Bring a Buddy to Wrestling

Julie Lassere has worked diligently throughout the past six years to help promote and grow the sport of wrestling in Alabama. Lassere, Chairwoman of the Alabama High School Girls Wrestling Task Force and Communications and Media Director for Alabama USA Wrestling, has three children involved in multiple sports, including wrestling, soccer, football, and equestrian.

Because there are not separate boys and girls programs in Daphne, AL, where the family resides and Lassere works as a veterinarian, her son Ethan, a sophomore, and daughter Ellen, a 7th grader, wrestle and compete on the same team. These dynamics can create challenges for girls and families interested in, but not familiar with, the sport of wrestling.

That's where bring-a-buddy events and promotions can make an impact. Through bring-a-buddy events wrestling clubs and school-based programs come up with creative opportunities to introduce the sport of wrestling to athletes and their families in low-pressure environments. Some ideas include specific days where school-aged kids are encouraged to bring a friend not involved in wrestling to a practice.

The goal is to make it fun, introduce the sport, and generate interest for both kids and their families.

"Wrestling is not a sport that is as visible to communities as sports such as football, baseball, and softball and many parents are unfamiliar with the sport," says Lassere. "Bringing a friend to practice is a great way to introduce the sport to boys and girls who would otherwise never try a wrestling practice. It may be intimidating for potential wrestlers, both boys and girls, to show up at an intense, high level practice. To grow the sport, we need to provide avenues for new wrestlers to try the sport in a fun, non-competitive setting. Open houses, demonstration days, and new wrestler open mat days are examples of ways to attract new wrestlers."

Girls Growth Potential

Lassere knows first-hand how important holding girls-only practices and events are to girls and their parents, at both the club and scholastic levels.

"The best recruiter for girls wrestling are girls who currently wrestle," says Lassere.

Hosting a girls-only wrestling open house for athletes and their families on a Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon can be a low-pressure way to introduce the sport. If girls are competing at the local high school level, invite them to participate and talk to kids. Invite the parents of these same girls wrestlers to talk to other parents. Consider hosting multiple events throughout the season to ensure there is more than one opportunity to participate. 

These types of events have done well in south Alabama, where wrestling has only been added as a scholastic sport within the last six years, says Lassere. Alabama girls wrestling is not a sanctioned high school sport as of now, but for the first time in 2020, the high school season will feature three separate girls-only tournaments. This allows girls from the 41 teams across the state to compete against girls only in a tournament format. Bring-a-buddy events help grow the sport for future generations.

"Coaches have found success recruiting both boys and girls by performing demonstrations in elementary school and middle school physical education classes, as well as allowing kids to get on the mat with existing wrestlers," says Lassere. "Another idea is to have a youth club dual alongside a high school dual with the mats side by side. This increases exposure to the sport in the community and bridges gaps between club and schools."

The Real World of Amateur Wrestling

Bring-a-buddy to wrestling events help expose kids to the world of "real" amateur wrestling — much different than that of professional wrestling (but not always understood by those unfamiliar with the sport) and often portrayed incorrectly in television and movies.

"It helps expose the sport to those who otherwise wouldn't be exposed to wrestling," says Justin DeCoteau, Kids Director of North Dakota USA Wrestling and Head Coach of the Gorilla Wrestling Club in Bismarck, N.D. "It also enhances camaraderie between friends, fellow wrestlers, parents, and school peers." 

Across North Dakota, programs have created events such as two-week introductory camps, with mini tournaments held at a local high school at the end of each week. Those events are also turned into fundraisers for the team/program hosting the event. This can provide kids new to the sport an opportunity to compete, and parents an opportunity to get involved with the sport and other parents. Successful events also provide a connection between the high school/older wrestlers and youth/middle school programs. One idea is to have experienced wrestlers talk about their introduction to the sport — many of these kids and families were once also completely new to the sport.

Whatever you do, "Keep it fun and interesting," says DeCoteau.

Caleb Kolb, head coach of the Pine-Richland High School wrestling program in Gibsonia, PA, says bring-a-buddy events also benefit existing wrestlers both on and off the mat. "They not only grow the sport of wrestling," says Kolb. "They grow the individuals. They promote friendship, camaraderie, confidence, and self-esteem."

It can be especially exciting and motivating for a wrestler to see his close group of friends show up at a practice, see what really goes on in the sport, and provide a potentially new avenue for the friends to stick together through the sport of wrestling.

"The key to developing youth wrestlers into successful high school wrestlers is retention rate," says Kolb. "We need to put more emphasis on the kids' enjoyment of the sport at an early age. If you get the kids to fall in love with wrestling and look forward to coming to practice, learning technique is much easier. Kids enjoy showing off what they learned. Taking one night of the year before a high school match for youth wrestlers to showcase their skills under the spotlight in front of all of the fans can be something really fun and exciting for them."

Focus on Fun

A successful bring-a-friend event doesn't get too intense, too technical, and it's not about showing off skills of the best wrestlers.

"Focus on the enjoyment of the kids," says Kolb. "Help them fall in love with the sport. Teach them to be athletic. Do plenty of tumbling. Play games. Set up a parent board to welcome the parents of incoming wrestlers."

Kolb takes things a step further at Pine-Richland, where he's created the Best Buddies Program. Through the best buddies program, Pine-Richland wrestlers work with students who have intellectual and developmental disabilities during practice once a week. The program concludes with a Buddies Night showcase event in front of the entire school.

"Our program has grown over the past several years and fans and school members look forward being a part of it,” says Kolb. "The Best Buddies Program takes place once a week during the year to teach wrestling skills, team building skills, and social interaction. The showcase is a way to display their new wrestling skills in exhibition matches with their peer mentors.”

Kolb sees several off-the-mat benefits of the Best Buddies Program, saying: “What stands out to me the most is watching our wrestlers become leaders/mentors throughout the year and our buddies gain confidence and camaraderie."

Programs like these, and other community-focused events during and outside the season are also unique ways to promote the program, people involved, and show that the sport creates well-rounded boys and girls on and off the mat.

"Wrestling clubs and scholastic teams are competitive," says Lassere. "Practices are intense, competitive, and often highly intimidating for new wrestlers, both girls and boys. Many new wrestlers compete in other sports, and those parents may wonder how they can juggle yet another sport. In order to keep this sport growing we must, as a wrestling community, provide multiple open and inviting opportunities for new wrestlers and their parents."

Start by bringing a buddy to a wrestling practice near you.