Important Dates

Hello to all.  I hope everyone has been enjoying the offseason!  Wrestling season is right around the corner though.  For those wrestlers and families that have not met me yet, my name is Coach (Zach) Schnell.  If you are a student and haven’t met me, please stop by my office sometime and introduce yourself.  I can also be found in the weight room after school.  With wrestling season right around the corner there are a few dates and tasks that need to be addressed.

• Make sure that your athletic packet and physical have been completed and turned in before the start of season, which is November 16th.  Here is the link to the packet.
  • http://docushare.lps.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-1985929/Athletic%20Packet%20for%202015-2016.pdf
• Monday, November 9th
  • Hydration testing with Julie.  Everyone except those going on the Denver trip are urged to test on this day.  Testing early will give you the best chance of being able to wrestle the weight you want to go.
• Tuesday, November 10th
  • Hydration testing with Julie.  The Denver bound wrestlers will take their hydration test on this day.  If you can’t make Monday for some reason I am sure you can test on this day as well.
• Monday, November 16th
  • First day of wrestling season!!!

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Coach Schnell

zschnel@lps.org

Tips for Hydration

Several of you have asked what weight they need to be for the hydration assessment on Monday (Junior and Seniors) or Tuesday (Freshman and Sophomores). I understand many of you have an idea of what weight class you would like to be at so I’m going to try and impress you with some math skills. According to the weight management assessment plan you will be allowed to lose 1.5% of your body weight per week until you reached the minimum of 7% body fat. Assuming you have enough body fat to descend to your desired weight class you can use this formula to figure what you need to weigh hydrated on Monday to compete at that weight for the first competition. Start with a weight that is approx. 6-10 lbs (light guys can lose less than bigger guys) above the desired weight class. Let’s say John Smith wants to wrestle 145lbs. Add 8 pounds and we will see if he can weigh 153lbs at hydration and be eligible to compete at the first competition. Multiply 153 by .015 to find out how much weight John can lose per week. I came up with 2.295, then divide this number by 7 to find out how much he can lose per day. My calculator reads .328 lbs. If you test on Monday there will be 26 days until our first competition (25 days if you test on Tuesday). So John will multiply .328 by 26. The weight descent plan will allow John to lose 8.528 lbs before the first competition. So if you subtract this by his original weight 153lbs you will see that he would be eligible to wrestle at 145 lbs by the York Invite. All you mathematicians out there double check me and if you know of an easier way to explain this let me know! Good luck and be hydrated and ready to test on Monday or Tuesday!

Tips for Passing Hydration

–     Drink only WATER on the day before and day of the testing.

–      Avoid any vitamin or mineral supplements two days before and the day of testing.

–      Do not eat two hours prior to testing.

–      Avoid vigorous exercise the day of testing.

DON’T MISS OUT!!!

Are you in need of new wrestling shoes? You will find two of the best shoes out there at the cheapest price below. Need headgear? Check out the adidas pair. Are you someone that hates to check back in your asics wrestling bag at the end of the season? Buy one for yourself so you won’t have to. Have you been asking for LSE fight shorts? Ask no more…How about a shirt to have BEFORE our first competition?

ORDER DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4!

Follow this link and order ASAP!

https://store.thegraphicedge.com/eFlyer/main.asp?stid=lsewrestling

Join The Wrestling Family

For our program to be successful it’s important for us to share the beauty of our sport with others.  Encourage your friends to come out and give it a try.  Tell them why you love wrestling and how it has impacted your life.  I’ve composed a letter for students who I’ve reached out to to join our team.  If you have anyone that you feel would benefit from participating you could share this letter with them.  Hope to see you all at our sign-up meeting tomorrow after 8th period in the wrestling room!

Dear Potential Wrestler,

 

Your name has been referred to us as a potential candidate for the Lincoln Southeast High School Wrestling Team. The intent of this letter is to encourage you to seriously consider taking advantage of this outstanding opportunity. The sport of wrestling will greatly enhance your athletic ability but more importantly it will develop character traits that will help you become a man of strength and courage.

 

Wrestling is a combat sport in which two athletes compete using their individual strength, quickness, and tactical skills to gain a positional advantage over an opponent. Simply put, it is a battle of wills. In training, wrestlers will develop tremendous amounts of power, agility, flexibility, and body awareness. These principles may be the reason why so many NFL football players, including Ray Lewis, attribute their wrestling training to their football success. The former all-star NFL linebacker said, “Wrestling…it’s been everything for me. The principles that you learn in wrestling, none of that changes.”

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the statement, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” Wrestling will challenge you to your very core. It takes great courage to step onto the mat to compete against an opponent. There is no teammate to hide behind. It is only you and your opponent.  

 

There are few experiences that give you the same joy you get after winning a big match. Likewise, few experiences can compare to the disappointment one feels after losing. As we overcome adversity we grow into men of strength and courage. We grow into future leaders who are better suited for life. Former Speaker of the US House, Carl Albert said it best, “This is a sport (wrestling) that has turned many boys into men and many men into leaders. And it is a sport in which you can be a giant regardless of how big you are.”  

If you are interested in joining our wrestling family please plan to attend a pre-season meeting on Thursday, October 30 at 3:15pm in the wrestling room.

 

Hope to see you there.

 

Coach Rutledge

GO KNIGHTS!

LSE Booster Golf Fundraiser

Join in the efforts of the LSE booster club and wrestling team to help raise money for our programs!

When: Saturday, October 18, 2014–9am shotgun start

Where: Hi-Mark Golf Course

This will be a fun event that features every sporting program sponsoring a hole.  Besides golf, there will be fun competitions at several sponsored holes, including food and prizes at the conclusion.  The competition at the wrestling sponsored hole will be a pushup competition vs. former LSE wrestling standouts Spader Watts and/or Christian Swift.  Start preparing!

To participate check out the registration here Booster Golf Brochure

Hope to see you there!

NWTC Fall Training Opportunity

High School Wrestling Program

Each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday beginning Tuesday, September 2nd and ending Sunday, November 9th.

Time

Sundays from 4-5:30 pm
Tuesdays from 6-7:30 pm
Thursdays from 6-7:30pm
Registration will begin @ 5:00 pm on September 2nd, or register online in advance

Cost – We accept both cash and checks in person, or you may register online in advance using a credit card. Please make checks payable to NWTC.

$375 for entire session (30 practices)
$265 for a 20-practice pass, which can be used at any practice
$140 for a 10-practice pass, which can be used at any practice
$15 for drop-in individual practices

Age Requirements – 8th-12th grade. Otherwise, the NWTC is open to any and all applicants.

Location – University of Nebraska’s wrestling room, located in the Hendricks Training Complex.

Parking – Parking pass will be available for purchase. $90 for entire session

Coaches –

Rob Sanders, 2x NCAA Qualifier; University Freestyle All-American; Assistant Director, NWTC; Executive Director Nebraska USA Wrestling.
Caleb Kolb, 2x NCAA Qualifier; Former Husker Wrestler, Pennsylvania State Champion
Coaches and Athletes of the 2013-2014 Husker Wrestling Team will occasionally help with practices

What the NWTC can do for you and your team – At the NWTC individuals will learn the technical aspects of wrestling, as well as innovative strength and conditioning routines. The NWTC will also serve as a great arena for local competition. The NWTC will also provide an atmosphere of positive motivation and mentorship to youth wrestlers.

Registration – Click here for online registration http://www.nebraskawtc.org/programs/high-school-wrestling-program/

Our commitment to Nebraska wrestling – Our post-season training session is just one aspect of our commitment to Nebraska wrestling at all levels. We believe in Nebraska—especially the state’s values of hard work and tradition—and want to help elevate individuals and teams throughout our state to reach and exceed their goals.

Fall Training Camp Checklist:

Copy of current school physical (YOU CANNOT PARTICIPATE WITHOUT THIS!)
Completed application form
Signed Liability and Youth Safety Waiver by camper and parent/guardian

Any questions, concerns, or comments? Contact Rob Sanders (402-310-3361, NebraskaWTC@gmail.com)

Coaching change

Coach Jim Baker will be stepping down from his assistant wrestling position at LSE. The difficult decision was made to allow for more time with his family and fulfilling responsibilities in other work endeavors. At this time, I would like to publicly thank Coach Baker for his tremendous contribution to the Southeast wrestling family for the past six seasons. He built many strong relationships over his tenure and gave many young wrestlers the confidence to become better wrestlers, better students, and better people. Coach Baker spent six years as the head wrestling coach at Lincoln High (2000-2006) before joining the Knights program in 2008. As I became head coach at LSE in 2010, Coach Baker mentored me through my first couple of seasons. As a young naive coach, I never expected the overwhelming responsibility that comes with a head coaching position. I thank Coach Baker for easing this transition and believing in me every step of the way. He is and will continue to be a great mentor in my life. Coach Baker has assured me that we have not seen the last of him. He will continue to help out with our annual LSE JV tournament.  I’ve also convinced him to be the guy behind the microphone at all of our home duals.

Coach Baker’s replacement is no stranger to the program. I’m excited to announce Trey Ottley will be joining the wrestling staff as a full-time assistant. Coach Ottley has spent the past three seasons serving as a volunteer coach. He works as a director for Campus Life, an outreach ministry. Besides his coaching experience at LSE, Coach Ottley has been involved for four years coaching middle school intramurals. He graduated in 2009 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in middle level education. As a competitor, Coach Ottley played a major role in Lincoln East’s run for three state championships (2002-2004). He was a state medalist and qualified for the state tournament all four years of his career. Coach Ottley will work extensively with the freshman and junior varsity teams in the vital developmental process. Please join me in officially welcoming Trey Ottley to the coaching staff. He has already made a huge impact on our team culture and I look forward to working with him on a day-to-day basis.

Which culture are we?

Below are the thoughts and writings of my good friend and 2012 Olympian, Tervel Dlagnev, regarding the work ethic and culture of a team:

“There are two attitudes that are very enticing among groups of people: positive and negative.  One builds and one destroys.  Negative is natural and easy because we naturally shy away from discomfort and with this, it’s easy to recruit people to make outliers the butt of jokes.  Positivity is trained and difficult because the harder things get the more push there is from our minds to discourage us from continuing forward.  Both attitudes can thrive and engulf a culture but they cannot coexist.  One will eventually kill the other.  We need to have a desire to root the culture of our team so deep in positivity that those still sailing the ship of negativity and putting people down will feel so alone that they will have to jump over board and join everyone else on the shores of love!”

Reflect on this quote.  Read it more than once.  Which culture will we live?

A father’s letter to his son

Below is an anonymous letter written by a father to his son…I think the father’s words do a very good job articulating the lessons of our sport.

I wrote this after a disappointing tournament when my son was 9 years old.  I wrote it as a way to ease my emotions and to also give myself some perspective of my own disappointment in my son’s performance.    I’ve yet to give it to him, and I don’t know when or if I ever will, but I thought someone should read it.

To my son,

You had a tough time on the mat today and the ride home was pretty quiet.  I admit I was very disappointed but I later came to realize that I shouldn’t be and that it is all part of the journey you are taking.

When I watch you on the mat I worry that you are doing battle while unprepared and that I have failed in your preparation.  As a father that is my greatest fear, that you are unprepared to face the challenges that will come before you.  I want you to be prepared for your match, but I’ve come to realize that it is the matches themselves that, are in the long run, win or lose, the things that ARE preparing you.

I think that the greatest benefit from wrestling is learning to face challenges and to demand the most from yourself.  You learn to fight when you think there is no more fight left within you.  You learn to get up after you’ve fallen, time and time again.  You learn about sacrifice and about pain.  You learn to endure and to overcome.  This is what I want for you, not because I wrestled, but because these lessons are the true gifts of this sport.   So, those losses today were actually part of this gift, and an important part of the journey.

My dream for you is to not just win championships and fill your room with medals.  My dream for you is much greater and I hope you get much more from wrestling.  I hope you learn to strive for greatness even if you fail in the attempt.  I hope you learn to get up one more time when you think you can’t get up any longer.  I hope you learn to not only face your fears, but to stare them down.

Wrestling isn’t about winning.  It is about the desire to win.  It isn’t about success, but rather the determination to succeed.  I want you to succeed as a wrestler, not to win state championships, but I want you to be a successful wrestler so you learn to be all that you can. This sport can help teach you that, if you let it.  I look forward to the seasons of our future as you go through these lessons and I’ll be in your corner for each and every one of them.  I love you.

Dad

2013-14 Season

The Lincoln Southeast Wrestling team celebrated a record-breaking 2013-14 season.  The team broke the dual win record with 13 wins and accumulated more pins than any other team in school history with 186 pins. Christian Swift broke the career win record with 121 wins and the season pin record with 30 pins.   Jonathan Killingsworth broke the single season win record with 43 wins. The team finished 12^th place at the state tournament, the highest finish of any Southeast team in more than two decades. We sent record high 10 individuals to the state tournament and finished with four state medalists.  A big thank you to the 13 seniors who devoted countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears for the betterment of themselves, their teammates, and this program.