Crimson Wrestlers and Families-

Well that’s a wrap. We closed out the 2021 Crimson season with the Section tournament on Wednesday followed by the State Preliminary Tournament Saturday. We had ten wrestlers (Connor P., Eddie K., Thomas S., Noah B., Grant S., Charlie R., Mason C., Nick W., Landon D. Bryce T.) compete Wednesday. All gave their best effort with 8 wrestlers who would have been considered section place winner in a traditional season. Connor qualified for the Section finals, while Eddie and Thomas each qualified for Saturday’s State Prelims by qualifying for the 3rd/4th place match. Each wrestler should be proud of the way they battled.

With a trip to the final eight and the state finals on the line - Connor, Eddie, and Thomas competed as well as they have all season. Connor finished fourth, making him a top 16 wrestler in the state (traditionally a state entrant) as a 7th grader! Eddie would have been wrestling for 5th (had they wrestled the 5th/6th place match).

I am so proud of our wrestlers who chose to make the most of this unique and hopefully one-of-a-kind-season. There was nothing easy about this season. We started late, practiced most of the season in a new environment, participation was basically cut in half, Covid protocols changed the way we’ve traditionally done things, etc. During the season we suffered injuries (wrestling and otherwise), positive cases, a two-week-shutdowns, return to play protocols, and more. Through it all we stayed positive, overcame, and developed character. Everyone improved this season, competed hard, and finished strong. In the end it’s all about growth (wrestling and personal) and in that regard we were as successful as anyone! I feel very blessed to have been able to experience the crazy journey of this season with the wrestlers and coaches in the Crimson program.

Also congratulations to our five Crimson wrestlers who competed at 9th grade state today. Very impressive to see our athletes already seeking out additional opportunities to get on the mat and make themselves better! The tournament is not over as of this writing but by the sounds of it some really good things happened there today.

This week we will have our equipment turn in and end of season meeting. We are also hoping to have a fun little get together to close out this crazy season with some fun.

Here are the other details for the week:

Weekly Schedule:

Tuesday, 3.23.21 – Attempting to book some lanes for team bowling at Sundance at 4p. Further details to come.

Wednesday, 3.24.21 - End of season equipment check-in, and team meeting. The team meeting will begin at 3:15p and include voting for season awards as well as offseason information for our non-seniors. Parents are invited to attend this meeting as well if they would like to hear about the offseason opportunities as well. Otherwise all wrestlers will receive a packet of information as well.

Two opportunities that I know will be covered are starting shortly:
1. Freestyle and Greco with Grynd Wrestling at STMA High School on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 6:30p – 8p. This starts on March 30th and runs through May 13th. Cost is $175 for the entire season and will be a great way to improve for any Crimson wrestler interested in taking advantage of the opportunity. More information can be found here:

https://docs.google.com/…/1yurAmPvalPnsqEi6H_Ltsl…/viewform…

2. 2021 MN/USAW Freestyle and Greco Open Practice Nights - $10/practice (plus purchase of a MN/USA card)
Dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays,
March 23rd through May 13th 2021
Session times: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Coaches will be from a pool of well qualified coaches involved with MN/USA Wrestling
Practice Information & Details - https://cdn3.sportngin.com/…/2021_MNUSAW_FS-GR_Practice_Nig…

Both opportunities start soon and will be a great way to jump start your offseason for any wrestler who is excited about making big gains between now and next season.

I think that’s it for now.

Let me know if anyone has any questions.