Hi 👋

Welcome to Week #63 of the Wrestling Snacks Newsletter.

🎉 Happy 2025! Another year has come and gone, and I'm excited to see what the new year has in store.

On New Year’s Eve, I went through some photos and did a recap of 2024. I highly recommend doing this. It’s easy to lose perspective at the end of the year, thinking that things didn’t go as planned or that we didn’t accomplish the goals we set for ourselves. But if you take a moment to look at the photos on your phone, online, or on your computer from the past year, it’ll spark many memories and you’ll realize you did more than you thought. You may not have lost the weight, landed that paycheck, or obtained the "stuff" you were after, but what you’ll see in those pictures are forgotten memories and experiences. You'll gain a sense of appreciation for the little things you did throughout the year and the people you spent time with.

Personally, the end of 2024 felt a little blah for me. I didn’t accomplish all the things I set out to do. But after reflecting on my photos, I realized how silly and misguided my thoughts were heading into the new year. 2024 was one of the best years I’ve had. I moved the needle on many things in my life and had some incredible experiences and trips with friends and family.

Here are a few things on my list for 2025:

• Read 7 books (Last year, I aimed for 12 and only got through 5 😂)

• Reach 5,000 subscribers for Wrestling Snacks Newsletter

• Monthly date nights with my wife (Still slacking here 😔)

• Host a race for my Run Idaho brand

• Summit all of Idaho’s 9 peaks over 12,000 ft

• Run three races

• Save a specific amount in my savings account

• Take a Canadian Rockies trip with family

What’s on your list for 2025? Feel free to REPLY to this email with anything you’re willing to share—I’d love to hear it!

Let’s GO 💪

News Bites

• DI Live Streaming Guide (1/3 - 1/5/2025)

• NCAA DI Rankings Updated (12/31/2024)

• NAIA Rankings: Life remains No. 1 among women; Grand View returns to No. 1 in men’s

• 2024 Soldier Salute Final Results

• Iowa women win Soldier Salute with five champions, runner-up Life has three champions

• 2024 Midlands Championships Final Results

• Cornell Adds #10 Senior Jude Correa

• 4-Time All-American Elam to Miss 2024-25 Season - O'Toole Out a Month

• 2025 Southern Scuffle Wrestling Tournament Entries

• What to watch: Week ten of the college wrestling season

• USA Wrestling announces a multi-year partnership with RUDIS

Snacks

This week's Snacks is a recap of the year 2024. Below are some statistics and the most common themes from the past year. Enjoy!

Number of Interviews: 40

Combined Accolades of Interviewees:

• College National Championships: 17

• College All-Americans: 76

• Olympic Teams: 6

• Olympic Medals: 1

• Age Level (Cadet, Junior, Senior) World Teams: 16

• Age Level (Cadet, Junior, Senior) World Championship Medals: 7

• Interviewees currently coaching at the collegiate level: 21

Interviewees that I was most nervous to interview: Brent Metcalf, Doug Schwab.

Interviewees I clicked with immediately and felt like old buddies: Ryan Deakin, Patrick Brucki, Joey Dance.

Interviewees with great wrestling minds that really impressed me: Adam Tirapelle, Alex Tirapelle

Interviewees who had the most personal impact on me: Doug Schwab, Nick Mitchell.

Interviewee who changed my perspective and made me think in ways I hadn’t before: Johnni DiJulius.

Origin Story Tips: The most common themes center around patience, perseverance, and personal ownership in the sport of wrestling. Here's the breakdown:

1. Patience and Allowing Growth Over Time: Understanding the importance of letting kids grow into the sport at their own pace, acknowledging that wrestling can take time to enjoy and excel in ("Wrestling can be an acquired taste." "Be patient with wrestling." "It may take time for a youth athlete to discover their passion in the sport").

2. Resilience and Overcoming Challenges: Many of the origin story tips stressed pushing through difficulties, teaching perseverance, and not letting kids quit in moments of frustration or discouragement ("Encourage them to finish strong." "Keep kids moving forward in difficult things").

3. Personal Ownership and Joy: Emphasizing the importance of finding one's own reasons to love wrestling and taking ownership of the journey was a recurring theme ("Find your own reasons to love it." "Take ownership of your path").

Parent Tips: The most common themes center around balance, support, and fostering ownership of the journey in wrestling. Here's the breakdown:

1. Support Without Pressure: Many tips emphasize the importance of being a supportive parent rather than a critic. They stress avoiding undue pressure tied to performance, allowing kids to enjoy wrestling for their own reasons (“The simplest advice to a parent is just be a parent, don’t be a coach.” “Support your kid’s decisions rather than making them feel pressured.” “Focus on effort over winning”).

2. Fostering Ownership and Accountability: A recurring theme is helping children take ownership of their wrestling journey, teaching them to embrace accountability and make the sport their own. Parents are encouraged to guide children without micromanaging (“Teach your kids to take ownership.” “It’s their path, help them make it their own”).

3. Balanced Approach to Pressure: Striking a balance between encouraging effort and ensuring wrestling doesn’t dominate a child’s identity or relationship with their parents is key (“Balance is extremely important.” “Help them see that wrestling is a tool for growth, not the center of their entire world”).

Coaching Tips: The most common themes center around balance, an athlete-centered approach, and building strong foundations. Here's the breakdown:

1. Balance in Coaching Style: Many tips emphasize the importance of balancing intensity with support, tough love with encouragement, and competitiveness with fun. Coaches are encouraged to create a challenging environment while also ensuring athletes feel supported and motivated to enjoy the sport. (“Balance intensity with support.” “Keep wrestling fun, especially at the youth level.” “Balance tough love with encouragement.”).

2. Athlete-Centered Approach: Coaches are reminded to focus on their athletes' needs, learning styles, and motivations. The responsibility lies on the coach to adapt their approach to athlete’s unique personalities and challenges, ensuring their growth and success. (“It’s not about you.” “Put yourself in your athlete’s shoes.” “Encourage your athletes to take ownership of their improvement.”)

3. Foundations and Progress Over Perfection: Several tips highlight the importance of building a strong foundation and focusing on progress rather than outcomes or perfection. Coaches are encouraged to prioritize mastering basic techniques and fostering a growth mindset over chasing immediate results. (“Coach kids like you’d build a house—with a foundation.” “Less is more.” “Keep your eye on the bigger picture.”)

Athlete Tips: The most common themes center around mindset, continuous learning, and balancing fun with discipline. Here's the breakdown:

1. Growth Mindset and Learning: Athletes are encouraged to embrace learning and treat challenges as opportunities to grow. A focus on experimentation, reflection, and pushing through discomfort is key to evolving both mentally and physically. (“Be a student of the sport.” “Growth happens when you consistently push yourself outside your comfort zone.” “Never stop being coachable and learn how to compete.”)

2. Finding Joy and Personal Connection: Building a personal connection to wrestling and keeping it fun are emphasized as essential for long-term engagement and improvement. Athletes are urged to approach the sport with curiosity and creativity. (“Make the sport fun, make it a game.” “Find something intrinsic about the sport that you love.” “Make sure you’re always finding ways to have fun with wrestling.”)

3. Preparation and Discipline: Confidence and success stem from preparation, discipline, and living a championship lifestyle. By mastering the basics, visualizing success, and staying focused on both personal and athletic development, athletes can achieve sustainable growth. (“Confidence comes from preparation.” “Focus on living a championship lifestyle.”)

Negative Impact Tips: The most common themes center around managing expectations, maintaining a healthy environment, and avoiding harmful practices. Here's the breakdown:

1. Focus on Process Over Outcomes: A recurring theme is shifting the emphasis from wins and losses to progress, effort, and skill development. This approach fosters a healthier relationship with the sport and reduces unnecessary pressure. ("As a coach or parent, shift the focus from wins and losses to progress and effort." "The win-or-nothing mentality can harm young athletes." "Teach athletes to view wins and losses as learning experiences.")

2. Avoid Harmful Practices Like Weight Cutting: Many tips warn against the dangers of early or extreme weight cutting, emphasizing its negative impact on skill development, enjoyment, and long-term physical and emotional health. ("Do not introduce weight cutting until after puberty." "When athletes focus too much on cutting weight, it takes away from their skill development." "Forcing young wrestlers to cut weight can cause long-term harm.")

3. Maintain a Healthy, Balanced Environment: The importance of balancing intensity with fun and ensuring that wrestling doesn’t feel overly burdensome or stressful is a key takeaway. Creating a positive culture helps prevent burnout and keeps athletes engaged. ("Wrestling is inherently tough, but constantly treating it as life-or-death can lead to burnout." "Avoid over-competition with young athletes." "Balance the intensity with moments of fun and light-heartedness.")

Wrestling Growth Tips: The most common themes center around enhancing accessibility, fostering team dynamics, and modernizing the sport. Here's the breakdown:

1. Enhancing Accessibility and Inclusivity: Creating an inviting environment and broadening wrestling's appeal to diverse audiences are key themes. From promoting women’s wrestling to framing wrestling as part of martial arts culture, the focus is on making the sport more relatable and accessible. ("Focus on creating an inviting environment for beginners." "Continue to promote women’s wrestling." "Leverage wrestling's ties to martial arts to grow the sport.")

2. Fostering Team Dynamics: Team-centered events like dual meets are highlighted as crucial for growing wrestling's fanbase. These competitions build energy, excitement, and engagement, which naturally attract more participants and supporters. ("Focus on the excitement and connection that dual meets bring to the sport." "Fans rally behind teams, creating energy and momentum." "Introducing dual team championships at the NCAA level can attract new audiences.")

3. Modernizing and Promoting the Sport: The importance of updating wrestling's image and embracing creativity to appeal to a broader audience is a recurring theme. By making wrestling more relatable and less intimidating, the sport can attract and retain more participants. ("Modernize the sport by making it more relatable to casual fans." "Stop thinking of wrestling as a niche sport and find ways to appeal to the masses." "Educate communities to build a stronger support system for wrestling.")

Growth Bite

This week's Growth Bite comes from the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction that caught my attention and had a meaningful impact on me:

Community Treat

This week's Community Treat comes from a Twitter post by MatBoy. He shared this old school character drawing of John Smith and his Oklahoma State team chasing their third consecutive Team National Championship. From 2003 to 2005, Oklahoma State won four consecutive Team National Championships: