By Jason Gabak
Editor
There is a lot to be said for student and youth athletics. No matter what form it takes, these sports help give young people valuable lessons like teamwork and personal responsibility. They also have an impact on the larger community. No matter the sport or when and where the games are played, it is not uncommon to find parents, friends and school faculty alike at an event cheering the athletes on.
That was the scene Dan Allen, coach of the Baldwinsville Pee Wee Wrestling program recalled from his days competing when he was in high school.
“There would be 2,000 people in the gym,” Allen said. “We wouldn’t get out of there until 10 or 11 at night after a match.”
This was a booming time for wrestling in Baldwinsville.
“Years ago, Baldwinsville was a dynasty,” Allen said.
During his tenure, Allen was part of four state championship teams and he and his teammates were inducted into the school hall of fame.
A few years ago when Allen went to a match with a friend, he was surprised to see what had changed in the years since he graduated.
“We went and they only had one bleacher pulled out,” Allen said.
This seemed out of place with his memories of a full gym cheering on B’ville grapplers.
As he considered what was going on, Allen said he realized there was something missing in
Baldwinsville wrestling and he wanted to do something to fill the void.
“There were four or five JV and eight or nine varsity [wrestlers],” Allen said. “We couldn’t even fill a lot of the weight classes.”
Allen said he thought it was time to strengthen the Pee Wee program and create a foundation where there would be young wrestlers learning the skills they would need on the mats as they grew and ultimately feeding into the junior and varsity programs in the school to help rebuild wrestling in Baldwinsville.
Allen began volunteering and ultimately assumed the role of coach for the Pee Wee program and he has watched it gradually grow over the past several years.
“Right now we have 68 kids in the program,” Allen said. “We have been doing more to get out there and it has grown from a few to 50, 60, now almost 70 kids.”
Allen said an important part of the success and growth the program has experienced goes directly to the coaching staff.
“I have a great bunch of coaches Allen said. “I can’t say it enough that we have a great group of coaches and we couldn’t do this with out them.”
Working with young athletes from five up to 12, Allen said there has been steady participation over the past few years and while some kids come and go, there is a strong core and generally a new influx each year, which is what Allen was hoping to see as more took an interest in the sport.
Allen said he and his coaching staff work with the kids on the fundamentals of wrestling, building up their knowledge about what it takes to be successful on the mat.
Members of the Pee Wee squad also get to put their skills to the test on the road traveling for tournaments.
“I think it is a good experience for the kids,” Allen said. “I think they get a lot out of it.”
But Allen had long hoped to host a local tournament and after several years of planning and working with the school district that has finally come to fruition.
On Dec. 21, B’ville will host wrestlers from Morrisville, Homer, North Syracuse and Fulton.
Allen said there has been a lot of excitement among his wrestlers and coaching staff, excitement which also extends to the other programs that were invited to compete.
“Everyone is looking forward to this,” Allen said. “As soon as I sent those messages out, everyone was excited to come here and be a part of this. I think it is exciting for the kids to be here out on the mats, eight matches all going, refs, the big clock. I think everyone is really getting excited.”
Allen hopes this will extend to the community as well and there will be a good crowd to cheer on the B’ville team.
“With all those matches, everything going on, I think it will be exciting,” Allen said. “We hope everyone will come out and support us.”
For more information on the program contact [email protected].
