[cougarpride08]

Just thought that I would start a thread on this and someone could close the other thread since we now have a coach in place. 119 post info on cougar wrestling on this thread, and we need to close the other one.

[wrestler_119]

to answer your question on the other thread:

i should be able to give you a full roster and schedule by mid november.

and i go stright to wrestling practice everyday they have it whenever i get done with cross country. wrestling is my main sport but i cant let my cross country team down at the end of the season.

[csabo17]

Nice to see it finally done. 119, if you want have him contact us for a possible get together. PM me and I'll get you my personal email/phone number.

[cougarpride08]

119, how was the first practice?

[wrestler_119]

wasnt really a practice just sorta a meeting to let everybody know whats going on and laying out the mats. there was alittle rolling around here and there but nothing organized. I coach MInster is going to do a good job though. he really streesed learning good technique which is something I strive for. real practice starts thursday and I cant wait.

[cougarpride08]

That is good to know. Is practice going to be closed or open?

[wrestler_119]

he didnt say. i guess we'll have to wait to thursday and see.

[cougarpride08]

How many showed up?

[wrestler_119]

i would say around 25.

theres still a few that has sigined up but are still in football and some didnt know we had the meeting yesterday because they didnt anouce it till at the end of school that day. i would say tomorrow we will have around 30 at practice but that number always goes down by the end of the year.

[cougarpride08]

I hope not. I hope they stick with it. It will only help them in the long run.

[csabo17]

It always happens with any program cougar, most kids these days just font have what it takes to wrestle.

[cougarpride08]

More physical sport at times than football.

[csabo17]

More physical, as well as mental. One 6 minute wrestling match was harder than an entire football game, and I was on the field for every snap my senior year. Offense defense, and all special teams. I thought I was in good shape until wrestling season rolled around. Then when baseball season came it was a breeze to run sprints. Plus wrestling practice isn't just the 3 hours your there, its another 3 hours a day you spend running. I think a lot of people also have a problem with the one on one aspect of it also. No one to blame but yourself in wrestling.

[cougarpride08]

Like 119 said "Wrestling is what real men do during basketball season". I love it!

[csabo17]

Our contact starts when the whistle blows, not stops.

[cougarpride08]

Can't wait.

[cougarpride08]

119, I have a idea you can swing to coach! When you have 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders out for wrestling, ask about a idea of having a middle school tournament in letcher co, and let the kids wear there middle school colors. I think it will inspire the kids, and give them a little school pride and bragging rights before they come up to the high school. Have overall team winner, and individuals. I wish there was a way of doing that so that way it might bring the kids out more, and if they win county, there picture can be displayed in the school. Have meets at different gyms throughout the county, and the county tournament can be at a different location. The coaching staff and the wrestlers can help with the coaching, and I think some of the high school wrestlers can be mentors, and coach to these young kids. This is just a thought in my head, but let the football coaches in middle school be the kids coaches, and that way it will get this program even more off the ground. It wouldn't take much to get this thing started. Some of you wrestlers can even be referees in the matches. I don't know if this is legal or if this can be done because I don't know that much about the rules. Be thinking about it and let me know what you think.

[csabo17]

7th and 8th graders are/can be varsity wrestlers. The only problem with the coaching of this is the fact the KHSAA is enforcing some stricter coaching rules this year. All coaches must be 21 yrs old with at least 64 college hours. As well as pass coaches education course and a few other online medical related courses.
This eliminates wrestlers who have graduated from coming back to wrestle with the kids also, which is a big blow to smaller programs like ours. They say it is due to insurance reasons.

[GRIFFIN]

Good luck lcc

[wrestler_119]

It would be great to do something like that with our middle school program. the only problem is its hard to find coaches to coach high school wrestling let alone middle school. we use to have the middle school kids practice with us last year they would just be on a different mat and one of the assistant coaches would work with them.

Also we had our first practice yesterday and it went VERY well. lots of kids were out and coach Minster did a great job. Practice was tough like it should be. If nobody quits I see us taking more kids to the state tourny then ever befor. alot of potenial is in that wrestling room.

[cougarpride08]

That is great to know. I wish nothing but the best.

[tcb]

So wrestling is tougher than football. It would be good if more football players wrestled I would think.

[cougarpride08]

So wrestling is tougher than football. It would be good if more football players wrestled I would think.

If you would look at Johnson Central and Sheldon Clark, not to mention a handful other schools, they use the wrestling to help with there football program. They use it due to the fact it is 4 extra legal months of conditioning that the coaches can do. Coaches can actually work with them, and it does help. The sport is suppose to go hand in hand with each other. As long as the wrestling programs keep the weight lose down to a minimum, then football coaches doesn't see it as a problem. Johnson Central had a bunch of football players win state matches and even state champion.

Weight Name Year Record
103 Josh Conley 8 2- 2
112 Robert Ankrom 10 3- 3
119 Greg Bowen 10 0- 2
125 Zack Salyers 10 2- 2
130 Josh Caudil 9 3- 2
135 Jimmy Preston 8 1- 2
140 Tyler Grimm 11 4- 3
145 J. J. Jude 9 5- 1
152 Jordan Freeman 12 2- 2
160 Todd Sites 11 1- 2
285 Ryan Harlow 11 5- 0



Weight Wrestler Year Record Place
112 Robert Ankrom 10 3- 3 6th
140 Tyler Grimm 11 4- 3 6th
145 J. J. Jude 9 5- 1 3rd
285 Ryan Harlow 11 5- 0 1st

[cougarpride08]

Sheldon Clark

Weight Name Year Record
103 Bryce Dean 7 0- 2
119 Chazz Maynard 10 0- 2
135 Matt Slone 11 4- 1
145 Avery Ray 10 2- 2
152 Casey DeLong 11 2- 2
160 Austin Stepp 10 3- 2
171 Steven Marcum 12 2- 2
189 Brad Stafford 11 4- 1
215 Ryan Kelly 12 5- 0
285 Dustin Burchett 11 0- 2

Weight Wrestler Year Record Place
135 Matt Slone 11 4- 1 2nd
189 Brad Stafford 11 4- 1 2nd
215 Ryan Kelly 12 5- 0 1st


One state champion and two runners up.

[cougarpride08]

We have had the fortune of having two region champs, 5 regional runners up, and a lot of wrestlers that has qualified for state, and we have done this in just five years. I also want to mention that Josh Back placed 7th in the state in his weight class, but I think 119 will go further this year.

[csabo17]

So wrestling is tougher than football. It would be good if more football players wrestled I would think.

Wrestling is a great off season sport for football. I once had a football coach tell me his off season workout would keep the team in better shape than wrestling would. HAHA I laughed in his face.

[cougarpride08]

I would have laughed in his face to.

[tcb]

These football coaches at Letcher Central better be getting on board then. Wrestling along with track and field could only help the program. I can't see it in the other sports though.

[cougarpride08]

The light bulb hasn't went off in the head yet.

[csabo17]

Eastern Ky just hasn't found the gold mine that wrestling is yet. "Once you wrestle, everything else in life is easy." Dan Gable
Its a cheap sport for the schools, it builds character along with mental and physical toughness.