Wrestling As An Investment
Alright guys, this blog will be sort of a tag along to my “10 Reasons Why You Should Wrestle” blog. After giving some of the positive outcomes that the sport of wrestling has to offer, there is still one complaint that I get more than any other. Can anyone guess what it is? Well, judging by the title, if you guessed money or the cost of competition and travel you are absolutely correct. I am not here to tell you that these complaints are wrong, first off. As I’m sure many parents and coaches alike will tell you the cost of travel, competition, food and drink, lodging and anything else you could imagine definitely adds up. What I am here to help you understand is that there are ways to make this all a bit more manageable so that your child can have the best experience they possibly can.
Why Do We Do This?
Now, depending on your role, be it coach, parent, or somewhere in between, this will influence your “Why” in the aforementioned question. As a parent, I’m sure you do it for your children. So they can have fun, so they have an outlet, so they make friends, learn discipline, teamwork, coachability, and all those other assets that we talked about in the last blog that transcend the sport of wrestling.
As a coach, we have all those same reasons, but at least for me personally, there are one or two other things I keep in mind for my athletes. I do it for the problem solving skills that my wrestlers develop. As they come farther along, they question the nature of the sport, the Why and the How and begin to develop their own styles and game plans based off their abilities and answers. I do it for the light bulb moments when a kid has tried so hard so many times and failed, only to succeed and push their limits farther than ever before. I do it for the kids that have never had anyone push them or believe in them before, and when they finally succeed, they cry tears of joy for the dedication and sacrifice on both ends. There is so much more to this glorious sport than what meets the eye.
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Wrestling Could Not Only Be Beneficial To Your Kids, But Also Your Community
So we’ve talked about the potential skills that one could acquire from wrestling, so where could the community benefit from this? We’ve all heard parents, teachers, and administrators talk about the effectiveness of after school activities and the relationship with keeping kids out of trouble with the law. Wrestling is no different. Kids begin to care more about the sport and their investment to it; they’re less likely to get involved with things that would negatively affect it. Kids with cognitive disabilities are sometimes seen as a liability for their caretakers and their community, terrible, but I’m sure as many of us have seen, also true. Kids with things like autism or sensory disorder tend to have a sense of hyper focus in certain areas of interest. It just so happens, I’ve seen the magic that can be created with wrestling being one of those. It gives them a new sense of purpose, they develop life skills just like any other, and they begin to apply them in other places thus helping them reach much farther in life.
Organizations like BEAT THE STREETS have long organized and donated money to numerous clubs across the country with the hopes of keeping our youth out of trouble via the sport of wrestling. I’ve known many clubs that run concessions in the off season, look for seasonal work like lawn mowing, snow shoveling, cleaning up construction, simple house help for community members, and all kinds of other things with the hopes of raising money to combat costs of wrestling year round. As far as how the money gets raised, you’re really only bound by the limitations of your own creativity. Selling candy from a wholesale store like Sam’s Club or Costco is another good idea, and typically if you tell them (and prove it of course) that it is a fundraiser, they give you a wholesale discount on large quantities making it easy to earn money. Most local businesses would be happy to help amateur athletes in exchange for work, or sometimes just a simple inquiry will lead them to make a tax deductible donation toward your child or club’s expenses. The sky really is the limit here with this one, almost anything could work and there are plenty of people out there who would be interested in helping a sports program.
Money invested into a club or an athlete is the same as investing in a small business, it does nothing but feed the community. Business owners that donate get the publicity of donating, making them seem more family friendly in the eyes of potential consumers. Business owners that let kids work for their money usually have them wear shirts or uniforms with company logos on them giving them free advertising, along with letting people know of their donation. If the athletes aren’t given uniforms, they can wear clothes that advertise the wrestling program they belong to. This leads people to inquire about what is going on. This could lead to a spontaneous donation, more work opportunities, and on top of all that, more free advertisement for the business that gave your athletes the opportunity to earn money in the first place. It really is a win-win for all parties involved.
In Conclusion
Don’t let the cost of everything run you as a parent, or your child away from wrestling. After all, this is an investment in your child’s future that will do nothing but help them on the long road of life giving them numerous, irreplaceable skills. If you need help raising money, talk to coaches, business owners, or even others in your community. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Fundamentals are crucial to success regardless of what level you are at. Chael Sonnen was one of the best wrestlers to enter into MMA, and he used his fundamental wrestling to get there! WRESTLING FUNDAMENTALS FROM THE BAD GUY BY CHAEL SONNEN HAS WHAT YOU NEED!