LEVEL 1: ELEMENTARY

 

This level of the program was founded in the summer of 1994, with the assistance of the Lancaster Recreation Commission (LRC). As stated in the original vision, this program has been subject to the most changes. Since 1994, this program has enlisted the involvement of multiple community agencies, such as the LRC, The Boys Club, The YMCA, East Side Athletic Club, and Athletes in Action.

The primary goal of this level is to introduce as many elementary aged children as possible to the sport of wrestling, while teaching the basic body movements and skills used in this sport. Secondary goals will include an increase of overall fitness and nutritional awareness. This will be a "wrestle for fun" program with only enough competition to keep the athletes excited and involved. Competition opportunities will include scrimmages, dual meets, and tournaments, both novice and open. In all cases, there will be little or no emphasis on winning.

January of 2008 will mark the first time that Level 1 will have no involvement from outside organizations. Fourteen years after the inauguration of this level, enough of the framework set forth in the original vision for Lancaster Wrestling has been established that this program will be totally reliant upon Level 4 (Post Graduates and Community) in the areas of coaching, administration, and financial acquisition. This program will be conducted under the Tornado Wrestling Club charter, which is the USA Wrestling Affiliate Program for Lancaster City . Additionally, this charter provides membership to the PA Wrestling Federation (PAWF). Former athletes, and community members, will provide the coaching and administration of this program, in conjunction with the School District of Lancaster coaching staff. The Lancaster Mat Club (described in Level 4 below) will provide the avenue for financial support and acquisition. This program will also continue to work with the South Central PA Youth Wrestling Organization (SCPYWO), an organization originally formed to promote youth wrestling in the Lancaster/Lebanon areas.

Level 1 has extreme value to the wrestling program in Lancaster because it acts as an introduction to the sport of wrestling, as well as to the "Lancaster Wrestling Family." This provides the base of our "pyramid". Its importance is also supported by the number of people directly benefited by the incorporation of Level 4 with this program.

LEVEL 2: MIDDLE SCHOOL

 

This level will act as a transition from Level 1 to Level 3. As a transition level there will be a strong emphasis placed on the number of athletes that progress through this level and continue to participate in Level 3.

Although wrestling should always be viewed as fun, there will be a shift from the basic skills and "wrestle for fun" mentality to a "wrestle for competition" program where athletes get the opportunity to test the skills they have worked to develop. The focus is still not on winning, however, it is placed on using competition to evaluate progress. Much emphasis at this level will be placed on the preparation for competition, as well as handling the results of competition in a positive manner. Because of the transitional focus, Level 2 is viewed as the "life blood" of the wrestling program in Lancaster .

Due to the nature of the task, the strongest assistant should be in charge of this aspect of the program. The coach of this level has a large and varied role. This person must be able to act as a counselor in order to help adolescents deal with both victories and defeats constructively. They must be a motivator in order to move these athletes to a level where hard work and preparation is a necessity. Finally, the coach at this level must be a technician and a student of wrestling in order to help these athletes mature as wrestlers who have the needed skills and confidence to successfully move into Level 3.

It is the expectation of the author that in a city as large as ours, we should be able to support a program in each of the middle schools. Due to the restructuring of the district these numbers would have to come solely from the seventh and eighth grade population of the district. It should be the goal of the entire program to produce a time when the involvement in wrestling is so vast that there will be no choice except to house a middle school program in each of the four middle schools. At such a time it will be imperative that we make a concerted effort to staff each program with an exceptional coaching staff.

LEVEL 3: HIGH SCHOOL (JV/VARSITY)

 

This level will be the highest level a wrestler in our district could achieve while still competing for our program. The primary focus will be that of earning respect through the manner in which we perform, both on and off the mat. This will include our efforts in the classroom, the practice room, the gymnasium, and the community. It is the belief of the author that when an athlete has respect, both self-respect and the respect of others, it is more probable that they will compete with the confidence and intensity it takes to be a champion, while demonstrating the dignity and composure it takes to be a true sportsman.

This level currently consists primarily of tenth through twelfth grade athletes, with outstanding freshman getting an opportunity to move to this level as well. At a point in time when the scenario above becomes a reality, and we can support four seventh/eighth grade teams, all ninth graders would compete at Level 3. The majority of ninth and tenth grader athletes would compete on the Junior Varsity team and the majority of the Varsity team would consist of representatives of the eleventh and twelfth grades. This would allow for the possibility of an exceptional wrestler to earn three, or even four, varsity letters.

LEVEL 4: POST GRADUATE/COMMUNITY

This level will serve as the support system upon which the rest of the program will be based. This support system will be made up of former Lancaster wrestlers, parents of current and former Lancaster wrestlers, as well as various service organizations and supporters of wrestling in the city of Lancaster . There will be two primary manifestations of this level; The Lancaster Mat Club and The Tornado Wrestling Club.

The Tornado Wrestling Club, as mentioned above, is our Charter USAW club. This club provides out-of-season opportunities to athletes within our school district, as well as to student athletes from other districts. Practices are held once per week at McCaskey High School . The Tornado W.C. works in cooperation with Mat-Town USA Lancaster, the charter club for the Conestoga Valley school district, who provides the second practice of the week during the off-season. The month of March is primarily geared toward folkstyle wrestling, and preparation for the Middle Atlantic Wrestling Association (MAWA) and PA Junior Wrestling (PJW) tournament series. April brings a shift to freestyle wrestling and participation in PAWF events and USAW national events. The Tornado Wrestling Club breaks for the months of July and August, with the focus returning to folkstyle wrestling and preparation for the scholastic season in September. Beginning in January of 2008, the Level 1 program will run under the Tornado W.C. charter, thus making this program one of year-round operation. The final purpose of the Tornado W.C. is to provide training opportunities for post-graduates and college athletes.