CWO – Pre-Season Open Mat Sessions
Columbus Wrestling Organization (CWO) – Pre-Season Open Mat Sessions (November 2017)
As in the past, we have had several requests from wrestlers and families who would like to start practicing early based on the desire to complete in pre-season tournaments, especially those scheduled in December and January. In order to accommodate the request of these families and allow an opportunity for the wrestlers to get into “wrestling shape”, we are planning on having “Open Mat” sessions starting Monday, November 13th for those wrestlers who want to compete early. The “Open Mat” sessions will be held from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the Columbus High School wrestling room on the following dates:
Monday, 11/13 Thursday, 11/16 Monday, 11/20 Tuesday, 11/21 Monday, 11/27 Tuesday, 11/28
We will have somewhat limited instruction with mainly conditioning, drilling and live wrestling to prepare the wrestlers for early competition. We will certainly help kids with individual instruction when needed or requested. We encourage our parents with wrestling experience or knowledge of the sport to volunteer their time during the “Open Mat” sessions. I would also encourage parents to contact each other and arrange for practice partners to attend the same “Open Mat” sessions together. If not, we will do our best to rotate wrestlers in and out of groups to provide sufficient mat time to prepare the wrestlers for early competition.
Please be assured that by no means will any wrestler be disadvantaged by not attending the “Open Mat” sessions. As already noted, these sessions will be mainly focused on getting wrestlers, who choose to compete early, into “wrestling shape”. I believe that the five month schedule that we have from December through April provides all of our wrestlers adequate coaching, practice time and competitive tournament matches to be a successful wrestler during the folkstyle wrestling season.
As coaches we also use these “Open Mat” sessions to teach any new technique which we may have learned during coaching clinics we attend in the off-season. This gives coaches an opportunity to learn the best ways to teach the new technique to our wrestlers and make any adjustments prior to the season. Any new technique taught during “Open Mat” will also be taught during the season.
Our plan is to get coaches at a few early tournaments similar to past years. These may include North Bend Shrine Club, Hastings Force (2TUF Gym), Star City Clash and others, all traditionally held in December. Some parents already plan on attending additional out-of-state tournaments held during December.
Reminder: All Columbus Wrestling Organization junior high / middle school wrestlers are strongly encouraged to participate in their respective junior high / middle school wrestling programs. The Columbus Wrestling Organization is not intended to be a replacement for your participation in wrestling programs currently offered by your school but instead be supplemental practice for technique and conditioning during those junior high / middle school seasons.
ENTERING COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL (OPEN MAT ONLY) – We are trying to determine the best entrance for our CWO wrestlers for Open Mat, Clinic and Team sessions. For Open Mat we are going try the WEST entrance to the high school which is on the north side of the loading docks in the corner. The doors will be unlocked. There is small parking lot on the west side of the school, please use that parking lot. DO NOT park in the loading dock area.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me.
Coach Brian Brownlow
402-910-8749 (Cell)
