New to wrestling? Here's what you need to know...
What do you need for the first practice?
Please bring a water bottle, shoes and headgear (if you have them).
An option for shoes is going to Dick's Sporting in Newington. Wrestlers do need headgear for the first tournament. Singlets will be handed out by the coaches before the first tournament to use for the season-they need to be returned at the end of the season. There's a great possibility that someone else has a pair of shoes that might fit your wrestler already, come to the first practice and ask around before buying shoes.
What should I expect at a tournament?-
Be up early!! We meet at the high school to caravan to the tournaments early in the am. The exact meeting times are subject to the location of the tournament and the distance we need to travel.
- Weigh-ins are usually between 7:00 and 8:00 am, DON”T miss that, your child can’t wrestle if they miss the weigh in.
- Expect to spend the entire day possibly until 3:00 pm (maybe later). Younger wrestlers typically go first.
- The parents and family will have to pay admission to the tournaments but wrestlers are free.
- Bring food. You will be there through lunch. Most schools offer a concession, but it is a great idea to bring lunch and snacks along. Coolers are welcome just mark them with your name. Some schools have restrictions on bringing your cooler into the gym.
- Bring activities for your wrestler and any siblings that come along. You will be sitting in the bleachers for a long period of time before the wrestling begins, and between matches.
- Fingernail clippers. During weigh-ins they look at the wrestlers hands to make sure their nails are not to long. Fingernails should also be clipped for practices, too.
- Don’t forget the camera and/or the camcorder!
How can you help?-
Attend the monthly booster meeting- we’ll post the date for you on the website calendar.
- Join the tournament sub-committee, Boosters, anyone is welcome. Get involved, make a difference.
- Mark your calendar for the Marshwood Youth New England Classic held at the Civic Center in Portland. All parents are needed to run our biggest event!! A lot of families get rooms in Portland for the night before. The Boosters will provide you with more information and hotels that will be giving back to the program when you stay there. Make reservations early!
- Volunteer to help out at events like the Strawberry Festival in June, or with organizing, or fundraising.
- Have your wrestler on time for practice and ready to wrestle. Volunteer to help with a group.
What is the Marshwood New England Youth Classic Tournament?
This tournament is the single, biggest fundraiser for our wrestling program and supports our wrestlers throughout the coming season with low registration costs, new equipment, new singlets and more. This is the one time that each parent is expected to pitch in and volunteer in some way either in the planning, the actual tournament, or as many parents do give their all for three days straight in support of the team. We can’t make this tournament happen without you, the parents of the team.
Highlights of some of the many reasons why our wrestling program hosts the New England Tournament each year is that it has so many benefits to the over 1000 wrestlers that participate in it each year and many of our wrestlers finish off a season of hard work with this tournament. There are also benefits of hosting this tournament that impact the wrestling program. With the proceeds of the tournament we are able to accomplish the following for our wrestlers:
q Provide scholarships for children to participate in our program
q Purchase supplies- 30 new singlets last year, two t-shirts for the season (one for camp for return wrestlers and one for regular season), and ESBW is able to pay 50% of cost of coat for first time wrestlers.
q Purchased a Utility trailer for storage and transporting supplies to the tournament
q Purchased two laptop computers and a printer for the tournament and regular season usage
q USA Wrestling Membership ($20/wrestler)
q Entry fees for each tournament (some up to $18/child)
q Donations made to local wrestlers who are continuing on in their wrestling endeavors
q Awards at the end of the season with Pizza Party and participation trophies for all wrestlers
q Purchased a brand new, state of the art wrestling mat last season
The tournament itself is a long and busy day but for returning parents and coaches it’s an event where they can see the smaller wrestling program becoming a larger community event which encompasses past parents and coaches from the many years and local community members who don’t even have wrestlers in the program. The tournament is made possible by the many parents from PreK through high school that work together and plan and volunteer their time and hard work. It’s a fun day when you get to see all the months of hard work all come together and nothing compares to the child’s eyes when they wrestle in the Civic Center for the first time, or the last as they move on to high school the following year.
Where does my registration fee go? The money you pay at registration is only a small amount of the money that it takes to run the wrestling program. Your registration fee goes toward such things as group insurance, tournament fees, and t-shirts.
Volunteers make this program successful and we need your help throughout the year.
