In order to maximize the potential of each and every athlete on the Voorhees Wrestling Team, the “150-Hour Off-Season Program” will be implemented for the upcoming 2008-09 season.  Any wrestler who fails to meet the requirement for this program will not be eligible to wrestle off for a varsity spot until January 1^st of the 2008-09 season.  The single requirement for this program is simple, any returning wrestler who wishes to compete for a varsity spot in the beginning of the season is hereby required to log 150 hours of training.

So how does a wrestler earn these hours???

1)      Participating in Other Sports

·         Participating in either a spring or fall sport is worth 50 hours.  For example, an athlete who plays baseball in the spring and football in the fall will earn 100 hours, thereby fulfilling  two thirds of his commitment.

Stipulations

·         You must finish the season; quit and you get nothing.

·         A full 50 hours will ONLY be granted for participating in a Voorhees sport.  If you are in a summer league or on a traveling team, you need to meet with the coaches to find out how much the commitment is worth.

2)      Wrestling

·         Going to our Team Camp this summer is worth 25 hours.

·         Going to another wrestling camp is worth 20 hours.

·         Going to a wrestling tournament is worth 2 hours and every match you wrestler is worth an additional hour.  For example, if a wrestler goes to a Sunday tournament and wrestlers three matches, he earns 5 hours.

·         Any attendance at a club or clinic is worth 1 hour per session

3)      Weight Training

·         Every weight room session a wrestler puts in is worth 1 hour.

·         Working out at a gym other than Voorhees is of equal value.

Stipulation

·         If a large amount of your hours are put in at a gym other than the one at Voorhees, we may seek some verification.

4)      Running or Biking

·         Any run three miles or more is worth 1 hour.

·         Any bike ride over 45 minutes is worth 1 hour.

5)      Promoting the Wrestling Program

·         Helping out at a junior wrestling practice in November is worth 1 hour.

·         Participating in a fundraiser for the Booster Club or Hunterdon Hills Wrestling Club is worth 1 hour or more depending on the time put in.

And how does a wrestler keep track of all this???

All of you will receive a small notebook/log with your name on it.  Log everything you do in that notebook and make sure to keep a running total.  DON’T LOSE IT!!!

When is this going to be collected???

• They will be collected on the first day of practice for the 2008-09 season
• There will be two checkpoints between now and the time they are turned in.
  • During last two weeks of school in June, all wrestlers must see Coach Baumann with their notebook so their progress can be documented.
  • During the first two weeks of school in September, all wrestlers must again see Coach Baumann with their notebook so their progress can again be documented.

Isn’t it possible a wrestler could cheat and make stuff up???

·        Sure it’s possible to forge the information.  It would be impossible for Coach Baumann to check on every single hour for every single wrestler; however,

1.     If a wrestler really puts in the hours the coaches are requiring, there should be a noticeable difference in his physique, stamina, skill, and feel.  If a wrestler were to lie about the commitment, the coaches would inevitably figure it out and call him out on it.

2.     This is more for the wrestler than the coach.  Keeping track of off-season workouts is more than just a way for a wrestler to make sure he fulfills a requirement; it is a way for him to realize exactly how much he is doing, or not doing.  Athletes need to do this so they understand what it takes to be committed and whether or not they are doing enough.

3.     If somebody does cheat, it is almost a certainty that somebody else will find out and squeal because of the stakes.

Wait, so if a returning wrestle doesn’t put in this time, he can’t wrestle varsity???

·         Absolutely not!  Come January 1^st, anyone on the team is eligible to wrestle-off for a varsity spot for the remainder of the season.

·         However, the two weeks of the regular season in December (which consists of two tournaments and 4 dual meets), the returning wrestlers who have completed the required 150 hours of training will have first dibs on the varsity spots.

·         A returning wrestler who does not complete the 150-hour requirement will not be allowed to wrestle off against a wrestler who does complete the 150-hour requirement in the month of December.

·         If there is a weight class where no returning wrestler has completed the 150-hour requirement, then it will be the coaches’ discretion as to who gets to wrestle-off for the spot or if the weight is to be forfeited.