Maintaining Camaraderie During the Pandemic

There’s nothing like an intense practice, or traveling to and competing in a weekend tournament, or the highs and lows of winning and losing to help build a sense of team and camaraderie.

“When you think of words like team or camaraderie you automatically think of togetherness, says Danny Felix, a former USA World Team Member and Owner of Felix Wrestling Academy LLC, a Morgantown, West Virginia-based youth wrestling organization. “As athletes we tend to spend more time with our teammates at school and competitions or on the road than we do with our own families. Although now in these uneasy times we find ourselves alone and separated more than ever from our peers.”

And that’s the latest challenge facing coaches, wrestlers, and parents across the country. The wrestling world has excelled in creating online workouts and ways to stay in shape from home or in limited space, connecting via Zoom meetings, staying in touch via team texts or message apps, and via social media.

But...

“This type of virtual interaction can only hold up so long,” says Felix. “Eventually there has to be contact between the athletes. Being together and interacting is what forms a strong bond and unity on teams. Working hard side by side, pushing one another is what brings us closer. Bonds and trust are made in the trenches through hard work, winning and losing together."

Kids across the country are wrestling and practicing. But it’s different in every state. And not everyone has the same access to coaches, practice, and training as that they used to. So adjusting means coaches, wrestlers, and parents need to come up with new ways to maintain a sense of team and camaraderie during this pandemic.

This is a crucial time for the sport of wrestling—and all youth sports.

“With a major source of fun gone due to the inability to socialize with teammates and competitions being canceled, some youth athletes are retreating or losing interest,” says Wayne Moss, Executive Director of the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS). “Many wrestlers have temporarily lost the social-emotional benefits that are derived from participation including teamwork, cooperation, and relationship building. We should all pay attention to the physical and emotional state of our youth athletes with attention to non-verbal behaviors, such as body language, voice tone, and facial expressions.”

Joe Uccellini, Co-State Head Coach/Cadet Director for New York USA Wrestling and owner of the Curby 3 Style Wrestling Club in Troy, New York, says these challenges are difficult, but another opportunity for the wrestling world to step up and show they can take on and overcome new challenges.

“We can look at this as a problem or an opportunity,” Uccellini says. “Coaches, parents, and athletes that see opportunity in difficult situations get creative and find temporary or permanent solutions. I’ve seen lots of our athletes turn this pandemic into opportunities on and off the mat.”

Uccellini has implemented one hour non-contact Suples dummy practices twice a week at the Curby 3 Style Wrestling Club. During these practices, each wrestler gets their own practice dummy to practice technique. Uccellini is also conducting private lessons and hosting low/non-contact clinics, and he has created a club YouTube channel showcasing these and other drills.

Just getting in a practice with others in the room and interacting with others from a distance has helped, Uccellini says. When kids prepare for an event and then it gets cancelled, it's setback, but Uccellini sees opportunity. 

“The pandemic has also created other opportunities,” says Uccellini. “Because there have been limited tournaments, wrestlers have been able to focus more on technique and less on outcomes. For kids that mostly drill and wrestle live, this has been an adjustment period. The kids haven’t lost resolve but they are gaining perspective. I think they know now more than ever to seize opportunities because we never know when we may not have them again.”

Bill Swink, State Chairman of the Virginia Wrestling Association and Athletic Director at Spotsylvania H.S. in Spotsylvania County, VA., says many area wrestlers are being creative and organizing their own team functions, such as going to the local park to play soccer or swim.

In Virginia, high school coaches in some sports are not allowed to interact with student-athletes due to state or school system guidelines. "In Virginia wrestling has suffered because the Department of Health is saying no wrestling, but at the same time there is recreational soccer, volleyball, field hockey, basketball, baseball, softball, and 7-on-7 passing league football taking place,” Swink says.

Despite these setbacks, Swink admires the creativity of student-athletes coming up with ideas to get together and stay connected.

“I think we have seen instances where they have bonded and become closer because they have had to figure out on their own in many cases how to get better, which means they have gotten together with teammates to continue to find a way to train and keep active,” he says.

Even though coaches may not be instructing on the mat, and in person as normal, this is a time when coaches can have an even greater influence on student-athletes, says Swink. Many kids don't have the same structure that they are used to. Good and creative coaches can find a way to overcome that, and keep the team together.

“It’s important that young men and women have structure and opportunities to improve themselves both physically and mentally, Swink says. “All kids want to belong to something, believe in something, and have someone to believe in them (coach/teacher). They can get that from being part of a team. Through these trying times I believe we have taken this away from our young people. If they can’t get these things from positive influences, then they will find these things through negative influences. When we take away the high school coach or a USAW coach who has gone through background checks and coach’s education and follows the rules, the athletes and parents are left with those who don't follow the rules. It becomes almost like the Wild West, which I don't feel is helping our student athletes, coaches, or sports in general.”

Moss outlined these ways coaches, parents, and wrestlers can maintain a sense of team unity and camaraderie despite the obstacles all are facing:

Acknowledge things are different: “The first thing to do is to acknowledge your youth athlete’s feelings,” says Moss. “Letting them know that what they’re feeling is normal in helping them get back on the road to normalcy.”

Keep Practicing: Practicing is one of the fundamentals of success. It’s important to keep wrestlers engaged even though the season may be uncertain. We have all gotten acquainted with Zoom during the pandemic. Individual drills can be conducted by Zoom. Practice may be a mix of skill development, technical drills, or activities to maintain and improve fitness levels. 

In-person workouts may also be scheduled but care should be taken to practice safety protocols including limiting the number of athletes working out, wearing a face covering, using your own water bottle (do not share any equipment), eliminating the use of locker rooms and showers and following six feet of social distancing both indoor and outside. Hand sanitizers should be readily available. Any equipment should be clean and sanitized between use. Of course, if any wrestler is ill, they should remain home. Check with your local health officials and/or state wrestling association for specific guidance.

Use social media: Urge teammates to use social media to encourage one another, share training ideas, and simply to check in on one another. Wrestlers may schedule a “meet up” as a group or may socialize through group chats. With the rising popularity of video conferencing, wrestlers may take advantage of the technology for face-to-face engagement.

Connect with coaches: Many wrestling coaches are using this time to have other “voices” communicate and motivate their wrestlers. Coaches may expose their wrestlers to panels of top coaches. These sessions may be used to offer training tips, provide advice about what athletes should be doing during COVID-19, and answer questions about how to get on a college coach’s radar for those with collegiate aspirations.

“COVID-19 will eventually pass,” Moss says. “Until then, let’s maintain a strong emotional connection with one another that will only add to our strength on the other side of this disruption. There is strength in unity. And friendships for a lifetime.”

Felix agrees.

“I think no matter what we have to continue to improve any way we can,” Felix says. “Never take your eyes off the prize. This pandemic can be something that drives you or something that detours you. It can be used as an excuse to slack off or an opportunity to make gain and get better. The time will come when the season starts and the whistles blow. Will you be ready?”