Upcoming Events (as of 2/2/2010)

Feb 4th , Dual Meet at Columbine
in the main gym.  Ready to wrestle at 5:30 pm

 Feb 7th, Hall of Fame Tournament, E/N.  Flyer, Map

Feb 9th, Team Banquet

Columbine HS Commons
5:45 - 6:30  Set-up
6:30 - 8:30 Dinner and Awards
8:30 -9:00  Clean Up
Wrestlers and Coaches each free.
$7 per adult and over the age of 15.RSVP and volunteer inquires to Nicolle ( e-mail)

Feb 27-28 All State Tournament
Flyer , Map

News 

Seeding Tournaments for State.  Points will be awarded based on your finish at the 3 following tournaments:  Charparal, Broomfield, and Brighton.  Coach's' bands ($10) will be required at each of these tournaments.  The competition schedule has been adjusted to add these three tournaments.

Club Changes :  The club has decided to become a 501(c) 3 non-profit.  The time table is to have the articles of incorporation submitted by the end of this season.

Updates

Below is an introduction to a seven part series that address many issues with youth sports. The perspective is from that of a wrestling coach, but has applications to other youth sports. If you believe as I do, that youth sports should be focused on the development of the person first, and then the athlete, it's worth a read.

7 biggest problems in youth sports

By Kevin Black

Before I get started with this series about the problems that we face in youth sports, I think it's appropriate to outline what I believe to be the largest hurdles. I did my best to channel my thought process into the seven biggest problems. This way, I can tackle one issue each day.

To wet your, here are the 7 biggest problems that we face in youth sports:

  1. Overzealous parents
  2. Uneducated coaches
  3. Too many competitions
  4. Sports specialization
  5. Weight management
  6. Emphasis on winning
  7. Communication

Obviously, there are other problems within the culture of youth sports, but I believe these seven are the largest, most relevant and need immediate attention.

Often times, when people discover problems, they don't offer solutions to fix them. I don't want to be a cowardly complainer who lacks the courage to make positive changes, so I will offer solutions to make each situation better. In addition, I will try every solution first hand at Victory.

Thanks to Mike Todd for pointing out these cool technique videos:
 Headlockville-Hand in the Can (head lock counter)
 Sling-shot Double (nice set-up)
 Knee Slide to Tri Pod (chop counter)

Columbine Youth Wrestling Club, Littleton Colorado

Columbine Youth Wrestling is open to wrestlers from 5 to 18 years of age. The 5 - 14 year old season runs from November to the first week in March. The club also offers pre-season wrestling for High School and Middle School age wrestlers. We wrestle in several tournaments culminating in a the State meet in February. We also have less formal dual meets with various local clubs.

The club is a member of the Western Suburban Wrestling League and the coaches are or are in the process of being Bronze certified through USA Wrestling. Insurance is provide through USA wrestling and is included in the club fee.

The club focus is to provide a safe environment with challenges appropriate for each wrestler. We believe the time spent in wrestling should be fun, not only for the wrestlers, but also for the coaches and parents.  Be believe that fun leads to an ownership of the sport, "wrestling is my sport", and ownership of the sport leads to a willingness to trade short term gratification for longer range goals.  It is our hope that each wrestler learns the benefits of hard work and goal setting, lessons that will transcend the sport.

The Season runs from the beginning of November to end of February.  During the season we compete in several tournaments (see the Competition Schedule) and dual meets.  An awards banquet is held in period between our league championship and the All State tournament.

The Practices are separated by age. The coaches may recommend a given wrestler move up or down depending on available competition, level of development, skill level, etc. Feed back is welcome via a direct call to Coach Jay or using the web site's guest book feature. Practices are structured to ensure each wrestlers receives instruction suitable for his or her level.  Starting in the first week of November, practices are as follows:

Coaching: Anyone interested in helping coach these age groups can call Coach Jay at 303-932-6896. We strongly encourage parent participation, even if you have little wrestling experience. All coaches, including parent coaches, that wish to coach mat side during a tournament, must be Bronze certified by USA wrestling. The training is approximately 4 hours and does not need to be renewed. For more information contact Coach Jay.

Costs: There are several costs associated with your child wrestling. First is the club fee of $105 ($75 for each of their bothers or sisters), singlet at ~$40, head gear at ~$20, shoes at ~$30, plus tournaments fees at ~$12 each (last year's cost). There is also the cost of extra sports wear , team pictures, entrance fees to the tournaments for non-wrestlers and the like. The club has a limited number of scholarships available, please talk with Coach Jay.

The club fee covers the wrestling room usage fee, T-shirts, coaches training, and partial funding of the Team banquet. The club does not engage in merchandise focused fund raising, e.g. candy, pop corn, etc. The equipment costs can be offset by taking part in the equipment swap (Gear Swap). So bring your shoes, singlets, head gear, or other Columbine sports wear to the registration/orientation meeting.