The National Wrestling Coaches Association strongly believes supporting the local community through volunteerism is one of the cornerstones of building and sustaining a successful program.  It is a selfless way for teams to give back to the very same people who it asks to support them throughout the season. 

Getting the student-athlete involved in the community outside of school will help to make them a well-rounded individual even after their time on the team is finished. It stresses the importance of volunteering, building relationships, time management and giving back to the community. Keeping the wrestling team visible both on campus and in the community is important to the long term sustainability of the program primarily because it demonstrates to the key decision-making people on campus there is widespread community support for the wrestling team.

There are other important areas that service projects can play a role in focusing on other aspects for the student-athlete, according to Mark Gumble the Director of Academic Services for Student-Athletes University of Central Florida. The data on retention suggests that college students are more likely to stay in school if they feel a connection to the campus or community. Students entering college today are more diverse and civic minded than previous generations of students, yet expect a more personalized experience than those who entered during the 1980s and 1990s.  Many universities are meeting the needs of today's students by offering more opportunity for them to engage in the community and several are building opportunities through course assignments and degree requirements. Wrestling programs that provide these opportunities are meeting the needs of their millennial students and often times are aligning their programs with the university's mission or objective.

In an effort to promote the highly visible community service projects teams are doing around the country, the NWCA has dedicated a prominent area of its www.nwcaonline.com website to the recognition of community service-oriented student-athletes and coaches around the nation.

“The NWCA stands by its belief, especially as more intercollegiate athletic departments are downsizing, that wrestling coaches must repeatedly prove to the key 'decision making' people on their campuses that the wrestling program is an integral part of the greater university community. What better way to accomplish this goal than to volunteer your team to support important local needs,” said Mike Moyer NWCA Executive Director.

For coaches who want to do a community service project and are unsure where to start, the NWCA has partnered with the USDA in their “Eat Smart, Play Hard” campaign. In an effort to “Pin Childhood Obesity,” it will give teams a platform to work with young students and teach them the value of healthy eating and exercise.

Coaches who have already begun working with the USDA include: Former Iowa head coach Dan Gable, Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) and Cael Sanderson (Penn State).     ( http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/communityservice.aspx )

Pat Pecora and his team joined the fight with the NWCA-USDA against childhood obesity.  For the past two years, the UPJ wrestlers have gone into the local elementary schools to promote healthy eating and physical activity through the USDA Eat Smart Play Hard Campaign.

The team had a Pinning Childhood Obesity dual meet night, where children under the ages of 12 were admitted for free. Following the dual meet, the UPJ wrestlers had an autograph session for the children in attendance.  

“It was an amazing experience for all of the wrestlers. The influence we had on those kids was overwhelming. You never know how much these kids look up to you until the parents come up to you and explain how their kids won’t stop talking about you,” said Shane Valko, a 2009 All-American at UPJ.

Ohio State has not only climbed to the top when it comes to winning matches, being the NCAA Team Runner-Up and winning individual National Titles, but they are showing that they care about the community they live in.

The Buckeyes have had 100 percent team participation on all of the community service projects that they have completed.  The total accumulated hours of community service by the wrestling team last year was over 325 and that contributed to the over 3,600 hours the entire athletic department's 36 teams donated to the community.  Those 325 hours of service ranks them 5th highest out of the Buckeyes Athletic Department.

The Ohio State University's largest project to date is the Wrestle Against Autism Tournament, which raised $17,000. They have also volunteered their time with every student-athlete on their team participating in: Second and Seven was created by former Ohio State Football Players with the goal to “tackle illiteracy,” and travel to inner city schools in the Columbus area to read to classes, Local Children’s Hospital where they volunteer to play in the playroom with the young patients, Local Soup Kitchen, Mother’s Day 5K, and a Dance-a-thon.

“At the end of the day we are providing a service to the community," said Ohio State assistant coach Joe Heskett. "It is not something we make mandatory, but it is something we highly encourage and our athletes are taking the initiative to get out there after their classes are finished and after their grueling practices, they are giving up their time to give back. We are very proud of them for all of the effort they have put into our community service efforts to give back to the community that supports us." 

If you are part of a team that is already doing community service work please send us information on what your team does and if you can include a photo and the NWCA will be more than happy to add your team to the website.

  As a coach or a student-athlete if you are looking for more ways to get involved in your community, there are plenty of opportunities out there, many of which are showcased on the Community Service portion of the NWCA Website.

For more information on community service, updates on teams getting involved and other ideas visit the NWCA website by clicking here.