Teaching wrestling to 40 or more boys ages 6-12 can be a challenge, but Dave Hoyt knows how to keep it fun, educational and safe. Two evenings a week in late February and March will find him at East Junior High guiding future wrestlers through their moves.
“I like wrestling. It’s competitive and you get to wrestle differing people each time,” said Cameron Wise, a fourth-grade student at Cherry Knoll Elementary School. “The hardest part is if you get someone who is a lot bigger than you.”
A former high school wrestler and an assistant coach of the Central High School wrestling team, Hoyt hopes his feeder program for elementary age children will spark an interest in this ancient sport – one that will keep them wrestling in junior high and high school.
“The kids actually get to wrestle each other here and not get into trouble,” said Hoyt, who was introduced to the sport of wrestling in the fifth grade by his older brother. “Wrestling is the oldest sport in the world. It began when men were born and is just one of the those things that is natural to do.”
The explosive popularity of professional wrestling on television is a contrast to the general ignorance of the actual sport, which consists of freestyle and Greco wrestling. In fact, Hoyt said the “fake” wrestling actually hinders the sport of wrestling because it is so misleading.
“Wrestling is one of the sports that you don’t see on television, so kids don’t know the rules or they think it is like professional wrestling,” he added. “So they have a real learning curve here.”
Hoyt began the elementary wrestling program five years ago as a way to share the sport with his son, DJ, then 8. Although his son decided to pursue dance a few years ago, Hoyt continued to teach wrestling.
“I missed wrestling and my son was a big influence for me to get back into it,” he said. “I wanted something I knew I could teach him that I knew about. Prior to that, my son and I played hockey and I became a certified coach, but my love was always in wrestling.”
Each Tuesday and Thursday night for four or five weeks, Hoyt takes between 40 and 60 children and teaches them the basics of the sport: points, moves, strategy, conditioning and safety. From running laps to stretching to going over a move piece by piece, the kids are given an education in wrestling from the ground up.
But through it all, Hoyt stresses the fun. In fact, he has cut back on tournament participation for the group, finding many of the children were not ready for it. Those who are interested and ready can attend regional elementary wrestling meets.
“Wrestling is a very mature sport and what we’re trying to do in the feeder program is to get them into it, understand the rules and put the thought in their mind that wrestling is a fun sport,” he said. “We don’t want them to burn out on it before high school.”
A number of volunteer coaches help out at the sessions, many drawn from the Central High School’s wrestling team. Hoyt sees this as a huge benefit to both the younger and older kids.
“There’s a bond that happens between the kids and it’s a great thing to watch,” he added. “A lot of times, too, the high school wrestlers will bring their younger brothers in to start the program, to introduce them to a sport that they love.”
Adam Monroe is a high school senior on the Trojan wrestling team in his second year of coaching in the elementary school wrestling program. Monroe enjoys helping the younger wrestlers learn the intricacies of the sport.
“It is fun for me and fun sharing my technique with them,” said Monroe, who began wrestling as a freshman. “You can really see them improve and learn to wrestle. These kids will already have the basics at the junior high level and that is something I wish
I had.”
Nearly 40 boys in grades K-6 have participated in the Elementary School Wrestling program twice a week since the end of February at East Junior High. Here, Billy Baesch, a fifth-grade student at Cherry Knoll Elementary School, wrestles with Cameron Wise, a fourth-grader at the same school.