Our registration for the 2024 Rapids Wrestling Camp is now live! It will be Friday July 19 & 20. Session information is listed below. Please keep your eyes on our Facebook page for the flyer that should be posted in the next day or two.

You can register via this link: http://www.trackwrestling.com/registration/TW_Register.jsp?tournamentGroupId=251100132

***Use coupon the coupon code "Rapids" for $15 off!***

Pricing:

K & 1st - $40

2nd thru 8th - $70

Session times:

7/19 - 6pm to 8pm 2nd-8th grade only

7/20 - 10am to 11:30, break for lunch which will be provided, then reconvene at 12:15 and finish up at 1:45.

Register by July 1 to receive a camp t-shirt.

Our clinician this year is Coach Mike DeRoehn, which I am very excited about. He is excellent with the K-8 age range, which is why he was the Wisconsin National Team Coach for 5 years.

He is the current coach at Lakeland University, but had previous stints at UW Platteville, and UW Oshkosh.

Please direct any questions to Coach Ben at [email protected], or on my cell at 715-697-8497.

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

*Our end of the season pot luck/banquet is Sunday, April 7 from 11-1pm, at the Fallback in Kellner. If you plan to attend and have not yet registered, PLEASE do so as soon as possible as we need to have accurate numbers to order food. Here is that link: https://clubhubs.com/reg196

*The Matbackers will be providing the main course, but below is the sign up genius for food/drink we still need to be donated, thank you! https://www.signupgenius.com/.../5080B44A5AE2FA5FA7...

*I will be handing out t-shirt orders if you have not picked them up yet. We will also be doing singlet return so please plan to bring those along if you want to receive your deposit back!

5th Grade Families

Final reminder: if you'd like your 5th grader to be included in the 5th grade slideshow at the banquet, I need all photos (approx. 20-25 from all their seasons of wrestling) in my possession by Wednesday evening, March 27th. You can email them ([email protected]), send via Facebook messenger, or drop a flash drive at my house. Thanks so much!

Please have the state qualifiers wear either a red or Rapids wrestling shirt to practice tonight for a group photo before practice.

Thank you!

We will be running one final practice Wednesday night from 530-7pm for everyone who can attend. It will be a combined practice with middle school and we could use some help rolling mats afterwards.

REMINDER: the Team T-shirt store closes in TWO days! Get your orders in if you haven't AND super important: be sure to fill out the Clubhub registration if you'd like your wrestler's name included on the back of the t-shirt. Wrestlers names will NOT be included on the t-shirt if this registration is not filled out. Thank you!

Team T-shirt Store: https://rapids-matbackers-wrestling-youth-state-2024.item...

Clubhubs registration link: https://clubhubs.com/reg195

If your family plans to attend the banquet, please fill out the registration below so we know how many people to plan for. Thanks!

https://clubhubs.com/reg196

Things to know as we start to wind down our season…

VOLUNTEERS: Those that are volunteering to help with weigh ins Friday, March 15, please arrive to the cafeteria at Lincoln by 5pm. Some of us will be arriving around 430/445, so if you want/are able to come even earlier, we will take any help :) Volunteers will receive an admission wristband to get into Saturday’s tournament free and coaches who volunteer will receive a coaches wristband for Saturday as well.

WRESTLERS: We will meet in the wrestling room at Lincoln Friday night around 5pm and then head down to weigh in together at 515pm. Please remember wrestlers need to come to weigh ins in their singlet, with a current USA wrestling card.

PRACTICE: We will be running a ‘practice’ while weigh ins are going on from 530-630pm. If your wrestler chooses not to practice, that’s fine too but the option is there; we will have coaches in the wrestling room.

T-SHIRTS: Just a couple days left to get your order in for team t-shirts. The store will close on Sunday, 3/17. We will be distributing shirts down in Madison during state weekend. For anyone not at state, we will have them available for pick up at the banquet.

BANQUET: Our end of season banquet will be Sunday, April 7 from 11am-1pm at The Fallback in Kellner. We will be serving lunch and most likely asking families to bring a dish or dessert to pass. More information to come soon on that but for now, please fill out this registration if you plan to be there so we can get an idea of how many people will be attending. Thank you!!

**FOR THOSE ATTENDING STATE QUALIFIERS NEXT WEEKEND**

The pre-registration deadline is March 12th. Any registrations on or before that day are $22. On-site registration is $40.

I'd recommend registering sooner rather than later!

Reminder that tonight will be the last night of regular practice.

We will continue practice at the same time and place for those trying to qualify for state.

More information on our year end banquet will be coming out in the next few weeks.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

Below you will find a couple things: first, the link to this year’s team t-shirt registration. Like last year, our individual state t-shirts will feature those wrestlers that qualify for the tournament on the top and the rest of the team (who fill out this registration) on the bottom. If you want your child’s name on the back of the t-shirt, you MUST complete this registration. Even if your wrestler isn’t trying out for the tournament, this is representing the entirety of this year’s youth wrestling team and it’s always fun to see how many names we can squeeze on there, so sign them up!

Next is the link for purchasing the t-shirts. If you select deliver to team at check out, I will have these down at individual state in Madison on March 22/23/24 and will hand them out before competition. If you select home delivery, they will NOT arrive until after the state tournament.

The store will close on Sunday, March 17 at midnight.

Reminder: every Monday and Wednesday from now until qualifiers, 5th graders are invited to join the middle school for practice at East from 7-830pm with an option to stay for a short conditioning circuit afterward.

We are approaching our last practice. Our last day of practice is 3/7.

We will still hold practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays after that date for those trying to qualify for the state tournament.

Good afternoon!

Tomorrow EJH fieldhouse will be utilized throughout the entire day and evening for the Spring election. Due to this, we have to ask that you please only park on the WEST side of the building and walk around to the 6th street side to get into the cafeteria.

Below is a direct copy of the email I received in regards to where parking should occur.

"As in the past, the City of WR would appreciate your cooperation in parking either on Peach Street, Lincoln Street, or the Rafters parking lot off of Lincoln Street. They will need to use 6th Street, the parking lot off of 6th Street, and Apple Street parking spaces for the election."

Reminder!

We will not be having practice this evening due to the middle school wrestling team needing the mats for their home event. They are looking for a few table workers, so let me know if you'd be interested in helping out.

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

We will not be having practice tomorrow, 2/6 due to the middle school wrestling team needing the mats for their home event. They are looking for a few table workers, so let me know if you'd be interested.

I inquired about getting the wrestling room at Lincoln also, but they are hosting their JV Invite and need the mats.

Reminder that today is picture day!

THIS Thursday, January 25 we will again be having Lindsey with PrimeLight Images in to take our youth wrestling photos DURING PRACTICE. We have had her do photos with us the last few years and they’re always incredible! Things to note are below:

-Every single wrestler should plan to have their photo taken, whether you plan to order photos or not (this is so we have the entire team in our team photo!)

-Kids should come dressed in their singlets to practice Thursday. If your wrestler does not have a singlet, we will swap and share as needed during practice.

-Photos will be available for purchase online (see the flyer below for details…free shipping on $35 if ordered during the first 48 hours the photos are posted)

-Please follow the directions on the flyer to be notified when your photos are available and how to order!

Any questions please ask myself or Lindsey directly!

THIS Thursday, January 25 we will again be having Lindsey with PrimeLight Images in to take our youth wrestling photos DURING PRACTICE. We have had her do photos with us the last few years and they’re always incredible! Things to note are below:

-Every single wrestler should plan to have their photo taken, whether you plan to order photos or not (this is so we have the entire team in our team photo!)

-Kids should come dressed in their singlets to practice Thursday. If your wrestler does not have a singlet, we will swap and share as needed during practice.

-Photos will be available for purchase online (see the flyer below for details…free shipping on $35 if ordered during the first 48 hours the photos are posted)

-Please follow the directions on the flyer to be notified when your photos are

available and how to order!

Any questions please ask myself or Lindsey directly!

https://my.photoday.io/flyer/ocigkhcm?fbclid=IwAR2QyM7pSEZUMRaeSd1ZzvljgFjeJtSVTM09D14apvaQxOgpXRLK2vA485Q

Good morning parents. With wrestling season in full gear now we thought this would be the perfect time to post what we call our ‘Wrestling Bible’ please see the link below. In it contains some helpful info for wrestling. With wrestle offs and our dual meet coming up this will help explain what all that looks like. Please reach out to me if you have any trouble opening the link.

Happy Tuesday. Stay warm and drive safe out there 😊

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1-PxYq_p80YjOWIefvRQ7kIUGocvWNtFbr_axTuO8azQ/mobilebasic?pli=1

We are still in need of a few items and volunteers for Sunday in concessions.

Items can be dropped of Tuesday at practice or Friday night at East between 3:30 and 5.

Thanks for your support of our youth and middle school wrestlers!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F084FA8AF2EAAFF2-46564103-battle?useFullSite=true#/

Battle by the River is THIS upcoming Sunday!

Here is the link to register:

For those who are unfamiliar, it is our tournament that we host every year that is a fundraiser the program. There is a dual tournament in which means teams wrestle against other teams in a dual meet format. We will have wrestle-offs for weight class representatives for our team this week.

There is also a scramble tournament on the side which matches up wrestlers based on age, weight, and skill level. This is PERFECT for first year wrestlers, or wrestlers who have never competed in a tournament before.

Also, this is absolutely FREE for our kids to wrestle in.

We are still looking for volunteers to help in concessions and work at matside tables keeping score and time. Please reach out to Amanda Akkerman or Christina Tritz if interested in how you can lend a hand.

This is the only fundraising event specifically for the youth program!

Hi everyone--please read as this is important.

I am reaching out to get this sign up genius in everyone's hands if you have not yet seen it via the Facebook page. As we've talked about, our home tournament, Battle by the River, is on Saturday and Sunday, January 20/21st. Our YOUTH portion of that tournament is on Sunday the 21st. We still have large areas of need as far as food/drink donations and volunteers go to make this tournament a success.

Our youth wrestling program requires no money to participate--that is a true rarity in today's world and if we want to keep it that way, we need everyone's help. Please, if you are able, sign up to donate something. It can be as small as a 9x13 pan of brownies or a 6 pack of soda; every bit helps. Also, we NEED to be able to staff this thing--volunteers are how we do that. Our coaches will be busy coaching that day so we need parents to step up and help work concessions--these shifts are not long and you WILL be able to leave to watch your child wrestle when they are up.

This tournament is the perfect opportunity to get involved--it's in town and is really fun to watch, too!

Donations can be dropped off at East on Thursday, January 18 (this is a practice night!) or Friday, January 19.

THANK YOU all for helping us make this tournament a success--the money raised comes directly back to our kids so let's make this happen!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F084FA8AF2EAAFF2-46564103-battle?fbclid=IwAR3Cy3uwPMH-CrZ9r-j_KYJSLOfeR41LXR8EbyPI2CtnVsRXKTT0eHfpbfM#/

What a great first two weeks of practice! Parents/guardians, thank you so much for taking the time to bring your kids to practice.

Two big announcements:

1. There will be no practice next week. Please enjoy time with your families! If there is no school, there is no practice. Same with snow days! We will resume practice like normal on Tuesday January 2nd. Which segues into the next announcement.

2. Practice for the 3rd thru 5th graders will now only go until 7pm. So that's 5:30-7 now opposed to ending at 7:30. I've put some thought into this and spoke to a few coaches about it as well. 2 hours is just simply too long. Attention spans are long gone after the hour and a half mark, and everyone isn't able to listen to the best of their ability. Plus, it is recommended by USA Wrestling for kids that age to practice no longer than an hour and a half.

As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me.

Hope you all have a great holiday season!

Hi everyone! I know our season won't begin for a bit yet but there is a Rapids Wrestling apparel store open NOW with delivery by Christmas! Perfect gift for your wrestler and yourselves as we prep to start our season here in a another couple months. We are unsure if we will run another apparel order during the youth season, so now is the best time to be ordering apparel if you want it. See link further down the page.

Another item to note: there will be open mat practices at the Lincoln High School wrestling room happening starting this Monday, October 30th for experienced wrestlers looking to get some pre-season practice. Again, this practice is only for those who have previously done tournaments--we will NOT be doing beginner things at these open mat practices and will move at a quick pace. Regular season for all skill level wrestlers will start the first week of January (more information to come on that).

Open mat practice will run 6-7:15pm.The dates for those are as follows:

10/30

11/6

11/20

12/4

12/18

Any questions, please let us know!

https://lhs-wrestling-apparel-2023.itemorder.com/shop/sale/

Hello everyone. The biggest fundraiser of our wrestling program is right around the corner! Once again, we will be hosting Battle by the Border Preseason National Championships at the same great venue as in years past, the La Crosse Center. Plans are for weigh-ins and registration to take place on November 10th with wrestling taking place on the 11th. The tournament is a great way for families and friends of the Wisconsin Rapids Wrestling program to come together and have some fun while raising funds for our program.

New this year, we are expanding the tournament to include a Girls division! It’s exciting to see the tournament continue to grow over the years.

We are looking for volunteers for Friday and Saturday. Friday night is registration and weigh-ins starting around 4:30PM, and wrestling starts Saturday at 9:00AM. There will also be a smaller group of us heading over on Friday morning to help with set up. Volunteer tasks include: entering scores into a computer, helping get on-deck wrestlers lined up, checking floor passes, and awards. Kids are welcome to help with some of the tasks too. As the tournament continues expanding, we are looking forward to having more volunteers help out and join us for some fun in La Crosse.

The Wisconsin Rapids Mat Backers will be reserving hotel rooms for Friday night and providing free food during the event for volunteer workers. Once again we are booking rooms at the Radisson Hotel that is connected to the venue via a sky-walk. We also plan to have a social on Friday night (food provided) for volunteers who can make it. If volunteers want to bring some baked goods to share that would be wonderful!

Please contact Troy Freeman, Nate Weidman, or Ben Brueggen if you can help out with this year’s tournament or if you have any questions about the event. Your support of the Wisconsin Rapids Wrestling Program is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Happy Summer wrestling families! We hope everyone is enjoying the warmth and sunshine!

I'm sending this message with some awesome news--wrestling summer camp is BACK in Rapids! It's been years since this opportunity has been available to our wrestlers--to come to a camp hosted by their own team, at Lincoln High School! It is sure to be a great learning experience for all age levels at a price you cannot beat for something like this--t-shirt AND lunch is included along with 7.5 hours of practice over two days, which a champion technician! There's also a coupon code, CAMP2023, that gets you $20 off your camper's registration. This camp is open to 4K-12th grade, so sign your wrestler up today! Let's keep our wrestlers on the mat this summer so we prepped and ready to go come wrestling season. Hope to see everyone there!

Any questions, please contact Coach Ben Brueggen or Josh Hansen (phone numbers on the flyer).

REGISTRATION: https://www.trackwrestling.com/registration/TW_Register.jsp?tournamentGroupId=231538132&fbclid=IwAR32XdIJvyjIxM4xPSRFGUWZzzvcDzv_kHc4KCgJJo0mLR1x8sU0o0G4BwE

Are you looking for an opportunity to make a positive impact on the Wisconsin Rapids Wrestling Program? We are seeking enthusiastic volunteers to join our board committees to help us support our wrestling program at all grade levels. 

As a member of a committee, you'll have the chance to contribute to a variety of exciting initiatives including fundraisers, tournaments, camps, and more. Whether you have experience organizing events or simply have a passion for wrestling, we'd love to have you on board!

To express your interest or learn more, please contact Sacha Freeman (President, Mat Backers Board) via Facebook Messenger or at [email protected]. We can't wait to hear from you and see what we can accomplish together!

Thank you,

Your Wisconsin Rapids Mat Backers Board

Just a reminder to everyone of the Sunday practices available to everyone this season.

As Kevin talked about at the banquet, we are partnering with the Beast Cage to offer the opportunity for our wrestlers to continue to be on the mat once a week starting now until mid July. The price is $60, which includes all practice dates! That is an incredible value. Drop in fee is $15 if you can only make it occasionally. Both options are pay at the door. The dates are as follows:

SATURDAY April 8th — 1-2:30 PM

Sunday April 16th — 1-2:30 PM

Sunday April 23rd — 1-230PM

Sunday April 30th — 1-2:30 PM

Sunday May 7th — 3:30-5PM

Sunday May 14th — 3:30-5PM

Sunday May 21st — 3:30-5PM

(No Memorial Day Weekend)

Sunday June 4th — 3:30-5PM

Sunday June 11th — 3:30-5PM

Sunday June 18th — 3:30-5PM

Sunday June 25th — 3:30-5PM

(No 4th of July Weekend)

Sunday July 9th — 3:30-5PM

There's still plenty of weeks left to join in with us. Hope to see you soon!

As we prepare to celebrate Easter, Sundays practice at the Beast Cage that was scheduled for the 9th is moving to Saturday the 8th at 1:00pm-2:30pm! All are welcome!

$60 at the door will cover you for every Sunday practice we hold through mid July.

See you Sunday!

Reminder: tomorrow is our banquet, at the Fallback (9031 County Rd WW) in Kellner, 11am-1pm.

—If you have any wrestling gear—shoes, headgear, etc, that you no longer need, we will have a basket for donations to future Rapids wrestlers in need.

—Singlet return will be happening as well—if you want to receive your deposit back, please remember to get those turned in tomorrow.

Looking forward to seeing everyone

*Our end of the season banquet is this Sunday, 11-1pm, at the Fallback in Kellner. If you plan to attend and have not yet registered, PLEASE do so as soon as possible as we need to have accurate numbers to order food. Here is that link: https://clubhubs.com/reg162

*I will be handing out tshirt orders at the banquet if you have not picked them up yet. We will also be doing singlet return so please plan to bring those along if you want to receive your deposit back.

*At the banquet this year we’re going to try a gear donation. If families have wrestling shoes or head gear they no longer want/need, we’re going to have a bin where you can donate those to future Rapids wrestling kiddos.

*The sign up genius still has a few empty slots to fill for food for Sunday. If you haven’t, please check it out and see where you can help. Thank you!!

And just like that…

…it’s time to get ready for next year!

This snow can go away and these kids get to enjoy some warm weather. Join soccer, play baseball, football, hit the gym, wrestle some Greco/Freestyle, go swimming, go fishing and be kids. A huge congratulations to our 2023 WWF Individual State place winners.

Jackson: 1st

Reed: 3rd

Aspen: 3rd

Deegan: 4th

Waylon: 4th

Hazel: 5th

Everyone wrestled well and it was a privilege to watch. Jackson Freeman is the first Rapids Wrestler to stand on the top of the podium in a while for Rapids so a special congratulations there. Our Middle School leaders (Deegan, Jackson, and Aspen) are going to be worth keeping your eye on as make their way toward the high school program. These young leaders will have a lot to offer as humans and as athletes as they continue to lead this program, their peers, and their community.

Also worth noting, Hazel Holden became the first girl from Rapids to EVER stand on the podium at the Individual State Tournament. Watch as this girl continues into middle school and forges a new path for all girls in the Rapids Wrestling program!

Looking forward to a great summer!

See everyone next Sunday at the Potluck.

Practice for all kids (Regardless of qualifying) this week will be Tuesday and Wednesday, at East, from 530-730pm. Wednesdays are a conflict with CCD and the beast cage so as always do what you feel is best. We will need to roll mats up Wednesday evening if people would be willing to stick around after practice a few minutes and help it would be greatly appreciated.

YOUTH/MIDDLE SCHOOL STATE MEAL

Hey Everyone! Chris and Keesha Stoflet have generously offered to smoke some delicious pork and organize a team meal after weigh ins Friday night! The meal will be held at the hotel, The Country Inn and Suites Madison Southwest (6275 Nesbitt Rd, Madison) starting at 7:30! With that they need two things - the number of people attending, and those people to bring a dish or dessert to pass. If you plan to attend please get over to Facebook, find this post on our youth wrestling page and put your name below the post with a head count, and comment what dish you wish to bring: (ie Tritz’s, 4, Rice Crispy Treats). Drinks will be bring your own 🙂

Facebook Page:

Ideas include:

Paper plates

Plastic forks and napkins

Pasta salad

Cole slaw

Fruit

Chips

Hamburger buns

BBQ sauce

Cookies

Bars

….your own delicious ideas!

If you have any questions please put them in this thread or message Keesha or Chris directly for private questions. One more reason we are all looking forward to the weekend!

TODAY is the last day to order team t-shirts. Remember, $2 from every shirt is going to the Wounded Warrior project!

https://rapids-matbackers-wrestling-youth-state-2023.itemorder.com/shop/home/?fbclid=IwAR0O8ruR1K3I0BZe1MwiwLhcLwi5o1v1KGWeR3EzuncplcBkBDSuvSMFHXI

WISCONSIN RAPIDS SETS HISTORICAL RECORD…

Wisconsin Rapids set a historical record Saturday afternoon as 23 youth athletes punched their ticket to Madison to participate in the WWF Individual State Tournament! You all read that correctly, 23 kids will make their way to Madison to compete with the best of the best! I have a lot to say today because, to be honest, there is a lot that deserves to be said. Please read this top to bottom because these kids and their families deserve for this to be read. For starters let’s congratulate the 23 kids who will represent our home town in Madison next weekend! If you see these kids or know them please give them a call, wish them good luck, congratulate them, they have worked very hard to be in the spot they are in and it’s always nice to hear it from someone who isn’t a coach or a parent.

Declan Tritz - 57#

Bryce Vavrina - 57#

Levi Jeske - 60#

Caleb Stoflet - 60#

Zachary Stoflet - 60#

Reed Akkerman - 64#

Waylon Fuller - 66#

Colten DeMarco - 72#

Kiptyn Tritz - 75#

Hazel Holden - 77#

Chad Hamel - 78#

Jackson Freeman - 80#

Wyatt Fuller - 81#

Brett Bagnowski - 85#

Sabreena Weaver - 85#

Owen Reynolds - 91#

Bentley Goodenough - 95#

Luke Hamel - 95#

Aspen Tritz - 100#

Kasten Tritz - 100#

Deegan Armagost - 105#

Jack Akkerman - 110#

Anthony Ashbeck - 130#

NOTE – Parents: This is the list we will use for State Bound T-Shirts so if something is spelled wrong or someone is missing please let me know in the next 12 hours. Also pass this along and share it to make sure we catch everyone.

Not everyone who wrestled today made it to Madison. Rapids had 37 participants in the Qualifier who wrestled over 130 matches. Of the 100+ Matches I saw, not one Rapids kid ever gave up, not one kid ever stopped fighting for points, and we are proud of how well every kid represented Rapids both on and off the mat with pride. Those wrestlers who came up short have fuel for next year! We also have over 100 kids in training who did not attend the qualifer this year but are chomping at the bit to tackle it next year!

Lastly I want to touch on a couple cool team statistics about the Qualifier that are worth noting for these kids. To put the following in perspective: The 2023 Merrill Qualifier was the largest qualifier EVER in the history of Wisconsin across all 8 Qualifier Locations. In addition, 11 Rapids athletes were in attendance at either the Westby Qualifier or the Brown Deer Qualifier. So even without a complete roster Rapids outperformed every team attending by scoring 405 team points followed by Wittenberg Birnamwood with 318! We also had the most pins, and the most tech-falls! In short, super amazing day for these kids and we are all excited to head down to Madison next week for an experience center stage :)

Thank you parents, coaches, and fans for making this possible for these all these kids! CONGRADULATIONS!

Things to know as we start to wind down our season…

VOLUNTEERS: Those that are volunteering to help with weigh ins tomorrow, March 17, please arrive to the cafeteria at Lincoln by 5pm. Kevin and I will hopefully be arriving around 430/445, so if you want/are able to come even earlier, we will take any help. Volunteers will receive an admission wristband to get into Saturday’s tournament free and coaches who volunteer will receive a coaches wristband for Saturday as well.

WRESTLERS: We will meet in the wrestling room at Lincoln tomorrow night around 5pm and then head down to weigh in together at 515pm. Please remember wrestlers need to come to weigh ins in their singlet, with a current USA wrestling card.

PRACTICE: We will be running a ‘practice’ while weigh ins are going on from 530-630pm. If your wrestler chooses not to practice, that’s fine too but the option is there; we will have coaches in the wrestling room.

T-SHIRTS: Just a couple days left to get your order in for team t-shirts. The store will close on Sunday, 3/19. We will be distributing shirts down in Madison during state weekend. For anyone not at state, we will have them available for pick up at the banquet.

BANQUET: Our end of season banquet will be Sunday, April 2 from 11am-1pm at The Fallback in Kellner. We will be serving lunch and most likely asking families to bring a dish or dessert to pass. More information to come soon on that but for now, please fill out this registration if you plan to be there so we can get an idea of how many people will be attending. Thank you!!

T-Shirt Orders will close this weekend! Order today!

Registration for getting your name on the T-Shirt has closed as of today. Below is a list of all registered wrestlers. If you see a grammatical error please message Christina or Myself and we will adjust accordingly. If you missed registration let us know as well. Names are listed alphabetically by last name.

Jack, Akkerman

Max, Akkerman

Reed, Akkerman

Alex, Andrae

Owen, Andrae

Deegan, Armagost

Braxton, Bagnowski

Brett, Bagnowski

Bryce, Bagnowski

Kobe, Baltus

Jacob, Barse

Bennett, Bourgon

Mattson, Bourgon

William, Boyer

Jaydon, Collins

Colten, DeMarco

Bryce, Duran

John, Dusterdeck

Killian, Federwitz

Jackson, Freeman

Cade, Fuller

Waylon, Fuller

Westin, Fuller

Wyatt, Fuller

Grady, Gillette

Gage, Glinski

Bentley, Goodenough

CHAD, HAMEL

Luke, Hamel

Jackson, Hathcock

Noah, Hathcock

Grant, Hetzel

Hazel, Holden

Franklen, Ironside

Braxton, Jackson

Dalton, Jackson

Levi, Jaminski

Kane, Jensen

Andrew, Jepson

Levi, Jeske

Jacob, Johnson

Hunter, Kauth

Bennett, Koch

Ren, Kremer

Jaxson, Lemper

Levi, Lobner

Otto, Marshall

Jace, McAllister

Riley, Morin

Charlie, Mortenson

Henry, Mortenson

Weston, Pierce

Oakley, Pluess

Quinn, Quinn Parker

Owen, Reynolds

Greyson, Russell

Henry, Russell

Noah, Russella

Kase, Sawyer

Carson, Schoechert

Bentley, Sitz

Brodi, Sitz

Ryden, Slattery

Cayden, Sleeter

Elijah, Stanton

Jackson, Stanton

Micah, Stanton

Caleb, Stoflet

Zachary, Stoflet

Ryker, Stublaski

Asher, Taylor

Foster, Taylor

Braeden, Tracy

Declan, Tritz

Kasten, Tritz

Kiptyn, Tritz

Nolan, Tuttle

Bryce, Vavrina

Remington, Weaver

Sabreena, Weaver

Ace, Weisman

Avery, Weisman

Connor, Wirtz

Carter, Wysocki

Jace, Wysocki

Greyson, Yang

Regarding practice this week: Due to scheduling conflicts, practice has been adjusted to Wednesday and Friday.

WEDNESDAY: Will be held at East and Will run from 5:30 to 7:30 as normal.

FRIDAY: Will be held at Lincoln from 5:30 to 6:30.

It's memorabilia time :)

Super excited to announce this year’s t-shirt. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about it and I hope you take a second to read this. Wrestling for Rapids is a culture. What we want for these kids is bigger than winning and losing. Of course we want to win, but we believe the winning will come if we can sell the culture that our coaches work so hard to build. A culture of kindness, respect, selflessness, honor, pride, hard work, and toughness among others. We strive to create a culture that echoes those created by our Nations finest military forces. You don’t have to go very far in our program to find several Military role models. Our shirts this year are a nod and a handshake to thank all the past wrestlers of Wisconsin Rapids who went on to serve in our Nations armed forces. This shirt is also a statement about our program and the brotherhood/warriorhood we wish to instill in these kids. To fight for what they believe in, to have each others backs, and to believe in something bigger than themselves. This program is not meant to be an easy one, wrestling takes a certain amount of grit to be a part of, and to understand that for the very best experience and outcome, you can’t do it alone. For these reasons and so many more, which I don’t have your attention long enough to discuss, we are running with a military sand colored athletic t-shirt for our youth/coaches. We hoped all our athletes and coaches would purchase the “Sand” colored athletic t-shirt. The Red option is just that, another option. We intended it for fans and spectators but if you would rather order red for your athlete that works too! Now, here is the last cool part I want to talk about. $2 from every single t-shirt sold will be donated to the “Wounded Warrior Project”. We want our kids to learn to give back, and it’s hard to teach those values without examples. So please click on the link below, send it to your family/friends and get as many humans wearing these shirts as possible to help these kids make the biggest impact they can.

T-Shirt orders will close SATURDAY March 19th and shirts will be distributed at the State Tournament and at our end of year banquet (Sunday, April 2nd).

Click below to order today!

REMINDER: Practice tonight and Thursday is at Lincoln High School from 6-7pm for grades 4K-2nd and 6-730pm for 3rd-5th grade. Amanda will also be collecting singlets and returning deposits tonight if your wrestler's season is over, so please bring those if you will no longer need them. Thank you!!

Youth (PreK-8th) Team T-Shirt Registration: We do need your approval to print your child's name on our team t-shirt. This registration is simply that and nothing more, it does not commit to ordering any t-shirts, that will come later. We need you to log into the clubhub registration below and enter your child's name as you would like it to appear on the t-shirt. Please follow the link below to enter your son/daughters name so we can get it put on the t-shirt. This registration will close MONDAY of next week.

Thanks!

Wow, what a weekend! With team state behind us, we look forward to focusing on the big push to individual state Some important things to note for this week so be sure to read the whole post!

The last regular season tournament is this SATURDAY, at Stratford High School (213311 Legion St). The deadline to register is Friday at noon, however they are only taking 350 wrestlers so register now if your kiddo wants to wrestle. Check in from 8am-9am, no weigh ins. Registration link below.

PRACTICE: We will be practicing at Lincoln High School Tuesday and Thursday this week. Practice will run from 6pm-7pm for 2nd grade and younger and 6pm-730pm for 3rd-5th grade.

Special 5th grade practice: Our 5th graders have been invited to practice with the middle school at the Beast Cage THIS Thursday from 7-830pm. This will be instead of attending our normal practice on Thursday. It is optional, but it’s a great opportunity to meet the coaches and the wrestlers up there before next season.

A few fun things I know about tomorrow that should help everyone…

1) We will wrestle 5 duals tomorrow.

2) Our first two duals will be on Mat 12 (First Winneconne, Second: Mukwonago)

3) Our third Dual will be on Mat 10 (Milton)

4) We will meet as a team and weigh in in alphabetical order.

5) The first three matches are a round robin. After that all the teams are placed accordingly into a standard line bracket with 3 other teams. For example if we win our Round Robin, then we are placed with 3 other teams who also won their Round Robin and we wrestle twice more on a standard line bracket.

6) 2 scrambles are allowed after each dual if both teams agree to the matches. 7) There will be a draw weight (The tournament will pick the starting weight out of a hat) and the starting weight will increase by one weight class at the beginning of each dual.

Below you’ll find details for this Sunday’s 3rd-5th grade Youth Team State tournament in Fond du Lac.

As we did last year, we plan caravan down to Fond du Lac on Sunday morning. If you’d like to join the caravan, we plan to meet at 645am at the Kwik Trip on 54 in Rapids and leave from there at 7am sharp. We will be leaving on time so please be there before 7am if you plan to join us. This will put us down at the Fond du Lac High School field house (801 Campus Drive, Fond du Lac) around 845am. If you are not caravan-ing with us, please make sure your wrestler is at the field house by 845am.

Things to note:

*You must bring your child’s USA wrestling card along as they WILL be checked at weigh ins—these must be current.

*Weigh ins begin at 9am.

*Please have your wrestler in their singlet ready for weigh ins on arrival to Fond du Lac.

*Wrestling begins at 10am.

Looking forward to a fun tournament, GO RAPIDS!

As February comes to a close, it marks the beginning of our favorite month in the youth season. March.

March is a whirlwind. We start the end of our season by making a run for Team State next weekend. Last year we placed 6th but are headed back to claim what belongs to these kids! Preparing for this tournament is always bitter-sweet. Next week we are met with a few regulations, such as: Only 2nd-5th graders are allowed… but only one 2nd grader can wrestle in the lineup (Have you seen our second-grade class? How do we decide on just one?). The team is further limited to only a certain number of TOTAL registered wrestlers and finally only 12 slots on the lineup. That means we are faced with determining who is going to represent Rapids out of our 131 registered kids. This week will be filled with wrestle offs to determine our final 12 spots but all listed below have been invited to build the strongest team we can put together. I want to introduce your 2023 Wisconsin Rapids Team State Lineup as they head to Fond du lac and battle for the state Team Championship Sunday the 5th.

Weight Class      Name

53          Hansen, Lincoln

53          Tuttle, Nolan

53          Vavrina, Bryce

60          Stoflet, Caleb

60          Stoflet, Zachary

65          Fuller, Waylon

65          Jaminski, Levi

65          Jackson, Dalton

65          Akkerman, Reed

70          Fuller, Cade

70          Morin, Riley

75          Holden, Hazel

75          Tritz, Kiptyn

80          Hamel, Chad

84          Fuller, Wyatt

88          Weaver, Sabreena

93          Goodenough, Bentley

102       Tritz, Kasten

102       Marshall, Otto

115       Johnson, Jacob

115       Weisman, Ace

   

If you see these kids on their way to practice, wish them luck this weekend and thank them for their commitment. Not all the kids listed above will wrestle a match on Sunday. As much as I would love to see that, it’s simply not possible. Some of these kids will be going along in case your starters get injured, and some are going along because they are simply good role models, always showed up, worked hard, were eager to learn, or lead with their heart. If your son our daughter appears above, know that each weight class is given a 1 pound allowance and no more. So if the weight class above reads 70 they can weigh no more than 71.0. If you feel your son/daughter will not be able to compete at this weight please let us know immediately so we may attempt to adjust.

All that said, any number of people can attend the tournament via admissions. I don’t often encourage skipping a weekend of wrestling but this is one we can get behind. Not being on this lineup doesn’t mean you’re not on the team. It’s important for us to instill in these kids that they are where they are not only because of their own hard work but because of every kid at practice that makes this possible. I can only speak for those years I was personally on the Rapids Wrestling High School team. But I guarantee that if you ask any, of the over 80, Rapids Wrestlers (Starters, Junior Varsity, Managers, etc.) between the years of 2003-2006 what Rapids Wrestling was for them, they would ask you to take a seat because they knew they were a part of something bigger than them. Building that mentality across our team is something we have been striving for all season and will continue to promote as we charge into March this season!

Just a reminder, there is NO wrestling practice tonight, 2/23, because of the snow day.

Happy Monday! Just a couple things to talk about today.

TOURNAMENT: This upcoming weekend’s tournament is in Berlin on Sunday. No weigh ins (I did call and confirm this as the flyer was unclear). Check in from 730-8am with wrestling beginning around 9am. They do have a max of 400 wrestlers with 117 already registered, so I would again recommend to sign up quickly if your child plans to wrestle. Flyer and registration below.

PICTURE DAY: Tomorrow, Tuesday 2/21, is picture night during practice. Please have your child dressed in their singlet ready for photos at 530pm. We will share singlets as needed to make sure everyone gets a photo in a singlet who wants one. Remember to scroll down on this page to find the info to ‘opt in’ so you get notified when photos are up and ready to view and order. Any questions, Keesha is your girl! Thanks Keesha!

Registration: https://www.trackwrestling.com/registration/TW_Register.jsp?tournamentGroupId=209544132

Kevin wanted me to let everyone know that the bus has left Madison and will arrive back to the Lincoln parking lot at 1045pm for those who are picking up kiddos.

Sledding is still on for tomorrow! See you there 10-12pm!