Making the Most of Wrestling Trips

Ask any wrestler and they will likely agree: some of their greatest memories in the sport were made traveling to and from out-of-state events. Doing so provides a great opportunity to bond with teammates and family members and create lifelong experiences both in and out of competition.

Jason Moore is the Cadet National Team Director for Kentucky USA Wrestling and an assistant coach at Walton-Verona High School. He has two sons who wrestle—Ryan, 16, and Spencer, 12—and over the course of their careers the family has traveled to national events, in addition to yearly state and regional tournaments. Moore says he and his kids love the competition—and camaraderie.

"As parents we must realize this is a sport and these are all learning experiences for our kids," Moore notes. "It also helps me to think about the limited amount of time I have with my kids and look at these wrestling trips as special time with my boys that we can all look back on with great happiness years from now."

When traveling to out-of-state events, Al Freeman, Cadet and Schoolboy National Team Director for Michigan USA Wrestling, reminds wrestlers and parents to set reasonable expectations. The purpose of these trips is to practice and compete against kids from other parts of the country as well as to learn and make improvements, he points out.

Bob Bigelow, co-author of Just Let the Kids Play: How to Stop Other Adults from Ruining Your Child's Fun and Success in Youth Sports, encourages using time at the event and during competition to learn from other athletes. "Pick the brains of other wrestlers and coaches to find ways to improve," he says. "The best competitors always seek a way to further their knowledge. And you’ll also acquire some friendships that may last a lifetime."

However, it’s also easy to let real-world pressures intrude when families travel long distances to wrestling tournaments. So coaches and parents must find a way to communicate and manage expectations, Moore says. One big point of emphasis: be realistic from a results perspective.

“Falling short is not always failure,” he notes. “This is a process,” he says. “Everyone has bad days and sometimes at these big events, [your wrestler] maya get a bad draw or things just don’t go their way, so it’s important that they learn to focus on giving maximum effort.” And no matter what the outcome, once you leave the arena, Moore stresses the importance of not carrying negative feelings with you. 

"Bringing disappointment from the mat into the rest of the trip can ruin the experience for everyone," Moore adds. "Keep things positive, especially in an environment where the entire family is involved."

"When we travel to out-of-state tournaments, we try to make it a total enjoyable and memorable experience," Freeman explains. If you’re in a group with a common cause and go to the event with the primary objective of enjoying the experience before during, and after the match, then “the trip out will be fun, the competition will be fun, and the trip back will be fun," he says.

Traveling is costly, but parents should generally avoid adding more anxiety to any trip by saddling their young athletes with adult money matters or by calculating trips in dollar costs per match. "There's nothing wrong with the kids knowing that it does cost money,” Freeman says, “but the only thing that matters is truly best efforts and learning.”

Sam Snow, Coaching Director of US Youth Soccer, says coaches should have a plan that addresses all the key details—place for departure and return, date and time of departure and return, lodging and dining logistics, adult chaperones, an emergency action plan, communication plan, competition venue logistics, a clear understanding of event rules, and any plans for downtime for athletes and families. It’s also a good idea to scout out beforehand other attractions offered in the area you’re traveling to. "Enjoy the competition and the area being visited," Snow says. "Take in the history and culture of what’s around you."

T.J. Sebolt, Director of Sebolt Wrestling Academy (SWA) in Mason City, Iowa says road trips are treated like business trips. Once business is taken care of on the mat, though, it's important to soak up the experience. For example, Sebolt and SWA members like to travel to USA Wrestling events in Wisconsin Dells, where, after they compete, they can enjoy water parks, go-kart tracks, or other fun family activities.

When siblings are along, don’t forget about their needs, points out Moore. Find things for them to do—perhaps an outing with other non-wrestling siblings. "Be sure to create ways for them to enjoy the experience," Moore says, who has two daughters (ages four and eight) who spend countless hours patiently traveling to and watching events and practices. 

If possible, always end on a positive note, says Craig Noel, Executive Director of Arkansas USA Wrestling. "Extended travel can be stressful, expensive, and exhausting," he notes.  So if possible, plan to experience something new. "You don't have to add a lot of cost or time—even just stopping to do or see something you'll likely never take the time to do can make the trip."

It’s all about making memories, on and off the mat.