critical events of the year where we truly need help from the (youth) parents. For most parents, they have never "worked a mat" or sat in as a table worker. For these unseasoned parents, we are setting up a "Table Worker 101 Station". You will go to a live mat and sit in position. Another experienced worker will literally sit right over your shoulder and walk you through the process of a match - step-by-step. You can ask all the questions and get immediate answers on-the-fly. It is one thing for someone to tell you how to do things, but we feel it is much easier and less intimidating if we can show you how to do things. Coaching will be available but not guaranteed at this event. 
All registration and weigh-ins will be done Friday night March 9th from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm at the regional site; there are no weigh-ins on Saturday at all. Since all weigh-ins will be completed Friday night, wrestling will start at 8:30 am (Saturday) for the youngest 2 boys’ age groups along with all of the girls, and 11:30 am for the oldest 2 boys’ age groups. USA Wrestling cards are required and will be available at the door at each site. Advanced preparation is highly encouraged; plan ahead and send in for one by contacting Wisconsin Wrestling Federation membership secretary Sandy Russell (sandy.russell@wiwrestlingfederation.com) before March 1, 2012. You can also acquire the card online via online the WWF membership page (http://www.wiwrestlingfederation.com/membership-info). Whatever regional site location a wrestler registers and weighs in at, is the physical site they must actually wrestle at; there will be no forwarding of registration and weigh-in information between sites. 2012 WWF Regional Tournament Form - All Details Youth Tournaments - What to Expect WWF (Wisconsin Wrestling Federation) Tournament Information Page Volunteer Sign Up Page | |
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Imaging World River Falls Wrestling Clothing & Fan Apparel 111 East Walnut Street, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022 Get your official River Falls Wrestling Gear. Stop in to talk with Liz about different styles, monograms and naming on any item. Print out the form and bring it down to Imaging World or call 715.425.2864 for additional information. Order Form Imaging World Other Links | |
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Sunday, March 25, 2012 5:00 PM Wrestling Banquet and High School Wrestling Ceremony Location Pending All River Falls Wrestlers (youth, middle school, and alumni) are encouraged and invited - along with their friends and entire families to this event. We also invite all fans, alumni and community members to join us for the great night. The River Falls Wrestling booster club and high school coaching staff will host the end of season wrestling banquet and awards dinner. The evening will include announcements of high school letter winners, conference awards, and team-specific awards such as MVP, teammate of the year, most improved wrestler, most wins, most pins, and most take downs. Scout wrestlers are given special kudos for their extraordinary leadership throughout the season. Special guests of the booster club are acknowledged. Academic honors are acknowledged, fan of the year is announced, and captains are announced. Bring your camera. For the seniors, this will likely be the last time that they are all together for a wrestling-related event. Please bring the whole family and help make this a memorable and special event for all those that have worked so hard. Specific items, awards, acknowledgements subject to change. For those interested in volunteering there is a volunteer committee that can certainly use the additional hands. Contact Justin Bystrom if you are interested in helping at this very special event. Prices Pending. This is not a revenue-generating event for the club. Proceeds simply need to cover the expenses. Cash or checks payable to River Falls Wrestling. Volunteer Sign Up Page | |
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