🤼 Wrestling Snacks #61

Nick Mitchell, 12 Team National Championships, it’s not about you, it’s not the kids fault, and more...

Seth Wright
December 21, 2024

Nick Mitchell, 12 Team National Championships, it’s not about you, it’s not the kids fault, and more...

Hi 👋

Welcome to Week #61 of the Wrestling Snacks Newsletter.

Christmas is right around the corner, and I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and merry Christmas. This time of year can be chaotic and stressful, which is unfortunate. I hope we can take the time to be present with our family and friends and have gratitude in our hearts. The real gift is life itself and finding joy with less... that’s my two cents!

With love, Merry Christmas, everyone!

Let’s GO 💪

News Bites

Weekend Dual Results (12/15/2024)
DI Live Streaming Guide (12/16 - 12/22/2024)
Thursday's DI Dual Results (12/20/2024)
NCAA DI Rankings Updated (12/17/2024)
2024 Midwest Classic Final Results
All-American Ragusin to Miss Remainder of Season
Arceri Named Head Coach at Long Island
Top Ranked 190 lber Ludington Flips to Iowa
Big ruling by a court today that JUCO athletes who play college sports, retain all 4 years of NCAA eligibility even if they play a year or two of JUCO
2024 Reno Tournament Of Champions Schedule And Brackets
Tom Ryan Clears The Air On Rocco Welsh Transfer Speculation
Upsets From Week 7 Of The 2024-25 NCAA D1 Wrestling Season
Iowa remains No. 1, King and North Central swap No. 2 & No. 3 spots in NCAA Women's Coaches Poll
Tickets now on sale for 2025 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in Coralville, Iowa, March 7-8
Carr, Aiello make finals, McKenna in bronze match at Kunayev D.A. International
2025 U.S. Open set for a new venue in Las Vegas, April 23-27; Book hotels now for registration discount
NCAA Div. III Eastern University in Pennsylvania to add men's and women's wrestling
Greco-Roman Olympian Joe Rau returns as Northwestern assistant coach

Snacks

This week's Snacks come from Nick Mitchell: Wrestled at Wartburg College, where he was a 3X Iowa Conference Champion, 3X NCAA D3 All-American, and an inductee into the Wartburg College Athletic Hall of Fame. As the Head Coach of Grand View University, he has led his team to 12 Team National Titles, 11 Team National Dual Championships, and has been named 6X NWCA National Coach of the Year, 8X NAIA National Coach of the Year, and the 2020 USA Wrestling Coach of the Year. Nick has established himself as one of the greatest college coaches of all time.

Below are some excerpts from our conversation, along with key takeaways and tips that can be applied to improve yourself as a Coach, Athlete, or wrestling Parent.

Origin Story Tip: You never know the impact of passing the sport of wrestling from one generation to the next. For Nick, that torch ignited a passion that led him to take the sport seriously, pursue it at the next level, and ultimately coach at Grand View University. His journey has left a massive imprint on the NAIA level, culminating in 12 National Team Championships.

"I came from, I would say, a wrestling family, but it wasn't like there was anybody in my family that had ever been really successful. It was just something that kind of came from uncles and other family members who wrestled, but again, nothing crazy.

For some reason, wrestling was definitely my sport from the jump. Early on, I was just that stereotypical aggressive little kid. I loved wrestling—loved it. I was the kid climbing on people, always active. I really didn’t compete a lot early on. I might have gone to one tournament a year in second or third grade—something like that.

Around fourth grade, I joined a club in the Des Moines area. It was a good club with coaches who were really big on teaching solid fundamentals and basics, and they were good people. I was part of that club for a long time. I wrestled through high school, went on to wrestle Division III at Wartburg College, and then I was able to coach there after I graduated.

I was an assistant coach for eight years at Wartburg before starting here at Grand View. Wrestling was always something I was drawn to, for sure...

You know, I never really had a part where I wanted to quit. I know for sure, though, when I was in high school, we cut way too much weight, and we weren’t doing it the right way. There were times when it wasn’t just, “I want to quit,” but more like, “I want to freaking die.” It was miserable.

I remember asking myself, “Is this really worth it?” But that was more a product of the times—the weight cutting and not doing it right. I was fortunate, though. I never really got to that point where I wanted to give up on it."

Parent Tip: “If wrestling becomes the most important thing in a kid’s life too early—whether in youth or high school—it can carry into college and beyond, messing with their identity as a person. That’s why perspective is so critical. We have to help them see that wrestling is a tool for growth, not the center of their entire world.”

"My mom was really competitive, and that part just rubbed off on me. It didn't matter if we were playing cards or board games—she liked to rub it in when she beat me. I feel like little things like that fired up my competitive nature.

My mom married my stepdad when I was young, and he was a huge part of my wrestling career all the way through. Both of them held me to a performance-based standard. Of course, we all wanted to win and probably talked about winning too much—state championships and outcomes—but they were good at keeping me accountable. If I wrestled poorly because I underestimated an opponent or gave someone too much credit, my stepdad would point it out. He’d say, “You thought that guy wasn’t going to be any good, and you wrestled down because of it.”

Those lessons stuck with me, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. If I won a match but didn’t compete to my potential, they never yelled or were overly hard on me, but they pointed out that it wasn’t my best effort and explained why. Like most kids, I didn’t always take criticism from my parents well, but their focus on staying positive and avoiding an arrogant mindset helped me in the long run...

It can be tricky for parents because many want to be the driving force in their kid’s wrestling journey. But what you really want to do is pull back the reins a bit so when your kid decides to do extra work, it’s their idea. If the kid isn’t leading the way, it won’t matter in the long term.

I was talking to a buddy the other day who was an All-American in college, and we agreed that coaches and parents who competed at a high level usually have a better perspective on what’s important in youth and high school wrestling. Yes, those things are important, but perspective is key. At the youth level, we need to ensure kids enjoy the sport and learn the most important lessons.

If wrestling becomes the most important thing in a kid’s life too early—whether in youth or high school—it can carry into college and beyond, messing with their identity as a person. That’s why perspective is so critical. We have to help them see that wrestling is a tool for growth, not the center of their entire world."

Coaching Tip: It’s not about you. As a coach, your job is to focus on your athletes—how they learn, what motivates them, and what they need to succeed. If they’re not responding, it’s not their failure—it’s your responsibility to adjust. Don’t blame the kids. Take accountability and meet your athletes where they are to help them grow.

"The most important lesson in coaching—whether you're coaching kindergarteners, college athletes, or at the Olympic level—is that it’s not about you. That’s probably the most important lesson I learned early on as a young coach, and I think it’s the golden rule of coaching. The athlete comes first.

Wrestling as a sport can be self-centered. As a wrestler, you’re constantly thinking about yourself—where do I need to get better, where do I need to improve, and how do I feel? But as a coach, especially a young coach, you go from focusing entirely on yourself to being 100% focused on somebody else.

I think some coaches struggle with this. There’s too much ego involved. They want everyone to know they’re in the corner, their picture is on the team poster, and their face is on the T-shirts. But that’s a giant mistake. The starting point has to be that it’s not about you. From there, you also have to understand that people don’t learn like you, and they’re not motivated like you.

For example, I didn’t mind if my college coach was intense. He could get in my face, poke me in the chest, and I’d respond to that. But a lot of my athletes won’t respond to that. If I coach them the way I like to be coached, then I’m making it about me. That’s a mistake.

Too many coaches try to coach that way, and when an athlete doesn’t respond, it’s easy to say, “That kid’s soft” or “He just doesn’t have it.” But actually, that’s a coaching mistake. It’s not the kid’s fault; you’re the one coaching him in a way he doesn’t respond to or teaching him in a way he doesn’t learn well from.

It’s our job as coaches to adapt. If our kids are failing, it’s on us. If our kids aren’t tough, that’s our fault. It’s way too easy to blame the kids, but we have to take accountability for that. It’s on us."

Athlete Tip: Focus on living a championship lifestyle—being disciplined in all areas of your life, both on and off the mat. This approach not only improves your performance but also helps you grow into a well-rounded person. Strive to become the best version of yourself, and let fulfillment in the process matter more than temporary happiness from results.

"Yeah, our biggest thing that we always talk about here and our whole philosophy has been built around living a championship lifestyle. We talk about it so much that I almost feel like it’s become cliché in the world. Because a lot of people are talking about finding the best version of yourself, which is a great positive change.

For us, that’s really what it is. But to me, if you really buy into that and make it a real thing, it’s going to impact you on the mat and off the mat, but it’s also going to have a longer-lasting impact. When I first started at Grand View, and maybe when I was coming up, we saw a lot of wrestlers who were so dialed in on the sport.

There were people I grew up loving in the sport, following as heroes of mine, who ended up making wrestling their whole identity. When the sport ended, they had all these accolades and success, but then it was like, “Now what?” They were left asking, “Who am I now?”

I think this whole idea of living a championship lifestyle is key. If you practice being disciplined in the classroom, in your family life, your social life, and your faith life, it’s going to carry over to wrestling. It also changes how you see yourself. It’s not just about being a wrestler.

Your identity isn’t tied to your results. If you win, it’s not everything, and if you lose, you don’t have to see yourself as a loser. It’s a paradox. When you focus less on results and more on who you’re becoming in the process, it usually leads to better results.

At the same time, the results don’t matter as much because you feel good about who you’ve become. That’s what stays with you for the rest of your life. In wrestling, we all pride ourselves on the sport teaching discipline, toughness, and growth.

I agree with that, but if we add this layer of living a championship lifestyle, it impacts you at the deepest level. It changes you for life. That’s always my advice: buy into this for something bigger.

We live in a world where parents say, “I just want my kid to be happy,” or kids say, “I just want to be happy.” That’s misguided. Winning makes me happy, but happy wears off fast. Getting new shoes makes me happy. Making money makes me happy.

But happiness is a fading emotion. Fulfillment, on the other hand, is about becoming the person you’re designed to be. That’s why you live this lifestyle—because you’ll find fulfillment in the long term. That’s something you can build off of.

And again, it still leads to more winning. I’m not saying, “Don’t worry about winning.” It should be both. I want to win, but I also want to figure out what I was made to be. That’s the only way to find that out."

Negative Impact Tip: Focus on gradual development and keeping the sport enjoyable rather than prioritizing outcomes at a young age. Avoid over-competition with young athletes—pushing kids to compete too early or too often can lead to discouragement or loss of interest. Similarly, kids who are pushed to train like college athletes from a young age can burn out by their teens. Balance is essential for long-term engagement and growth.

"Yeah, my biggest fear or hurdle with the sport goes back to the youth level. My 10-year-old is just getting into it, and it would be a mistake to take her to a tournament right now. Sometimes, we over-compete with young kids.

On one hand, you’ve got a 10-year-old who’s been training like a college kid for six years. If my daughter wrestles her, she’ll get the crap kicked out of her and think, “This isn’t fun. Why would I want to do this?” Then she decides to quit. On the other hand, you have a kid whose parents or coach have been pushing them to train year-round since they were 5. By the time they’re 15, they think, “This sucks. I don’t want to do this anymore,” and they quit.

We’re losing kids on both ends. We’re so outcome-based that we don’t take our time. We think we need to compete all the time. There are a record number of national tournaments now. I remember when preseason nationals first started, and I thought it was ridiculous. Now, we’re just used to it.

It’s the same when my kids do sports I don’t know much about. I understand how parents get trapped into paying for clubs or coaches they might not need. You see other good kids doing it and think, “I guess this is what it takes to be good.” In wrestling, I know better.

My oldest daughter plays softball, and I don’t know much about it. If someone said, “Pay this hitting coach $1,000,” I’d think, “I guess that’s what I’m supposed to do.” In wrestling, I wouldn’t fall for it. But as parents, we’re afraid of our kids failing, so we react.

We think, “I don’t want my kid to fail, so I’ll spend this money, I’ll do this.” Sometimes, it’s just business—people trying to make money. You have to figure out what’s best for the kid versus what’s driven by fear.

We’re afraid our kid will fail, and we think it reflects on us. That’s not how it works, but it’s how we feel as parents. Those are the traps we fall into."

Wrestling Growth Tip: Leverage wrestling's ties to martial arts to grow the sport. With MMA and UFC's popularity, showcase wrestling as a core discipline that teaches resilience, discipline, and life skills. Framing wrestling as part of the broader martial arts culture can attract new participants and promote the sport in a positive, healthy light.

"Yeah, I think a big focus is making sure we’re not over-competing when kids are young. I heard someone suggest having a belt system at the youth level, and I thought, man, that makes so much sense. Kids could train together but compete against others with similar experience or time in the sport.

It's a little scary with all the changes at the college level right now. I love that the stigma around weight cutting has changed a lot in the last 20 years. We need to keep promoting wrestling as one of the healthiest sports, not one where kids do crazy things to cut weight.

What’s interesting is that in the Midwest, and especially in California where I did a camp, so many kids are getting into jiu-jitsu. They’re heading down the MMA path, and wrestling fits right in with that. It’s cool to see wrestling tied into martial arts because that’s what it is.

Growing up, I never thought of wrestling like that, but now, with MMA and UFC being so popular and wrestlers doing so well, it’s a great way to promote the sport as a life skill. It teaches discipline and has long-term benefits when marketed the right way.

A lot of people are working hard to figure out how to make wrestling as popular as basketball or football. I just don’t think it’s going to happen, and that’s okay. Let’s focus on making sure the sport’s reputation is positive—that wrestlers are disciplined, good people, and healthy.

They train hard, and yeah, they might be a little different, but in all the best ways."

Growth Bite

This week's Growth Bite comes from Rich Roll and his perspective on what people often get wrong about turning their lives around and reinventing themselves. Rich struggled with addiction for much of his life but committed to sobriety at the age of 31. By the time he was 40, he realized he was overweight, out of shape, and facing health issues. Determined to change, he transformed himself into a high-level ultra-endurance athlete. Today, Rich is an influential author and podcaster, inspiring countless people through his story.

The clip starts at 5:32—feel free to listen to as much of the interview as you'd like!

Community Treat

This week's Community Treat comes a Twitter post by Coach Stacy:

Spoke to parents considering youth wrestling today. Know what their impressions of the sport from HS are?
Spitting in cups, wearing plastic, & starving themselves. Nothing athletic.
Do y’all know how bad that looks to a parent who wants a safe healthy sport for their kid?
— Coach Stacy (@StacyBehr)
5:35 PM • Dec 18, 2024

Later gater,

Seth

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