Introducing River Falls Women's Wrestling

We're taking on a brand new project in River Falls this year.  It's been a work in progress for well over a year and has been taking flight since the beginning of the school year.

Last year, one of my female athletes experienced an abundance of adversity in her training schedule.  She had big goals for the 2016-17 season that included winning a gold medal at the World Championships (after a bronze in 2016) and training at the Olympic Training Center for an extended period of time all while doing her entire class load online to free up space for training and traveling.  After a few setbacks and procedure changes left her with no place to train by January (of 2017), we were forced "punt" and spent the rest of the year scrambling for quality training and much needed structure.  To say that all of the uncertainty had an impact on her would be an understatement.  So, without hesitation, we laid the foundation for something better.  In September, she made a permanent move to River Falls along with 5 other athletes with similar goals and talent levels.

With an abundance of help from the River Falls School District, we were able to help all 6 students enroll at River Falls High School with the understanding that each of them will have several demands that are above and beyond a traditional high school student.  The administration was quick to find innovative ways to meet the needs of each student-athlete while keeping them immersed in the social settings of being high school students.  We looked at several options involving online school and all believed having these students around other students in order to give them the complete high school experience was best.

I've been around a lot of great people and great moments at RFHS, however, the big picture mindset and willingness to "go for it" with this project is the most proud I have ever been of my alma mater.

We brought together high achieving, high character individuals with aspirations of winning gold medals and created a training environment that is second to none in our country.  This group has an extensive collection of world-level medals, national championship plaques and All-American awards.  Additionally, they're exceptional students and great young women who have already made a huge impact in our community.  We're also very fortunate to bring in other top junior and senior-level talent that add value to the overall project.

From a training standpoint, the objectives are very clear.  We wanted to bring some of the top 14-17 year old athletes in the country together to train.  Most of them have been the only female on male teams and haven't trained with other top-level females aside from a handful of training camps.  These girls are learning how train at a high level together AND do life together at a high level.

It's the first time they've been on a year-round training program that is specific to their needs and competition schedule.  It's also the first time they've been a part of a program that focuses on the Total Athlete - body, mind and soul.  In addition to the physical training (comprehensive technique development, athlete-specific strength and conditioning programs, etc.), we have a vested interest in developing their mind and spirit in very intentional ways.  Our goals are centered on gold medals, but our purpose is about becoming whole hearted and knowing that we're worth far more than gold (medals).

Our preseason training is coming to a close and the (boy's) high school wrestling season is just around the corner.  Our female athletes will be training right alongside the high school boy's team.  Each of our girls have experienced a lot of firsts in the last two-plus months being in an entirely new environment - new family, friends, home, routine, etc. - and have handled it extraordinarily well.  They're familiar with the grind of a high school season and are ready to excel in that comfort zone.

Now that we're established and swiftly moving forward, we're ready to share our process with the world, so stay tuned for more updates.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.