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Crimson Wrestlers, Managers, and Families-
Week Four Recap:
Due to the weather Redwood made some significant adjustments to their schedule. In the practice room we do our best to prepare our athletes for the inevitable sudden changes that happen in a wrestling match or in life. This was a real-life opportunity to navigate sudden change and I’m happy to say I think we made the most of it.
Despite the change to a one-day tournament there was A Lot of wrestling in that one day. The wrestling went smoother than I would have anticipated and the adjusted schedule actually gave our wrestlers a little more time to bond and create the team camaraderie that are a big part of these out-of-town adventures. I am so thankful that we are able to make this trip work financially every season as I know it’s a big investment for the booster club – but in my opinion it’s worth it. Luckily, we have many people who contribute to the Maple Grove Youth and High School tournaments, our team program, our online fundraiser, and other efforts that make things like this possible!
The wrestling at the Riot is great for all of our wrestlers. The Varsity portion brings 35 teams together which leads to elite level wrestlers at every weight class. Of our nine varsity wrestlers, five of them finished either 3-1 or 4-1. Senior Max Johnson and Sophomore Ben Schultz both looked impressive as they made their way through the best wrestlers on their side of their brackets – qualifying for the finals and eventually finishing second (Max as the third seed and Ben as the sixth seed. Alex True, Connor Peterson, and Thomas Schlangen also all won their perspective consolation brackets. Great job guys!
Friday night the 9th grade team was able to compete in two 9th grade duals. The boys wrestled hard and showed some significant recent improvements. Alex Fox led way for the team – by finishing 2-0 on the night.
On Saturday the entire JV got an opportunity to compete in three matches with the wrestlers being split up by grade (another awesome aspect to this tournament)! We had two JV Champs on the day (Noah Fox and Ayden Gunville) along with many others who won two of their three matches and others who won matches for the first time this season! The first-year guys are really starting to make noticeable progress out and its fun to watch. Keep up the great work guys!
In general, we wrestled well and showed considerable improvement on all levels. We also left the tournament with a clear focus of the things we need to work on – which is ideal.
The wrestling is only one of many important aspects of this experience. It’s fun to see a team start to come together as one – and that’s what I see happening here. They wrestled well and the value of the relationships that were built cannot be overstated.
Here are the details you'll need for the two weeks ahead.
Practices:
The Christmas break is a great opportunity for our team to shore up some weaknesses and improve on our strengths. We’ve consistently been able to come out of the break with our athletes competing at their highest levels and I’m expecting that will be the case again this year. Starting now the season gets a lot more dual meet intensive – with only three more individual tournaments remaining on our regular season schedule.
The goal with practices over Christmas Break is to offer each of our wrestlers an opportunity to grow their technique, improve their conditioning, and gain strength. I realize some families will not be in town for parts of break – and we understanding of family travel plans. Practices missed due to being out of town are excused if they communicate directly with myself or Coach L. I would also encourage these wrestlers to try and find ways to stay in shape and potentially seek out some mat time at the local high school wherever the travels may bring them. NOTE: If JV wrestlers know they will be out of town during some of the afternoon practices I would encourage them to attend the morning and afternoon practices on the days they are in town.
Those who are in the area will have ample opportunity to improve in all facets. I’m already looking forward to seeing how these practices directly corelate to the way we wrestle in Eau Claire and into the new year. The plan for the next TWO weeks is as follows:
Week 5 Practice Schedule:
Monday, 12.19 – Weight Room at 2:10p; Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Tuesday, 12.20 – Weight Room at 2:10p; Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Wednesday, 12.21 – Weight Room at 2:10p; Wrestling room at 3:10p.
Thursday, 12.22 (9a – 10a): Additional practice for anyone who has wrestled varsity this season and everyone else who would like to attend. Wrestlers should plan to wear their wrestling shoes and bring their tennis shoes to the AM practice.
Thursday, 12.22 (3p – 5p): Practice for all.
Friday, 12.23 (9a – 10a): Additional practice for anyone who has wrestled varsity this season and everyone else who would like to attend. Wrestlers should plan to wear their wrestling shoes and bring their tennis shoes to the AM practice.
Friday, 12.23 (3p – 5p): Practice for all.
Saturday, 12.24 – Christmas Eve – No Practice. Wrestlers encouraged to get a lift and/or some cardio in.
Week 6 Practice and Meet Schedule:
Monday, 12.26 (9a – 10a): Additional practice for anyone who has wrestled varsity this season and everyone else who would like to attend. Wrestlers should plan to wear their wrestling shoes and bring their tennis shoes to the AM practice.
Monday, 12.26 (3p – 5p): Practice for all.
Tuesday, 12.27 (9a – 10a): Additional practice for anyone who has wrestled varsity this season and everyone else who would like to attend. Wrestlers should plan to wear their wrestling shoes and bring their tennis shoes to the AM practice.
Tuesday, 12.27 (3p – 5p): Practice for all.
Wednesday, 12.28 – Following our AM practice we will head to Eau Claire with the bus leaving MGSH at 11a. We should arrive at the UWEC campus at 1p where we will workout in the college wrestling room and hopefully go for a short run (weather permitting). Following the workout, we will be heading to the Metropolis Resort around 3p. Boys should have a great time in the pool, arcade, trampoline park, Go Karts, etc. We will not provide a meal for wrestlers on Wednesday night (as some will be watching their weight). Money will need to be sent if they want food outside of the meals mentioned above or would like to do the Go Karts, Arcade, Trampoline Park, etc. The water park passes come with the stay.
Thursday, 12.29 – The Eau Claire duals start at 9a. Varsity will be a Team format with each team getting five duals while the JV guys will wrestle in an individual tournament. NOTE: From here on in all weight classes will get at least an additional 2-pounds (I.E. 106 = 108, 113 = 115, etc.). We will also have some food for the boys/managers to eat after weigh-ins and during the tournament.
Following the tournament, we will stop in Eau Claire at Pizza Ranch and then return to Maple Grove Thursday evening.
Friday, 12.30 – TBD – may have an optional technique practice at 10a.
Saturday, 12.31 – New Year’s Eve – No Practice. Wrestlers encouraged to get a lift and/or some cardio in.
Out of Town Trips:
I am putting together the rooming list for the Eau Claire Tournament. If your athlete has not paid AND turned in their permission slip for this tournament, please have them do so ASAP! This is going to be a fun tournament for all in attendance. It is $100 per trip or $150 total for the managers/wrestlers planning to attend both trips. I have handed out permission slips at practice but will have more on hand Monday for any wrestlers who may have not yet turned in their sheets. Please have permission slips and payment turned in to Coach Troy ASAP.
If you/your wrestler/manager would like to attend but finances will not allow please let me know and we’ll try to figure something out.
Although not necessary, parents/families are also encouraged to attend and support the team. The wrestlers love these tournaments – and it’s been my impression the parents enjoy them just as much.
The hotels we stay at are as follows:
Eau Claire - https://www.metropolisresort.com/
Mat Boss Video Access:
Many wrestlers are now watching their matches on Mat Boss each week – which is awesome! This is a great opportunity for kids to learn from their matches and improve at a much faster rate than would otherwise be possible. Watching back matches can be a great learning tool and is highly encouraged. Please let me know if you/your wrestler has not been able to get in to Mat Boss and would like to do so or if you have any other questions. Thanks.
Sports Engine, Facebook Page and Future Communication:
Lastly please download the Sports Engine App and sign up to receive future communications. Parents and wrestlers can each sign up to receive future communications and schedule changes through the Sports Engine app by going to Crimson-Wrestling.com. If you have any challenges with this, please text me your email address at 763-913-0601 and I’ll make sure you are added to the app portion. Please let me know if you have any questions with this as we will use this app for communications throughout the season.
Also, we often post fun pictures or related articles on the Maple Grove High School Wrestling Page on Facebook (along with this article). If you are a Facebook user, please like our page. Thanks!
Should be another excellent couple week of improving and bonding. We are planning to work hard and looking forward to seeing the results show up on the mat on the 29th and throughout the second half of the season.
As always let me know if anybody has any questions.
Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday’s everyone. Thank you for your continued support of Maple Grove Wrestling and hope you all have a Blessed Holiday filled with family and friends!
Coach Troy
763-913-0601