Elementary Schedule

Feeder Program: West Terrace, Cynthia Heights, Daniel Wertz, and Tekoppel

Calling All Volunteers! 

We need your help for multiple dates this wrestling season! From running the scoreboard/time to helping in the concession stand or donating items for the hospitality room, there are plenty of ways to pitch in.

Check out the sign-up link and grab a spot! Your support makes all the difference.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B44A5A62CA4F5C34-53426403-hill#/

Hello and welcome, or welcome back, to Reitz Elementary Wrestling!  You should have gotten an invite to download the GameChanger app to the email you registered with.  GameChanger will be the primary way we keep the schedule and provide updates for schedule changes.  I will send out emails intermittently with key information to help you understand the season (and in some cases the sport).  If you haven't already, follow us on Facebook for an additional way to keep up to date.  If you are new to wrestling, find another parent who isn't and ask questions!  We've all been there and will gladly help you out.

We will have our first practice Tuesday, November 12th at Daniel Wertz from 5:30 to 6:30.  We won't get much mat time at this practice.  We plan to introduce coaches, go over some team rules and policies, and explain the rules of the sport and how scoring works.  This will be a review for our experienced wrestlers, but it will be worth their time!

Fundraiser:  We introduced a calendar fundraiser at sign ups and on Facebook.  If you haven't already published yours on social media or worked on filling it out the old-fashioned way, please use the attached copy.  I know fundraisers can be tedious, but this one goes directly to elementary for a new mat.  The booster club decided to only accept cash from participants.  We will have folks at the first practice to collect this money.  Please be sure to take a receipt for the amount you turn in.  We want all wrestlers to get credit for their contributions!  We intend to place the entire gear and uniform order the next day to ensure we get your wrestler their merchandise as quickly as we can.

     Note:  Please see the folks collecting fundraiser money whether you participated or not.  I will have the final roster with the sizes you requested when you registered.  Verify the sizes are correct.  It is not easy to make corrections once we make our order!  Leslie Corn will also be collecting delinquent registration fees.  Please have those ready or communicate with us in advance if you have not already paid.

Calendar:  Our calendar has been published on Gamechanger.  Allow for some flexibility, but we will try to stick to it.  Cancellations or changes will come through email and GameChanger. Pay attention to the event title, some practices are for the entire team, others for a wrestler's assigned group.  The GameChanger event will list times and locations, as well.

Practice:  We will have 2 separate practice groups in order to facilitate the wide range of experience and maturity we have in this age range.  Group 1 will consist of K-2 and first year wrestlers.  Group 1 practice will typically be Tuesday and Thursday at Daniel Wertz.  Group 2 will practice Monday and Wednesday and will mostly be at Tekoppel.  These groups are fluid.  Coaches at both practices will be continuously evaluating the wrestlers and will advise parents if we think the wrestler would benefit from switching groups.  Wrestlers may only practice in their assigned group.  If you feel your wrestler has been assigned incorrectly, please reach out to me.   

The uniform for practice is athletic shorts and a t-shirt.  You do not need a singlet to practice.  Wrestling shoes and headgear are required for SIEWC competition and are highly encouraged for practice.  A rubberized mouthpiece is required for competition if your wrestler has braces.  Using a mouthpiece is a very, very good idea.  A mouthpiece can help prevent dental injuries and concussions.  This is the least expensive piece of safety equipment!

Next week's practices and Group 1 practices are open to parents, but acoustics can be pretty bad in those gyms.  Please try to keep extraneous noise down and don't allow non-wrestlers to become distractions.  No one, including non-participants, should be outside the gym at any school we use.  If noise and extra bodies in the gym become a problem, we'll be forced to close practices.  Our club is working hard to maintain a positive relationship with the schools.  We are a club, meaning they don't have to let us use their gym.  Please help us keep the facilities clean and free of damage so we can keep using them!  Group 2 practices will be closed to parents and spectators.  We intend to increase the intensity at Group 2 and need to remove all distractions.  Please plan to drop and go for all Group 2 practices.

Part of using EVSC facilities is our club charter through USA Wrestling.  Every member of our organization must have a USA wrestling card before stepping on the mat.  For liability reasons, we cannot have non-members participating.  Your wrestler will not be allowed to participate in any wrestling activities (including practice) until you have submitted their USA Wrestling ID number for club verification. 

Competition:  We will do informal meets with other schools when those opportunities arise, but our primary competition will be the Southern Indiana Elementary Wrestling Conference (SIEWC).  This includes 15 area schools and allows us very diverse competition.  Those meets will be held on Sundays starting in January.  The meets will consist of team duals for our varsity teams and pool wrestling for everyone else.  The goal is for every wrestler to get at least 3 matches.  We do our absolute best to avoid our kids wrestling each other, but sometimes it happens.  We're a big club and not all the other schools have a wrestler your child's age and weight.  Typically girls and boy wrestle together, but with the sharp increase in girls, organizers will try to pair them up together where possible.  The meets are further broken down by age and weight.  We'll have a K-3 roster and a 4-6 roster.  Unless your wrestler is on the varsity team, they will stick to their age groups.  Weights can be adjusted as needed to fill matches.  Any pairing that appears lopsided will be cleared through our coaches and parents. 

 Volunteer:  There is a lot going on at once during meets.  Coaches are spread out managing the events and coaching matside.  We need several parent volunteers for staging and organizing matches.  A staging parent will have a master copy of the day's matches and will take kids from our team staging area to their assigned mat.  I think 4 is our ideal number for this.  I would also appreciate a few people who could take pictures throughout the event for our social media.  Grandparents, family, and friends love seeing their wrestlers featured on social media.  I would like to have a few picture takers and a social media manager they can submit to.  If you are interested in helping with any of this, please let me know so I can build a volunteer roster.  Volunteering to help does not mean you will miss your kids' matches.  We always look out for each other and cover down!

We also always need help coaching.  If you are interested, please reach out to me.  All coaches are required to have a USA Wrestling coach's card, be SafeSport trained, and complete a background check.  

Join our booster club:  We are dedicating our time to give your child the best wrestling experience we can.  There are also many folks working behind the scenes to make sure our program runs smoothly.  Participating in the booster club is a great way to help.  We are a K-12 club and could really (really) use some more voices for the elementary program.   Go to fjreitzwrestling.com and click the button at the top of the page for more info on the Booster Club.

Final notes:  For returning wrestling families:  if you have outgrown wrestling shoes or old headgear you would like to donate, please bring them to the first practice.  I will maintain a donation bucket for outgrown gear.  Please consider donating to keep it in the Reitz family.  I will also try to maintain a lost and found.  I can only keep items for a short period of time.  I end up filling my car with junk otherwise.  If your wrestler lost something check with the coaches. 

I will have more info for you as we move forward.  Please be flexible and remember everyone in our organization, from coaches to booster club members are volunteers.  We are here solely to share our love of this sport and to help your child succeed.  Questions or concerns about our volunteers, program, or processes can be directed to me.

 Thank you and see you next week!

Nick Cassin

Elementary Wrestling Coach

ncassin@gmail.com

812-454-8787