You want to build character in you kids, have them wrestle. There is no better sport for teaching discipline, toughness and responsibility. Wrestlers come in all shapes and sizes so there is no physical advantage one way or another. Wrestlers generally have some of the highest GPAs of college athletes. The RHS Junior Wrestling coaches, year after year, are some of the best guys out there and your kid WILL get to wrestle every week. They work very hard to match your kid up with a similar kid so matches are close and both kids walk away with some learning and confidence. You want a great sports program in Ridgewood, try wrestling.
We’ve had some very good coaches in other sports but the majority have been in it for themselves. The truth is, Dads control most all sports, football being the worst. God forbid on of their kids isn’t on the “A” team. My son was assigned to the “C” team and every week they would call him to cover a position on the “A” team. He was an “A” team player but they just couldn’t bump one of their own to make room for him on the roster. He never played football again.
I’ve seen second grade baseball coaches keep their “stud” players in key positions (not rotate them), have the opposing team go 3 up 3 down and have their side bat around mutliple times and think this is okay.
Soccer . . . I can bet the coaches kids are playing the offense and getting lots of ball time.
Couldn’t afford the uniforms?
11:06 – can you explain what you mean? The uniforms for what?
Actually, wrestling isn’t as inexpensive as you would think.
Wrestling shoes = $70-150 (and most wrestlers have spares “just in case)
Headgear = $25-60 (again, most wrestlers have spares “just in case)
Team sweats = $90 (for RHS)
Kneepads = $25-50 (if you want them)
Competition singlet = $50 (if you wrestle in the offseason).
And for the more competitive guys (because you really just can’t walk onto the mat in November), there are countless dollars spent on offseason tournaments ($35-50 each), training ($1200/year) and lots of travel. For the really serious guys add in sports nutritionist (about $500), sports psychologist (4,000/year).
It can add up and there’s no chance of any sort of scholarship. No one wrestles thinking “scholarship.” A few kids go D1 but with no money coming their way. . . take a look at the NCAA page and look up wrestling funding. Unless your Suriano, there’s nada.
It looks like the two guys in the picture couldn’t afford the uniforms either!
But I wonder who their nutritionist is!
3:09 and 4:17, that’s what I meant in the first place. Sorry if it was cryptic.
Yea 417… That’s why my son doesn’t ” wrestle…what’s that picture really telling you?
I guess they’re struggling with the registration numbers if he needs to dump on other sports. Shows something about the character of a wrestler.
9:27 – not dumping on other sports, just expressing out what our experience was with in-town sports. My kids participated in just about everything sport out there and the wrestling program was superior to the others. BTW, you fail to note that I said we had some very good coaches. I have not had a kid in RJW for years and have no clue about their finances or registration numbers. But I know that the gym as always filled with happy and healthy kids (and parents). Their roster still looks pretty full.
12:12 – What’s your point? You sounds like a homophobe.. There are plenty of gay athletes in every sports. One of last year’s high school state champions was gay and I don’t know a single wrestler or wrestling parent who doesn’t respect and admire him because he has earned it.