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Announcements
Offseason workout interviews
07/28/08
I trust everyone has been having a great offseason. I've heard good things so far. I'm trying to talk to as many wrestlers as I can to see how your lifting and workouts are going. After I do these interviews I'm posting them in the Coaches Corner. Along with the lifting info check out what people weigh and how many pullups they can do. While your there don't forget to check out the Word on the Street.
Coach Josh
The Cabin Year 2 another success...
7/21/08
Ten of Maple Grove's wrestlers headed to my parents cabin last weekend (7/11 - 7/13) to hit the water, play some bumper pool, taboo, risk, poker, eat everything in sight, and just hang out. We had a lot of fun - although it may have cost each one of the wrestlers to go up a weight class next season. Hopefully the boys enjoyed it as well. I've heard from a few of them that was the case. Here are a few observations from what's hopefully becoming an annual team builder:
- Most enthusiastic skier goes to Frank Cramer. Besides slalom skiing many many times Frank also basically mastered the Surf Board (1st time ever doing it), and learned to wakeboard. Frank isn't afraid of anything on the water and even gave skiing on a canoe paddle a whirl - maybe next year on that one.
- Best tuber goes to Joseph Borchardt. If tubing was an Olympic sport Joseph would be headed to Beijing. At one point he was completely off the tube and hanging on with one hand while his body skipped across the water. He used his one hand to pull himself back onto the tube and fully recovered. Basically he's virtually impossible to shake.
- Most natural first time skier goes to Matt Philips who got up in his first attempt and pretty much every time there after. While he was a natural he was not the most daring first time skier. That honor goes to...
- Adam Hanninen (who is what I call a Kamikaze skier). Skier’s like Adam are a lot of fun to watch because they push their limits - and when they exceed their limits... well they go down in a blaze of glory. It's really video camera material.
- Best risk player goes to Will Smith who took 2nd and then 1st on consecutive nights. Another worthy note is that not only had Will never skied before - Will had never been in a lake before now. 10,000 in the state and this was his first one. He got up on skis a few times but didn't exactly master the art of staying up. Another video camera worthy moment.
- Reid Weiland was the most happy to be up on skis. He didn't have much success the first day out and some of the guys gave him a hard time. He figured it out in his second attempt and really looked good back there.
- Best behind the boat goes to Jeremy Borchardt - who mastered the surf board in his first attempt and also is a very good wake boarder. He's fun to watch back there.
Second timers Dan Rekuski and Will Anderson seemed to have a good time again (I know Will did as he went out of his way to tell me he did) and Alex Gray said he would return next year as well - likely with a gigantic bag of gummy bears. Thanks for coming boys and looking forward to even more guys coming up next year!
Remember only two weeks of Wednesday night practices left. Last week was a down week - we had 10 guys - I'd like to see us double that number for the final two weeks. I've heard Augsburg national champ Nick Slack will be there this week to help show technique. Last chance to get some good mat time in before the season for most of you. Make it count!
Crimson wrestling Alum Blake Mattson called me last week from St. Cloud - where he is attending wrestling practices to ask how the Crimson squad is looking for next season. He also said he hopes to wrestle another Crimson Alum in Jackson Mboma at Augsburg Open (both teams first tournament of the year I believe). I spent this morning wrestling with Jackson and Blake if your reading this my advice is this: be careful what you wish for. I do hope to attend that tournament and watch two of the finer wrestlers in Crimson history on the the collegiate stage. If anybody else is interested let me know. That tournament is before our season begins.
If anybody has any good poster ideas for this upcoming season let me know. If we could get a number of ideas and then take a vote that would be ideal - so don't be afraid to share your idea even if your not sure it's good. UWECWrestling@hotmail.com.
Troy
Nebraska camp rundown...
6/30/08
Alex and Reid had never been to a wrestling camp of any sort before so when they both decided to go to the Nebraska Outdoor Challenge Camp - considered an intensive camp - I thought they could handle it and I thought they'd have fun - but I wasn't sure of anything.
When I saw Alex at church yesterday and he smiled - I figured that was a good sign - much better than the alternatives. After church we talked extensively about it and it was evident that he had both had a good time and worked harder than he likely has ever worked before. I also noticed that he happened to pick up a nice little tan. Anyway here's what my dad had to say about the camp:
Nebraska Outdoor Challenge Camp
I spent the week of June 22 -27th at the Nebraska Outdoor Challenge wrestling camp with 2 wrestlers (Alex Gray & Reid Weiland). The camp is held at a 2000 acre ranch. Camp owner, Steve Hansen, grew up in Iowa and wrestled at the University of Iowa. He has coached wrestling and also served as a military training officer in the mid 1970’s. This wrestling camp is like no other. The design and concept is built around Steve’s wrestling and coaching background together with his military training.
This is a team camp as most camp events revolved around the team. Team score is based on the results of each event throughout the week and an Iron man team was crowned at the end of the week. Congratulations Reid on being part of the Iron Man team. The teams consist of wrestlers who, for the most part, don’t know each other. The concept is that is that if you can work together effectively with strangers you should be able to work well with your friends. No team could be successful unless all of its members contributed. Each team was better than the sum of its parts as the wrestlers planned strategy for some events, pushed and encouraged each other and learned from each other. Alex and Reid represented Maple Grove well. They worked hard and used their talents to their best advantage.
It was an intensive camp. The day started with a 7:00 a.m. run over sandy ranch trails and roads followed by the log workout (a series of weightlifting and conditioning drills using fence posts for weights) and sometimes buddy carries up a steep ranch road. The camp features a very challenging obstacle course which the wrestlers run twice (once as a team and once individually). The team race combined strategy, effort and determination. The individual race was pure effort with your team following along the course encouraging and supporting each teammate. The wrestlers competed head to head against a member of another team and against the clock for team standings. All wrestlers stated that the course was very tough and some stated that it was the hardest thing they have ever done. Reid completed the course with a faster time than 3 camp counselors (college wrestlers) who ran the course. Nerf water football consisted of 80 minutes of running time football played in the river with the offensive team always running up stream. The wrestlers had a lot of fun and never realized how tired they were until after the games ended. Alex played a mojor role for his team in this event. Canoeing 16 miles down the river along with a 1.5 mile canoe race was another fun but very strenuous activity. Paint ball, tug of war competition, pull up competition and more were fun but they all involved work and they all taught a lesson. Alex, who loves to stay up late stated that he was always sleeping by 11:15 p.m.. He stated that when he got home he was looking forward to staying up until 3:00 a.m. and than sleeping all day on Saturday.
Wrestling technique and a hard nose wrestling style were taught at this camp. With 42 wrestlers they got as much 1-on-1 attention as needed.. The head clinician was Jason Kelber former University of Nebraska Wrestler and coach. Jason was an NCAA division 1 National Champion, 3 time all American and one of the few wrestlers who has wins over both of the Brands brothers. Each day had at least 2 wrestling sessions which combined technique, live wrestling and a few wrestling games. I was impressed at how hard these wrestlers worked in spite of the fact that they were obviously tired. Again Maple Grove was well represented as Alex and Reid wrestled hard each day and each session and it showed in their wrestling.
In the wrestling competition again the Maple Grove boys did very well. In the takedown competition Reid had 3 wins and 2 losses and in the regular wrestling competition Reid went 4 wins and 1 loss. Reid wrestled competitively in all events beating a state qualifier in the takedown competition and surprising a state 5th place finisher from Cadott Wisconsin with his aggressiveness. Alex was the second lightest man in his weight bracket. The lightest wrestler in the bracket was from Mosinee, WI and placed 4th in the Wisconsin state tournament. In the wrestling competition Alex beat a 215 lb wrestler from Nebraska. Congratulations Alex and Reid on a job well done!
Wrestling lessons as well as life lessons were learned at this camp. The challenges met will be remembered a lifetime. Alex and Reid succeeded at activities and competed successfully in areas that they would have never dreamt of attempting before coming to camp .The aggressive style of wrestling taught at camp should serve them well in next year’s wrestling season.
Ron Seubert
Hard work by many results in successful fundraiser...
6/27/08
Due to the hard work of Brad and Mary Quam as well as many of our wrestlers the Augsburg Team Camp fundraiser was a success. Brad actually took four days off of work to coordinate and volunteer at the camp. What a vacation! Here's a message from Brad:
I would like to thank those who took the time to help with the team camp fundraiser:
Nancy Cramer, John Rekuski, Matt Philips & Adam Whirley who all helped get people back & forth along with Bill Piche who offered more than once to help if needed.
A big thank you to these boys who were there all four days:
Will Anderson, Jake Halvorson, John Herbe & Frank Cramer.
Also the following boys deserve their due for helping out when they were available:
John Doerrmann 3 days
Dan Rekuski 3 days
Andy Quam 3 days
Justin Piche 3 days
Matt Philips 2 days
Adam Whirley 2 days
Zach Quam 1 day
Brad Quam
I (Troy) would also like to thank all the boys who made it a success, the Osseo and Cooper programs who each sent wrestlers down there, and Scott Whirley and the Augsburg program for the opportunity. It's rare to get a wrestling related fundraiser where our guys have a chance to get better by doing it. Although they didn't get to wrestle as much as they had hoped due to being very low on numbers, they did get some time to lift as well as an opportunity to do some very valuable observing/scouting. There were plenty of kids at the camp who we'll see next season and it's always helpful to get a good look at them. I believe everybody who helped will benefit from the experience.
Lastly and most importantly I would like to thank the Quam family. It wouldn't have happened without Mary's organization and Brad's presence all four days. Very much appreciated. Thanks guys!
A couple other things of note:
Reid, Alex and Ron will return from Nebraska today. I haven't had a chance to talk to either of the boys but I have heard they had a good experience. They were able to learn a lot of good wrestling technique and get some good wrestling and non-wrestling competition in. They wrestled in both the team takedown and team full match tournaments. The camps philosophy is to put wrestlers who know each other on separate teams because they say if you can work as a team with people you don't know you'll be able to do it even better with people you do. Both wrestlers held their own in both tournaments although Alex was in the heavyweight division (light heavyweight I think).
Reid also returns as part of the Paint Ball Championship team (although they were smoked by Ron and the coaches/clinicians in a post championship exhibition game). The obstacle course was especially challenging - Reid finished in a well above average time of 7 minutes and something and Alex also had a respectable time. All and all I think it was as they expected - a lot of work but a lot of fun as well - and a rare experience they were glad they took advantage of.
That's it for now. I'll be sending out detailed information in the next week about the plans for the cabin on the 11, 12 and 13th. Let me know if you want in and haven't let me know yet (so if your name isn't Frank, Matt, Reid, Will A., Dan, Caleb C., Adam H., Joseph, Jeremy, Will Smith or Jackson). UWECWrestling@Hotmail.com.
Troy
Crimson grapplers bring home some Augsburg hardware...
June 19, 2008
Fifteen Maple Grove wrestlers headed to camp Sunday June 15th at Augsburg and today as they left the camp many of them had something to show for their stay. The Augsburg technique camp has both an individual tournament - consisting of 8 man brackets and a team tournament - that included 16 teams. The Crimson took home one individual championship (9th grader Austin Dean), two runner ups (11th grader Adam Whirley and 10th grader Dan Rekuski), and four third place finishers (12th grader Matt Philips, 10th grader Frank Cramer, 10th grader John Herbes and 9th grader Zach Gawboy). The Crimson also made up the majority of the championship team with seven members including Dean, Gawboy, 9th grader Jonny Dill (who did not wrestle in the individual portion of the camp), Cramer, Whirley, Philips and 11th grader Jake Otterson.
Ten wrestlers finished .500 or better for the camp.
Dill (4-0, 1 pin)
Dean (5-1, 3 pins)
Cramer (5-2, 3 pins)
Whirley (5-2, 1 pin)
Philips (5-2, 1 pin)
Rekuski (4-2, 2 pins)
9th grader Andy Quam (4-2, 3 pins)
Gawboy (4-3, 2 pins)
Junior Zach Quam (4-3, 1 pin)
Herbes (2-2, 2 pins)
Senior Adam Hanninen and Sophomore Will Anderson each finished with 3 wins a piece.
Overall it was a very successful camp for our favorite squad. That said by the sounds of it it's unlikely this group will be back next season to try and defend the team title. I think most of these guys will be ready for a team camp at this time next season.
Speaking of team camps most of these campers won't be gone for long as they'll be working the Augsburg team camp next week. It should be a great opportunity to get some extra wrestling in and watch some good matches. I know we have 15 or more boys that will be down there at some point.
Two wrestlers who won't be working the team camp are Sophomore Reid Weiland and 9th grader Alex Gray. The two of them along with Coach Ron Seubert will be boarding a bus and heading to Nebraska Sunday morning for the Nebraska Outdoor Challenge Camp. It'll be a great experience for both Alex and Reid and I can't wait to hear the stories that I'm sure they'll have when they get back.
After next week the next big thing coming up on the Maple Grove wrestling Calendar (from my perspective at least) is the trip to the Cabin. July 11, 12 and 13th. So far I have Matt Philips, Frank Cramer, Dan Rekuski, Reid Weiland, Will Anderson, Caleb Cooper (just transferred to Maple Grove from Coon Rapids) and Jackson Mboma committed to going. Everybody is welcome and it's a free trip. Should be a good time so let me know if you're interested. You can email me at UWECWrestling@Hotmail.com or call me at 763-913-0601. Also the weekend after that is Summer Slam in Litchfield... let's represent!
Finally thanks to Crimson Alum Robbie Gawboy and Brad Griffore for running this past weeks Wed. night practice. They both did a great job! That program is attracting wrestlers from all over our area now - Park Center, Rogers, Elk River, and Coon Rapids. Keep the wrestling coming - remember the wrestling room is open on Wed. 6:30p - 8:30p. Let's try not to get outnumbered by those other schools! I'll see you guys there.
Maple Grove Summer Wrestling...
Just Jotting:
- Check out the new Season and Career Records tabs on the webpage. Current and former wrestlers might find this information interesting. I've highlighted names of wrestlers that were on the team this past season.
- It has been reported to me that Zach Gawboy is up to 25 legit pull-ups. I'm not sure where people like Jonny, Reid and Mitch are but that's the current number to beat as far as I know. I did see Mitch jogging to the gym the other day so I know he's been working out and staying in shape.
- Here's our summer wrestling information. If you plan on attending please sign up ASAP. Thanks.
MAPLE GROVE WRESTLING
Summer wrestling and conditioning program for athletes entering
Registration instructions are there too. You can sign up by phone, on-line, or in person.
Coaches are as follows:
June 11th - Chris Muller and Adam Kolo.
Chris Muller finished 5th in the Minnesota State Tournament and was a four year Conf. placewinner at Eau Claire accumulating over 80 career victories.
Adam is a Wisconsin State Champion and a Division III All-American. He was also a three time National Qualifier.
June 18th - Robbie Gawboy and possibly Tom Owen and Brad Griffore.
Robbie was a two time state qualifier at Maple Grove and graduated in 2006. He finished his Crimson career in the top 10 of nearly every major statistical category.
Tom was a member of the first Maple Grove wrestling team in 1996-1997 season and holds the best career winning percentage in Crimson wrestling history with an impressive 43-7 career mark. Tom graduated in 1998 and is very well represented in the single season Crimson records as well.
Brad also graduated in 2006 and although he didn't start wrestling until his Sophomore season he earned All Conference as a senior. Brad used his talents as a leg rider to become one of the most prolific turners in Crimson history.
June 25th - Brian Baker.
Brian wrestled at Blaine High School and St. John's college. He now lives in Maple Grove and is a big fan of our program.
July - 2nd - July 30 - Scott Whirley and Augsburg related wrestlers.
Scott is a Division III National champ. Scott was also an assistant coach during 10 Augsburg Nation Champion Seasons.
If you have any questions (or coaching suggestions for the other two dates) please let me know. We need to get at least 10 people signed up for the program to take place. Please email me at UWECWrestling@Hotmail.com with any questions you may have.
Emotional Day for Crimson Wrestling...
5/8/08
Typically I've been trying to avoid putting anything on the website that includes my opinion. However, today is not a typical day. Today was a day I will not soon forget. Today we said good-bye to a teammate and friend.
As a coach the ultimate goal is to see your athletes grow to be great people. Teaching a winning attitude and work ethic in the sport we know and love is simply how we go about doing that. Today I realized a couple things. First - Will accomplished that goal. Although he didn't live in this life to be an adult - he was a great person. His life can be celebrated by all that knew him and his parents have so much to be proud of. He is very loved and will be missed by many.
Second - I was so proud today as so many of Will's teammates showed how great of people they are. I truly believe one of Will's reason's for being here was to help his friends and teammates grow to be great people. Today, in typical Will fashion, he did everything in his power to accomplish that goal. Adam, Joseph, Justin and Zach you made Will (and many others) proud.
Lastly - The Crimson Wrestling family is like no other sport. The loyalty, commitment, and love for one another is a greater bond than just teammates or friends. Thank you to each of the boys who showed up to say good-bye and to Cindy for the idea and all the calls you made about the jackets. I know Will had a big smile (and maybe a smart ass comment about how he looked better in the jacket or something) when he saw us all walk in with our Crimson Wrestling jackets on. I was proud to be part of it and I'm sure Will was too.
To me the day was truly special. Although difficult to say goodbye - I believe we gave Will the best send off possible - and he deserved nothing less.
Troy
A few more things...
A few more things...
A. Thanks everybody who made the fundraiser for the Will Tresvant family on Friday a booming success. We raised $2181 for the family (assuming we don't get any more checks in the mail)!!! Special thanks to Bob and Sue Gray who opened up their home and did most of the work for the poker tournament, Osseo wrestling coach Kelly McConville who came up with the idea and included the Osseo wrestling people, and to Steve Hammer who came up with the silent auction idea and did much of the work to make that successful. Thanks again everybody!
B. Anybody interested in going up to my parents cabin this summer for some waterskiing, four wheeling, bonfire's, horse shoe tournaments, etc. I have a couple of dates that I am looking at (dwindled down due to feedback on other dates). 7/12 and 7/13 or 8/9 and 8/10 work for us as of right now so if your interested let me know which works best for you and we can start to put those wheels in motion.
Congrats to Frank Cramer and Zach Gawboy who each finished third this past weekend at the Apple Valley freestyle tournament! That's four different wrestlers we've had earn trophies this freestyle season - and I've heard we are going to have our biggest showing yet this Saturday at Anoka. Very impressive!
Justin Piche has been named the starting first baseman with the varsity baseball team. Justin had said last season his goal was to be varsity in three sports at a Sophomore and after starting at center for the football team and qualifying for state at heavyweight on the wrestling team he has now accomplished that - congrats Justin.
That's it for now. Hope to hear from some of you soon.
