WIN Magazine Coaches Corner: Mario Flores, Michigan USA Wrestling

Mario Flores had not necessarily planned to be a full-time wrestling coach.

The Nebraska native, who competed for Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) before suffering a slew of career-ending injuries, found himself in a post-competition conundrum in the early 2000s. 

“I was going through the lull of what happens next after being nationally ranked, and then your career ends,” Flores recalled. “I was able to stay on and be a student coach at the college.”

Little did he know at the time that it was a springboard to his future career and life’s work. After moving to Michigan, Flores served various coaching stints including at Lansing Everett, perhaps best known as Magic Johnson’s high school.

Flores was also involved with some of Michigan’s premier clubs including Team Donahoe (2007 NCAA champion Paul Donahoe), among others. That was when he felt compelled and inspired to open his own club.

In 2015, Michigan Revolution was born. Flores credits his faith, above all else, for leading him down the path he ultimately chose.

“When you’re starting something, you’re starting with a purpose. Who are the people around you? Who is going to help along the way? Who shares that same vision?”

He credited the late Mike Krause, Mitch Clark and Jake Herbert as some of his biggest inspirations, all mentors that he has since formed lasting connections with. All three were involved in his club’s success in one way or another. 

“It was about finding kids and families that were willing to buy in to the process of this new experience, not just wrestling.

“For me, it all came down to my relationship with Christ. That helps you navigate the questions to create clarity. That was the driving force. I didn’t necessarily want to be a wrestling coach…I could have gone down some different business avenues but felt called to work with kids and families. That is my purpose and God’s plan for my life.”

MI-Rev, as the club is abbreviated on all its apparel, exploded during the pandemic. As most other clubs in the state shut down, Flores’ 30,000-square-foot facility remained open and welcomed big-time players in the sport, including wrestlers from the University of Michigan affiliated with the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. They also hosted the kids’ state tournament that season.

As more female wrestlers began trickling in, too, one big name after another “stumbled upon MI-Rev,” as Flores put it, and the momentum hasn’t stopped ever since.

“They took over the room and then never left,” Flores stated. “It was the year with no Fargo. That next year, we went five-for-six in the Fargo finals. Every year since, we have had 10+ Fargo All-Americans.”

Michigan has rapidly become one of the fastest-rising states on the girls’ wrestling scene, and Flores, who took over as Michigan USA Wrestling women’s director in 2021-22, has helped steer the ship.

“I don’t know if it is a fight for equity, but the women had to create and take space,” Flores explained. “Wrestling had to create space for female athletes, and we’ve done a great job. USA Wrestling understands that. The life lessons wrestling teaches aren’t gender specific.”

In fact, Flores believes coaching wrestling can, in its most simplistic form, be boiled down to creating teachable moments, not just prioritizing wins.

“Are we looking for kids to develop or just chasing the next four-time state champ? Kids are still growing in this environment. Meet kids where they are at different levels. Celebrate both of them the same, whether their success is local, national or international.

“Lay the foundation over time and build trust with kids. We welcome failure. We chase it. It allows for growth and assurance. Sadly, kids directly associate their parents’ love for them based on winning. Drive home consistency instead.”

As far as coaching female athletes specifically is concerned, Flores believes it has been a life-changing experience for him.

“Girls are different, and it is a welcomed difference,” he explained. “Anybody in the coaching space says it is awesome when you get to coach committed girls. They are the most concentrated group of kids you’ve ever seen. Girls are highly intelligent, committed and loyal. That is exactly what we are looking for.

“They are hungry for people to invest in them. When they find somebody willing to check those boxes, they are willing to go to war for you. They know if you’re there to keep them safe and have good intentions. Find a group of girls and stay with them; they’ll change your life.”

And as Flores continues to find new ways to change the lives of the student-athletes and families he serves, one of his latest offerings that continues to gain traction is his homeschool program.

“We have 18 kids in our homeschool program. It runs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for 4-5 hours. We have two different accredited programs for school and foreign language. From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. they wrestle with me. It is our technique time. That is six hours a week of concentrated technique and sandlot games. This is also their social time. We make it fun and then break into wrestling.

“We break for lunch, and then we go into another session. The Dundee strength and performance coach’s kids are in our homeschool program, so they do strength and conditioning for an hour with him. Then we Zoom in with a different coach from around the country each time.”

As MI-Rev continues to flourish, Flores’ lasting hope is that all his student-athletes take away two overarching concepts from their experience under his leadership: the desire to seek opportunities and value relationships.

“When you’re in the pursuit of those things, I am here to help show them how to value the relationships and experiences along the way. It carries way past wrestling. Those bus trips with your college teammates or overseas trips for a tournament…that stuff you can share with someone else someday. Doing hard things with people you care about holds way more value than winning.”