Minutemen Youth Wrestling

The following Minutemen attended: Sean Pentalow, James Marchetti, Ryan Bisson, Kevin Moss, Ritchie Swiot, Jack and Cameron Banks, and Brian Rogan. Way to Go Guys! The wrestling programs in Berlin, at all levels, have enjoyed a fair amount of success during the past two decades. Most notable are the achievements of the Berlin High School wrestling team. Since Jim Day took over the program 20 years ago, the Redcoats have brought home eight state titles. The team has also hoisted 15 Northwest Conference title banners during the last 17 years. It's no surprise that many ex-Redcoats have gone onto success at the collegiate level. Day is clearly passionate about the sport and committed to pushing the BHS program to the next level. Yet, the veteran coach is no longer limiting himself to teaching the sport at the high school level only. This summer. Day is heading up the first Redcoat Wrestling Camp, open to wrestlers between the ages of 7 and 18. "Our goal is to make them better wrestlers, but we also want them to enjoy the experience;" Day said. "There will be a lot of wrestling-oriented games that we'll have them taking part in, especially the younger kids." Day said the instruction will be "based on a developmentally sound approach that will be effective for any level of wrestler" Instructional groups will be formed based on experience. The camp is scheduled for July 16-19, at BHS. Sessions will be in the evening from 6-8:30 p.m. The camp's $50 fee includes insurance, T-shirt and instructions. Members of the Berlin Wrestling Association are eligible for a discount. The camp's instructors have countless year's of wrestling knowledge. Expected to join Day at the camp are: John Bennett, master world freestyle champion; Ken Destefanis, a former college coach; Bob Skeleton, Olympic coach; Jim Arnold, head coach at Wethersfield High School coach; Dave D'Alesio, a two-time Connecticut coach of the year; and Tim Sullivan, a college All-American who is currently an assistant with the Redcoats. Dave Tremblay and Jason Siegal, both assistant coaches at BHS, are expected to take part as well. Numerous Redcoat wrestlers, past and present, will also be assisting with the camp. In order to participate in the camp, athletes must submit a completed physical form (completed within the last year) and a completed emergency form. Wrestlers will also be required to bring wrestling shoes and appropriate attire (T-shirt and shorts). Day said that all the profits from the camp will be divided between the BHS Boosters Club and the BWA. For more information about the Redcoat Wrestling Camp, call Day at 828-6504 or 828-6577 ext. 304.

One of the greatest myths of sports is you are either born fast or slow. The truth is that everyone can get faster, and speed is often helpful to having fun and success in many sports. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re doomed because you are too slow. You can get faster! It is true that we are all born with a muscle composition that will help or hinder our speed. You may have heard or read about slow twitch/fast twitch muscle fibers and how they effect our speed and endurance. But the point of this tip is to let you know that speed is a trainable area and with the right training program everyone can get faster. While we don’t have room to go into an entire article about how to get faster, it’s important to recognize that two of the most important areas to work on in order to be able to get faster are strength and flexibility. Why? Because in order for your body to be ready to move faster, with the extra stress speed puts on your body, you have to be strong and flexible. Picture driving a car for a second; You’ll probably be able to picture how much extra you have to brake to slow down, and how the tires, brakes and shocks have to be able to absorb more speed, with a combination of strength (braking harder), and flexibility (shocks and tires absorbing stress). The same is true for your bodies. If you want to add speed, first you have to sure you have enough strength and flexibility to handle the speed. Just trying harder to be faster is not enough. Speed must be trained and developed through plyometrics and speed development drills, which emphasize proper biomechanics. Stay tuned to eteamz and in another article we’ll explain how. For now though, be sure you continue to work on your overall strength (including your mid-section or core) and flexibility, because without them speed won’t be possible. Remember, we can all get faster!! This tip was contributed by Tom Crawford.