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Waukon Wrestling LogoWaukon High SchoolWaukon Wrestling Logo

 Boys Wrestling 

                         

Goal: Our goal is to develop wrestlers into high-quality young men of exceptional character. We will pursue growth and wins together as a team. We want to be the best program in Iowa, and the best program to be A PART of in Iowa.

Purpose: We coach wrestlers first, wrestling second.  Wrestlers will understand the true importance of teamwork, ownership, mental toughness, and growth over outcome. These disciplines are lifelong skill sets that will outlast any competitive wrestling legacy. Wrestling is our platform to teach our young men how to seek and overcome challenges as opportunities for growth. We are here to support, guide, and foster a positive wrestling culture that exhibits genuine values, pride, and hard work.

Coaches’ Roles

  1. Set a good example for athletes and fans to follow.
  2. Be positive, fair, and consistent with the wrestlers.
  3. Make wrestling time and strategy decisions with thought and care.
  4. Establish and organize practice for the team on a daily basis.
  5. Be a good communicator with wrestlers and parents.
  6. Protect the safety of all athletes.
  7. Know and employ injury prevention procedures.
  8. Make sure players know expectations, procedures, rules, and lettering requirements.
  9. Make sure everyone has meet & tournament schedules.
  10. Be a professional practitioner, stay current with technique and issues.
  11. Keep inventory of equipment.
  12. Keep track of the academic progress of athletes.

Parents’ Roles

  1. Be a fan of everyone on the team.
  2. Respect the decisions of coaches and officials.
  3. Respect other fans, coaches, and officials by displaying great sportsmanship. 
  4. Talk to your child if he/she has any questions and, if he/she still has questions, contact the coach through agreed-upon athletic department procedures.
  5. Keep any negative thoughts about a coach, the program, or teammates to yourself. This includes Social Media posting as well. A positive conversation always serves best.
  6. Understand that the coaches’ primary responsibility is to make certain that students are safe and become better people and athletes.
  7. Be supportive of your child and the team, attend competitions (A HS wrestling career is very short). 
  8. Be a supporter of wrestling, see its true value for a young person entering adulthood.*
  9. Celebrate your wrestler’s growth as a person! Taking on the challenges of wrestling is tough!*
  10. Enjoy the journey. *

Athletes’ Roles

  1. Represent our Team Values: Ownership, Teamwork, 1% More
  2. Be positive and have a good attitude.
  3. Support their teammates.
  4. Work hard, be coachable.  Learn new techniques.
  5. Be the best version of yourself.
  6. If you have any questions, ask the coach.
  7. Know and follow school and team rules.
  8. Challenge themselves as an athlete and a person.
  9. Act respectful and responsible in and outside of the wrestling room.
  10. Meet classroom expectations.
  11. Notify the coach of any scheduling conflicts in advance.
  12. Talk to the coach about any special concerns.

PRE-SEASON

  • GET YOUR PHYSICALS, you will need them before you can practice. 
  • Varsity Bound App, required. Quick updates on schedule changes.
  • Body Composition Check: What is your current body weight? Determine desired weight class, practice healthy eating habits and daily exercise leading up to body composition check.
  • Equipment –Check out lockers, singlets, warm ups, and headgear.
  • Gear Up- You will need T-shirts, Shorts, Sweats, sweatshirts, running shoes, and wrestling shoes.
  • GOALS – Vision your season, what is success to you?


SEASON

  • Follow Tribe Tough Values
  • Adhere to Good Conduct Policy established by the Allamakee Community School District.
  • Wrestlers are expected to uphold good classroom behavior in order to be eligible to compete at practice or meets/tournaments.  (Academically and Behaviorally)
  • All practices and competitions are mandatory unless stated by the coaching staff. An excused absence from practice will result in the wrestler sitting out of a competition of the coach's choice. This is not an open door policy.  Be ALL IN.
  • Lettering Requirements- Select Link or visit Waukon Wrestling website.
  • Managing Requirements- Select Link or visit Waukon Wrestling website.
  • Season Schedule- Select Link or visit Waukon Varsity Bound. Scheduled times may change.


Health/Hygiene:

  • Self assess: How are you feeling? Fever? Stay home.
  • Examine skin before practice for abnormalities.  
  •  Practice clothes are to be used once, taken home following practice.
  •  Use hydrating lotion to keep skin healthy and from drying and cracking during the dry season.
  • Dress for winter weather after practice. Shorts and T-shirts outside aren't acceptable.
  • Shower immediately after practice.

 

Skin Issues:  

  • Notifying a coach right away of skin abnormalities is most important.
  •  Your suspected skin condition needs to be diagnosed by a physician.  Pay office call.
  •  Get medication and treat affected area. Walk ins are available at Veterans hospital. 
  •  Wrestler MUST have a signed “official all-clear” form before returning to competition/practice.  

 

Winter Weather

  • When school is cancelled due to poor weather conditions, there will be no practice or competition.
  • When there is a late start, everything will start 2 hours later…6:30am weight room → 8:30 am.
  • When there is an early out, the school day is over, along with practice or competition.  Everyone must go home.
  • Remember, if conditions are not favorable for travel, but school has not made any announcements, it is always up to parents to keep their child home, but a phone call is expected.

 

Practice

  • Desired Daily Practice Kit:  Shorts & T-shirt, Sweatpants & Sweatshirt, head gear, Running Shoes and Wrestling Shoes.  Having all of these items available in the room will be helpful as we transition from various activities. Consider having a specific gear/wrestling bag for this.
  • Practice → Warming up at 3:30.  Be there and ready to go. This is everyday after school unless notified differently.  
  • The coaching staff must be notified if you are going to miss a practice for any reason.

Any unexcused absence from practice will result in the suspension of one meet.  If you are in school, you are expected to be at practice.  3 unexcused absences will result in a termination of any participation for the rest of the season. Type of absences and validity are determined by the coaching staff.

Read excerpt from Student Handbook:

“Students who are absent during any portion of the school day are ineligible for participation in any part of the activities program on the day of the absence unless the absence was pre-approved by the principal’s office personnel.  Illness, fatigue, and hair appointments will not be approved.  Typically the only approved absences are those that involve a family emergency or medical appointment – a doctor’s note is required upon return to school.  Athletes will be responsible for serving detentions at the assigned date and time, regardless of practice times.”



Wrestle-Offs for Varsity Spots    

  •  Wrestle-offs will be a “best of 3” or “best of 5” scenario, depending on the time of year.  Initial wrestle-offs will take place near Thanksgiving Break.
  • May challenge a varsity wrestler at designated times One wrestle-off will determine the varsity wrestler for that week. (must be within 5 pounds; failure to make weight results in a forfeit to the wrestler who made the weight).  
  • The high school coaching staff is committed to wrestling the best wrestler at each weight class, regardless of grade level.  
  • Tribe Tough Values must be upheld as well leading up to wrestle offs. Current passing grades required.

 

  • Injured wrestlers have a responsibility to themselves and their team to be at every practice.

You can work on rehab-type activities.  It keeps you involved and is reflective of our team values.

 

  • Sick wrestlers:  If you are sick during the school day, you can not participate that day. Emailing Coach Ferring is always a good idea when absent. 

 

  • Weights – (Circuit training) Weight training benefits wrestlers in regard to strength, injury prevention, and endurance training.  We will lift 2-3 days per week as the schedule allows,  or you will follow the lifting schedule provided by all the coaching staffs at WHS.

 

  • Weight reduction – Weight reduction will not be made mandatory by the coaching staff.  However, if a wrestler has made a commitment to his team to be at a certain weight, he/she will be expected to fulfill their commitment.  The wrestler will still make weight regardless of being able to wrestle or not.  Repeated failure to meet this commitment will result in him/her wrestling Junior Varsity.  However, there will be the opportunity to wrestle off at a higher weight class.  Wrestlers are expected to be on weight after practice the night before a competition.

 

  • Weigh in rules (Set by the IHSAA)

Weigh in regulations – For dual meets: a maximum of one hour prior to competition.  For tournaments: maximum of two hours prior to competition. Must weigh in school-issued uniform.

 

  • Meet expectations – 
  • Everybody helps set up and roll mats back out after home duals. 
  • Wrestlers are to be wrestling or supporting teammates at the meet.  There will be time    

     to talk (family and friends) after the dual.  Tournaments are different because  

     they last all day.  Expect to have a team area.   

  • After away meets and tournaments:  For many wrestlers, this is the time when  

team-bonding takes place.  The coaching staff strongly encourages everyone to ride the bus home.  We will stop for food after some tournaments. 

RIDING HOME NOTE:  Your parents signature is needed before you leave with them.  If your parents choose to have you ride home with someone’s parent/s, this needs to be pre-approved in the principal’s office.  A note from both sets of parents is required along with the coach being notified by the principal/athletic director in advance.

 

  • Academics-                    Waukon High School Academic Eligibility for Activities 

 

The academic eligibility regulations of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union, the Iowa High School Speech Association, and the Iowa High School Music Association govern participation in activities in grades 9-12.  The state guidelines require students to pass all classes taken.  

 

The following checkpoints and provisions will be utilized at Waukon Senior High to determine academic eligibility for students in 9th- 12th grade.



Whs checkpoint provisions:

If at any WHS checkpoint a student is failing any class for which credit is awarded, the student will be ineligible to dress for and compete in any interscholastic athletic, speech, or music contest or competition for a minimum of 2 weeks.  If at the end of 2 weeks the students grades are passing for all classes then their eligibility will be reinstated.  Students will remain ineligible until passing all classes.  The period of ineligibility will begin with the first school day following the day grades are issued by the school district.

 

  • The hunting season – Hunting in Northeast Iowa is a family activity for many.  If you are on VARSITY, your team cannot afford to have wrestlers missing practice or meets/tournaments for hunting.  Hunting can be done on Sunday.  Remember, this will only affect most wrestlers 1-2 seasons.  Consider changing your hunting season to a more favorable season, as a coach I do this, late muzzleloader season is over christmas break. Be ALL IN.
  • Vacations:  We strongly encourage not scheduling family vacations for the month of February.  This is when the postseason for state wrestling begins.  We need wrestlers in the room helping each other reach their goals.  This is what our season’s efforts are geared towards. Be ALL IN.

 

Web Site

  • Use the website provided by coaching staff for information, schedules, and policies. Found on the school Allamakee Website under “Activities”
  • On a related topic, the use of message boards, personal Facebook pages, or twitter accounts are not a good source of wrestling information.  Many times, athletes are degraded by others’ opinions or gossip. Stay clear of the fan mentality.  We are parents, coaches, and wrestlers.         

 

POST-SEASON

  • Be involved in other sports, keep lifting and enjoy other things in addition to wrestling.
  • Lift weights…Get stronger, better coordination, and quicker.
  • Improve your wrestling skills and knowledge (camps, clinics, recorded matches, flowrestling, etc.).  
  • Strongly encourage wrestlers to attend our home summer camp and summer team camp.
  • Look forward to next year, prepare like a champion!  Go Indians !!!

 

Coaches

 

Boys Head Coach Caleb Ferring - cferring@allamakee.k12.ia.us 563-568-9199

Boys Assistant Coach Ryan Steffen - rsteffen@allamakee.k12.ia.us 563-203-7490

Boys Assistant Coach Kyle Gordon- kgordon112298@gmail.com 563-419-3723

Boys Volunteer Tim Bulman- 563-568-1348

Boys Volunteer Jack Regan- 563-568-9713