BROOKINGS – Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in the world, and a local nonprofit club is doing what it can to ensure that it continues to flourish for years to come through Brookings youth.
The Brookings Wrestling Association has been around since 2001, offering boys and girls from pre-K through sixth grade a chance to learn the sport.
Its mission is a simple one, according to BWA president Dustin Archer: “Our organization is about improving the environment for recruitment, retention, development and the promotion of the sport of wrestling, especially for youth.”
They typically have 75-80 kids participate in a given year, though he’d like to reach 100. One thing he’s noticed is that there is a lot of competition for children’s time these days, and wrestling is typically left out of the picture. And that’s a shame, Archer said, because although it’s not the most glamorous of sports, it does have a lot to teach.
For starters, he said, “It’s just you and another guy out there and no one to blame but yourself if something goes bad or good. You set goals and all that.”
He remembers how he started out in wrestling back in the sixth grade.
“I never won a match. I don’t even know why I went back out for it. I did. But you work hard and you set goals, and when you start to reap some of those rewards, it’s that much more satisfying and gratifying. Even if it’s something as simple as getting a take-down; not necessarily winning, but scoring a certain point. I think it leads to those lessons you can take with you after wrestling into your daily life,” Archer said.
And for kids, it also allows them to channel their energy and natural urge to rough-house in a controlled way.
Wrestling is more popular than it has been in a long time, and Archer can see that in the increasing number of participants at the state tournament the BWA attends and even the success of South Dakota State University’s wrestling program.
“They used to say that wrestling was a dying sport, but I definitely wouldn’t say that anymore,” Archer said.
Everything the BWA does is with the kids in mind. They don’t do weight cutting, and they try to take away some of the pressure by not penalizing members for missing practices. The thought behind that is this is a group where what you put into it is what you get out of it. They offer three practices a week – Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays – starting on Nov. 26.
Younger children in grades pre-K through second grade even start later, on Jan. 3, so that they don’t get burned out from an overly long wrestling season.
“If you’re starting at the end of November and it goes all the way through March, it’s kind of a grind,” he said. “In years past, we’ve learned that you get kids who kind of fizzle out towards the end of the year, so your numbers go down. But the end of the year, that’s when you have your (competitions).”
The flexibility they offer in their programming is important because most members are somewhere between kindergarten and the second grade, and are just figuring out if this sport is something they want to continue to do.
It’s also an affordable sport, which Archer takes pride in. With a $45 registration fee, the kids get workout clothes if they sign up before Dec. 1, but they do accept new members throughout most of their season, which continues into March. The club also pays for entry for tournaments.
“I don’t know any other sport in town that you can join with that little of expense,” Archer said.
He added, “We also encourage people who want to come up to one of our practices and just watch – they don’t even have to join, they can just check it out if they want to, just to see what they’re getting their kids into. They’re welcome to do that.”
Considering the age of most of the kids, practices can sometimes be a bit of a circus, Archer said. That’s why they often encourage parents to stick around for practices; a parent’s presence has a way of getting the kids to behave a bit better. It also helps that they’ve got some good coaches on board.
Partnerships have been a key part of the BWA’s existence. Importantly, they’ve worked alongside middle school and high school wrestling even though they aren’t an official school group. It’s an extension of their mission to make better wrestlers and boost the sport.
So, they’ve helped buy wrestling mats and workout equipment and help pay for camps. It’s also a way to thank the high school for letting them use their facility for practice.
Their website can be found at www.brookingswrestling.com, and parents can register their children through the same site on their “Register” tab.
Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.
