New Wrestling Challenges This Year

The HS Coach is going all-in on social media this year. He snapped off some pictures I didn't realize he snapped off.

I'm Facebook Famous showing how to 'clean your wrists.'

My non-exisitent recruiting skills have somehow drummed up a team!

HS Coach: "Where did you find all these great kids! It feels like we have a REAL TEAM!"

Me: "Not a clue. Third year's the lucky charm?"

I had 12 or so kids, then a new one showed up to ask to join, and another parent sent me an email asking to sign up. I had been worried I'd only have four or five, but we outnumber the high school! My large crop has given the HS coach a newfound sense of hope for the future.

However, there are some new challenges. The Middle School AD has had some significant health problems. He's out of the picture. I hope he's doing better, but I really don't know. I'm never at the school I coach for so sometimes I'm the last to know things. I thought he was making a schedule for the year, but he's had more important things in his life to deal with. I found out as the season started, "Oh yeah, you're it. Make a schedule. Good luck!"

And so the scramble began. Most coaches already set their schedules a month before. I found out my AD had set up a couple matches. I found out one match with a school I had asked about was actually after break started and had to cancel it. The schedule is looking sparser than years prior and some people takes days to respond (if at all). I may have to help out with the city tournament more than in previous years due to another health issue, as well.

Coaching keeps me busy. I wrote four different emails responding to different parents and sending out an update before writing this.

I get around $30 a week during the season for my efforts. Pre and post season are unpaid.

Which I bring up to contrast with the $25 an hour I get to work for an hour and fifteen minutes once a week with 6 elementary school kids. The much larger job with more responsibility pays pennies on the dollar compared to the club sport with little accountability. How crazy is that?

Speaking of the elementary school kids, we've had some good practices but they were absolute turds this week. They were yelling over, not listening, and I ended practice early with an ultimatum: "Shape up or you won't get to go over to the HS practices as the season goes on."

Which will only be possible if the activity bus I was promised ever shows up. I email once a week. Sometimes I get a reply.

I hope the bus will be ready after Thanksgiving. Then I hope the kids will do okay in the wrestling room. If they're crazy and a risk or a distraction I'll have to cut the club schedule short even if it pays 10x more per hour than the MS team.

Our first match is early December. It should be exciting.