Fargo, why go?

[CoachDelgado]

People have asked numerous times, Why should I go to Fargo? Well here it is in a nutshell.

 

1. Summer wrestling makes winter champions (maybe a bit overused but never the less true). Ryan Scott, Kyle James, Spencer Manley, Phillip Simpson, Patrick Simpson, Raymond Dunning, Matt Keller, Jake Yost, Kevin Ward and numerous others have benefitted from the TWF summer program.

2. Week long raining camp with Coach Brands.

3. Two week life experience with camp and travel.

4. The largest wrestling tournament event in the world. 4300 wrestlers, 8600 matches, 5 styles, 24 mats on an indoor football field. McKenzie Arena feels like a high school gym after having been in that venue.

5. The mosquitos are the friendliest in the world. Without asking they come right up to you and get acquainted.

6. Terry Brands wants his recruits to be active in Freestyle wrestling.

7. Most if not all of the bigtime college coaches are in attendance for recruiting purposes. When would you see Bobby Douglas, John Smith, Jim Zalesky, J Robinson, Tom Ortiz, Greg Stroebel, Terry Brands, etc all in the same building looking for potential recruits for their programs. Oh, the DII and DIII coaches also are looking to fill their rosters and offer potential scholarships. Three years ago there was a wrestler, can't remember the state, who had no scholorship after his senior year. He made the finals in Fargo and a scholarship materialized at a DI school.

[walkenvol]

CoachD - I will second most of your points, especially on the exposure to the college programs if you desire to wrestle past high school. IMHO, a good showing at Fargo is probably worth 2 TN state championships on your resume'. However, I would say to those who are not prepared to be competitive at that level, that your $860 would probably be better spent attending 3 quality summer camps with your goal toward attending the following summer. It's a long way from home and a lot of money to go 2 and out. If your in the mix, it's hard to beat. The trip to Enid, while it doesn't provide equal exposure, is a better trip for most because everyone gets 7/8 matches against most of the same competition they will face at Fargo.

[CoachDelgado]

Enid should improve with the exposure to college coaches. This upcoming season, the Junior Duals was pushed a week later into July. College coaches cannot have exposure to kids prior July 1. In the past that was a problem but now it is not.

[delaWarr]

Mattime, whether it is basic training, repetitions, advanced training, freewrestle, Coach A's philosophy, Coach B's favorite conditioning, an out-manned match, a brief session, a marathon session, a learning session, it doesn't matter so long as it is quality mattime. It all counts and adds up to the total that each wrestler becomes. Mattime. Quality mattime.

 

However, never, ever sell short goal-setting, whether it is the conscious effort of a coach who has his wrestlers to tell of their own goals, or whether a team captain returns from a top quality camp and guides his teammates through a realistic goal- setting exercise, or whether a top athlete from USA Wrestling or some other quality program encourages the team members to set, map out strategies, and apply energies and focus toward goal commitments.

 

And in thinking goal-setting, don't over look the unspoken value of goal-setting that may consciously or uncousciously form in the mind of a wrestler who sees a world-class match, or an NCAA Tournament, or any higher level match that exposes him to some of the most advanced wrestling in the country or even in the world. That can be one of the richest benefits of a wrestler's attending Fargo...seeing some of the best high school wrestlers in the country and possibly the world...and forming a picture of himself in their shoes, and wondering "Could I ever.....?"

 

It is a vision that displaces the tough perennial power across town with a new image of what level of achievement is possible. Lights have flicked on in too many eyes not to believe in the value of this kind of exposure.

[sdkid]

you will never know how good you are unless you seek out the best wrestlers in the country.fargo is the measuring stick it is by far the toughest tourny that a high school kid can go to.i have seen great kids humbled by the fargo tourny,but these same kids came away with a better understanding of what it takes to become great.my best example is kevin ward he went to fargo as a junior and did not place.this just let kevin know even though he was the best wrestler in our state he had alot of work to do to become a national competitor look at him now.the same thing can be said for jake yost the fargo tourny let both these guys know they still had alot of work to do to reach their goals.everyone in the soddy-daisy program are very proud of these young men.i am proud to say i helped coach both of these guys but fargo also did alot of coaching for us.

[ta23]

summer should be for baseball and baseball only

[Gov]

Ta23 is just like his dear old daddy. He doesn't mean any harm, but he just has to stir that pot. It's genetic, forgive him.

[sdkid]

that has got to be the the most ignorant post i have ever seen on a wrestling board.ta23 what are you thinking.most wrestlers dont even play baseball.bottom line if you want to be a state champ you wrestle in the summer.list last years champs and see how many wrestled all summer if you think different you dont know wrestling.please think before making comments like this.

[sly]

sdkid, ta23 is just messing with you. By the way he is a former state champion himself. Actually he he was a three sport star in his day.

[sdkid]

i know who travis is he was a great wrestler i helped coach the red bank team when he was in school.we had some great matches with bradley in those days.travis would have been 2x or 3x state champ if did not split time with baseball.he was a stud no doubt.