Fond du Lac Wrestling

Fond du Lac

Youth

Wrestling

Handbook

"Wrestling cannot change the nature of man, but it can bring out the qualities that are intended to lead others, encourage others, challenge others, entertain others, and direct others. I am thankful to God for the sport of wrestling and its maturing effects in the lives of many young men."

--Ben Peterson

Fond du Lac Wrestling Club Handbook
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

See Board Members

See Committee Chairs

YOUTH COACHES

Saturday Morning Coordinator	After-School Coordinator
Dr. Ryan Haus	Mike Gurrath
952 S. Park Ave.	497 S Park Ave
Fond du Lac, WI 54935	Fond du Lac, WI 54935
(H) 907-0790 (W) 929-9190	920-929-8531

After-School Coaches

See After-School Coaches

Saturday Morning Coaches

Ryan Haus, Paul Mooney, Pat Caulfield

WELCOME

Dear Parents and Wrestlers,

The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club was established many years ago with a mission to promote the sport of wrestling in the Fond du Lac area. As a club and non-profit organization, we aim to provide wrestling instruction for youths aged 5-18, to provide financial assistance to the numerous school teams, and to promote the sport of wrestling to the public. Quality-experienced coaches will provide wrestling instruction with an emphasis on fundamentals that breed physical and mental growth. Each child will be given group and individualized instruction dependent on skill level. Fundraising by the club allows us to continue providing our school teams with the equipment, uniforms, mats, etc. that they require to be successful. Wrestling is a unique sport in that it provides both physical and mental development, as well as both team and individual competitions. The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club strives to help give each youth wrestler the skills to achieve success on the mat as well as off mat. Most important is that wrestling is fun. We hope you will join us!!

The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club

STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION

It is the policy of the Fond du Lac Wrestling Club that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination.

CLUB OBJECTIVES

To have fun while developing fundamentals of wrestling
To develop self confidence in each wrestler
To develop a positive self image in each wrestler.
To develop the concept that success is related to effort, not score.
To develop team loyalty and a sense of responsibility
To develop a good sportsmanship attitude
To provide proper physical, mental, and social development

"The journey is the reward."

CODE OF CONDUCT
Philosophy

The promotion of sportsmanship, the teaching of values and integrity, and the modeling of ethical behavior are the first and foremost goals of the Fond du Lac wrestling program. This program is founded upon respect for everyone and has placed the highest standards upon all parties to represent Fond du Lac in a positive manner. Only under this premise can our programs continue to be successful.

Academics

The wrestler’s performance in the classroom is much more important than his/her results on the mat. Student-athletes must maintain acceptable grades in order to be eligible. The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club follows all school guidelines pertaining to academic achievement. Student effort, attitude, and conduct in the class are of the highest priority. If a problem with student effort, attitude, or conduct exists, the coaching staff will discuss with the parents and student the appropriate course of action. Participation in club activities is a privilege and not a right.

Dress Code

The clothing and shoes worn by the wrestlers directly affect an athlete and team’s performance. The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club has a dress code implemented in order to present a positive image of the wrestling program, to represent the Fond du Lac community in a positive manner, and to allow for safety reasons. This dress code is enforced upon all coaches, wrestlers, managers, and any other personnel who represent the team.

Practice

All wrestlers will wear clean shorts, T-shirt (in good taste), socks, and tennis or wrestling shoes when they attend practice. Sweatpants are allowed if they have no zipper and are the proper size. There is no jewelry allowed. Baggy clothes are discouraged. Hair must not be long enough to pull, and fingernails must be trimmed. Any cuts, abrasions, or open sores must be covered and inspected by a coach prior to practice. If a wrestler has a singlet or club T-shirt, he is encouraged to where it. During the winter months, wrestlers are encouraged to bring dry shoes along separately, to prevent the bringing of water and dirt into the wrestling area. These guidelines will be enforced in order to protect the safety of other wrestlers.

Tournaments

All wrestlers, managers, and coaches will dress in appropriate apparel on the day of a tournament. Team shirts are recommended. Wrestlers are to follow the same rules as listed above and to where any club uniforms given.

Attendance

Attendance at practice is a very integral part of the development of young wrestlers. The more the wrestler attends, the more it benefits that wrestler. The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club has established a participation goal for its wrestlers at 75% of practices attended. Each individual who accomplishes this goal will earn a participation award. Chronic absences may result in a wrestler not being able to participate in sponsored events or dismissal from the team. Special circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis. Each situation is unique and will be dealt with in the manner in which the coaching staff believes the team and the individual will benefit the most.

Wrestlers are expected to show up on time and we will finish on time. If you are picking up your son, please be prompt as we will be locking the school and wrestlers will be forced to stand outside. Wrestlers will be supervised during practice hours. We are not responsible for supervision outside of practice times.

Weather

All practice cancellations due to inclement weather will be announced on KFIZ (1450 AM) radio on the day of the event or practice. If school is cancelled for the entire day, there will be no evening practices.

Conduct/ Behavior

If a wrestler consistently displays a poor or detrimental attitude during practice, the coaching staff will take the necessary steps in order to remedy the situation. If the situation with a particular wrestler cannot be resolved, the wrestler may be dismissed from the team. A disruptive wrestler(s) can significantly decrease the learning experience of all others participating. Coaches and Board of Directors reserve the right to suspend or ban any wrestler from club activities due to inappropriate conduct. Discipline will consist of warnings, time-outs, and suspensions. Parent involvement will be stressed, as it is not the role of this club to discipline inappropriate behavior. Discipline is considered a last resort and is implemented only after a wrestler’s actions are affecting the experience of others. Special circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis. Each situation is unique and will be dealt with in the manner in which the coaching staff believes the team and the individual will benefit the most.

Rules of Behavior

This is not All-Star Wrestling on TV!! Imitation of this type of wrestling will not be tolerated
Wrestling rules will be followed and enforced always.
No violent activities will be tolerated to include punching, kicking, biting, etc.
No cursing or teasing will be tolerated
Respect will always be shown to wrestlers, parents, and coaches.

Sportsmanship

Wrestlers representing the Fond du Lac Wrestling Club will display acceptable sportsmanship and behavior at all wrestling events, whether they are participating or spectating. All wrestlers will be expected to respect all other wrestlers, parents, and coaches. Any behavior that the coaching staff believes is flagrant will be dealt with immediately. Special circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis. Each situation is unique and will be dealt with in the manner in which the coaching staff believes the team and the individual will benefit the most. The Fond du Lac Wrestling Club coaching staff will not tolerate unacceptable behavior and conduct.

Parents

All parents are responsible for their own personal conduct as well as their children. Any behavior deemed inappropriate by the club may lead to suspension of parent and/or child. Parents will show all wrestlers, parents, and coaches the respect that they deserve. Please feel free to talk to coaches regarding any concerns or questions, but please do at the appropriate time. We encourage all parents to be role models for our young wrestlers. We also hope that you will become involved in our club activities. Please ask how you can help. If you are unfamiliar with wrestling and its rules, we will be conducting parents meetings to help teach you, so that you might better enjoy the sport.

Final Note

Wrestling in the Fond du Lac Wrestling Club is a privilege and not a guaranteed right.
Wrestlers must earn the right to participate simply by trying and exuding appropriate behavior.
These rules of conduct are in place to create a positive atmosphere for all to enjoy the sport of wrestling.
No disciplinary action will be taken without due process and the attempted involvement of the parents and child.

Fundraising

In order to provide all the wrestling opportunities that the FDL Wrestling Club offers, we need the constant support of our community. Our major fundraiser each year is our raffle and we ask that each youth wrestler do their best to sell at least 5 ten-dollar raffle tickets. We would like to thank the numerous businesses that donate with generous contributions to our club: CD Smith Construction, Hopper’s Screen Printing and All-Star Trophy, Dynamic Chiropractic & Wellness Center, Bergstrom Automotive, World Class Wrestling, G&L, Greenwood Industries, and Quad Graphics, Van Buren Construction, Mark Klapperich Floor Covering, GBI Griffin Builders Inc., R.A. Pinno Construction Inc., CD Builders, M & I Bank, Chuck Huss Construction, and Tom Dercks Builders.

CALENDAR

All students may participate in as many programs as they wish for the one time family membership fee of $10

SATURDAY MORNING PROGRAM

Open to all students K-8^th grade. This is a great program for beginning wrestlers.

See Saturday Morning Program

Practice time will be held from 9am-10:30am
All practices will be held in wrestling room and south balcony
Wrestlers will be divided into groups based on age, weight, and experience

Local Tournaments

These are listed near the bottom of the Saturday Morning Program page.

More info on tournaments will be passed out at practices
A list of all tournaments outside the Fond du Lac area will be given out in late January for all those interested

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM

Open to all students 3rd-6^th grade. Younger kids may participate with coach’s permission.

Sign-up/Registration

Practice Locations & Times

Practices will consist of instruction and dual meet competition and run right after school from 3:30pm-5:00pm

Lakeshore: Monday & Wednesday

Pier: Monday & Wednesday

Roberts: Monday & Wednesday

Chegwin: Monday & Wednesday

Evans: Tuesday & Thursday

Rosenow: Tuesday & Thursday

Waters: Tuesday & Thursday

Riverside: Tuesday & Thursday

Tournaments & Other Events

Same as those listed under the Saturday Morning Program

TRAVELING TEAM

Open to all students K-8^th grade. All who join are on the team. No one is left out.

This program is a more advanced program for wrestlers wanting more wrestling experience. This program introduces wrestlers to competition. Winning is good, but the goal of this program is to further enjoy and develop wrestling skills. We teach that success is directly related to effort and stress that good work ethics and attention to detail are important in all aspects of life.

Dates

Program follows the after-school program. The Traveling Team will begin the first week of January and runs every Tuesday and Thursday night through the end of March.

Practice Times

Practices will be held in the Riverside School wrestling room from 6-8 p.m. Practices are held every Tuesday and Thursday with optional extra practices held on Mondays and Wednesdays. Monday and Wednesday concentrates on preparation for the Regional, State and National competitions and conditioning.

Tournaments

A list of all weekend tournaments will be given out at one of first practices.

Informational Meeting

An informational parent meeting will be held (see the Traveling Team page).

Fees

There is an added fee for this program, but this fee covers all entry fees for

team required tournaments, warm ups and singlets and USA wrestler card.

Required Equipment

All team members are required to purchase headgear to protect their ears.

Wrestling shoes are also encouraged.

This is an outstanding experience that has become fun for the wrestlers and the parents. Everyone is encouraged to at least attend the informational meeting. See the Traveling Team page for further information.