Building an Inclusive Club Culture

An inclusive wrestling club is one that creates an atmosphere that does as many things as possible to develop a complete student-athlete. That means developing an athlete that is prepared to be the best they can be on the mat, while also being a better person off the mat, says Eric Juergens, co-founder of Young Guns Wrestling Club.

Inclusive wrestling clubs also don't just focus on the best or most talented wrestlers. They instead welcome all skill levels and abilities that come into the room, says Juergens, who overseas Young Guns Wrestling practices in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Juergens previously served as head coach at Augustana College (Rock Island, IL) and was a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA Champion at the University of Iowa.

“We like to tell people we aren’t teaching wrestling, so much as life lessons,” says Juergens. “We try to focus on mental toughness, goal setting, respect, work ethic, dignity, discipline, humility, and certainly the ability to get knocked down, get up, dust off, and get back to the grind to succeed. Life skills are really the lessons that we are teaching your youth.”

An inclusive wrestling club accepts wrestlers of all skill levels, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, politics, or economic circumstance, says Clarence Long, Head Coach of the The Hustle & Muscle (H&M) Mat Club, a USA Wrestling certified club currently operating at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.

“It’s important to be an inclusive club so that all of the wrestlers and their parents are welcome and can participate,” Long says. “Inclusion means that coaches may have to change their approach to teaching at times but the benefit is that they become better coaches and our club has a wider range of athletes that can learn, grow, and excel.”

The coaches and staff at Beat the Streets Boston (Formerly Boston Youth Wrestling) envision a future where all students succeed on the mat, in the classroom, and in life.

“We open our doors to all wrestlers regardless of age, skill level, identity, religious beliefs or race, and welcome them into our BTSB family,” says Bior Guigni, Executive Director, Beat the Streets Boston (formerly Boston Youth Wrestling). “We teach that there is value and something to be learned from everyone in that space and encourage peer-to-peer mentoring amongst our wrestlers.”

The Coach’s Role

Coaches and parents play a key role in creating and promoting an inclusive culture. Coaches, says Juergens, need to realize that not every kid in the room is going to become a standout wrestler. For some, wrestling is life. For others, wrestling is part of life. Inclusive coaches and clubs understand that.

“Realize as a coach, not every kid is in the room to be the best wrestler on the mat,” Juergens says. “They might want to do what their friends do. They might want to gain more self-confidence. They might be training their body for another sport. They might be there just because their parent is adamant about wrestling. Regardless of the reason a child comes into your room, it is your job to help them be the best version of themselves.”

Coaches are mentors, and their every move is being watched. How they carry themselves in front of wrestlers is paramount to their future success, Juergens says. Whether you like it or not, they are looking up to you as a mentor, and a barometer of how they should act themselves.

"Trying to teach them wrestling moves and technique isn’t going to prepare them for some of the other challenges in life,” Juergens says. “You will have times when your wrestlers have mental blocks, such as fear of losing, or disappointing a loved one, or simply not being able to handle nerves of competition. In other words, pressure to succeed. It is our job to help our wrestlers work through these issues.”

The Parent’s Role

Supportive parents who are on board with a club mission, goals, and values can help their wrestler - and other wrestlers and parents involved with the club, achieve a successful club experience, on and off the mat. When communicating with parents, Guigni often discusses how she sees their child growing as a person first, wrestler second.

"We already know that wrestling is going to change you as an athlete,” she says. “There is no question you are going to get stronger, faster, tougher, but it is up to us as mentors to help shape the mindset of the wrestler coming into our space to be the best possible person that they can be so that they can succeed in life.”

Many parents are too wrapped up in what they perceive will be the final product, which is “someone who wins wrestling matches,” says Juergens. They instead should be involved with helping their child, other kids in the club, and parents, develop on and off the mat.

“It isn't easy to keep yourself from getting caught up in your child’s successes and failures, as the emotional connection is so strong, but it is necessary,” Juergens says. “As parents we are there merely to guide, encourage, and love our kids.”

Long encourages parental involvement at The Hustle & Muscle Mat Club, but for all the right reasons. "If the parents are engaged, they will often feel more connected to wrestling and be a source of guidance and positive reinforcement to their children who wrestle," says Long.

How to Build an Inclusive Club

Establish code of conduct: Many clubs establish a club mission and code of conduct and share that with athletes and parents during an annual parent or student-athlete meeting. BTS Boston establishes a student-athlete and parent and guardian code of conduct. “We highlight that they are our ambassadors and that how they conduct themselves is a reflection of our community,” Guigni says. “We hold parents/guardians just as accountable as our wrestlers when it comes to this.”

Emphasize training and development: At BTS Boston, coaches undergo 100 hours of sports-based youth mentoring training on top of USAW certification/training. “The combination of these two shows us that our coaches value our mission and care for the growth of our wrestlers as good people above everything else,” Guigni says. “We encourage our parents/guardians to also undergo the USAW parents/guardian training as well so that they understand what our expectations are and why we operate how we do.”

Practice what you preach: BTS Boston builds practices around themes like inclusivity, respect, honesty, integrity, leadership, and compassion. “We discuss these throughout our week and have our wrestlers give us examples of how they utilize these themes in their daily lives,” Guigni says.

Build life skills: Juergens’ goal is to develop future leaders who will be successful off the mat. Or perhaps who can make an impact as a wrestling coach once their career is done. Most of all, he wants to develop well-rounded person who can go on and make an impact for others as they become adults. If they happen to be good at wrestling, that's a bonus. “Don't think we aren't happy when our student-athletes are winning matches, this isn't the case at all,” Juergens says. “But we are most happy when they are becoming successful in all areas of life. If they do well on the mat, that’s a bonus.”

Survey: Conducting pre and post-season surveys can help address questions, concerns, ideas, and help build/adjust for the future. Guigni says surveys provide information on how wrestlers are developing in relation to academics, athletics, social, and emotional growth. They then discuss survey results with parents, guardians and schools. 

In the long run, creating an inclusive club doesn’t cost anything, and can be implemented immediately.  

“Be consistent,” Guigni says. “Be a positive advocate. Be supportive. Put the wrestlers growth as a person above all else.”