Roswell Junior Hornets

Pro Football players trained by wrestling Coach

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 08-08-2010

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Football players are learning that wrestling improves their quickness and conditioning plus more.

Ratliff’s ready after grinding in Georgia

June, 9, 2010 Reprinted From ESPN

By Tim MacMahon

All-Pro nose tackle Jay Ratliff missed most of the Cowboys’ organized team activities in part due to the influence of ex-teammate Terrell Owens.

Sounds dramatic, right? It really isn’t.

T.O.’s fanatical approach to physical fitness rubbed off on Ratliff, who marveled at how the headline-grabbing receiver seemed to get faster as he got older. Ratliff worked out with T.O.’s longtime personal trainer Buddy Primm in Atlanta last winter and was so pleased with the results that he was determined to repeat the process this year.

The problem was that Ratliff underwent surgeries on both elbows to remove bone spurs. That meant he wasn’t ready to spend a month sweating in his native Georgia during the winter, as he did last year. He opted to spend the last four weeks in Atlanta despite the conflict with the Cowboys’ voluntary OTA program.

“It’s nothing against the team,” said Ratliff, who discussed his decision with his defensive linemates and coaches. “It’s just something I felt like I needed to do. I felt like I needed to get to Atlanta, hone in on my craft and focus on rehab.

“Whatever I feel like I’ve got to do to get an edge, I’m going to do.”

Ratliff returned to Valley Ranch this week and participated in Wednesday’s practice. He said he felt like his work in Atlanta paid off.

While in Atlanta, Ratliff spent almost every waking moment either eating or working out. He ate every few hours and adhered to a strict diet that cut out sweets, fried foods and pork. His daily schedule included a weightlifting session, two conditioning sessions with Primm and a daily mixed martial arts (MMA) training session with former Penn State All-American wrestler John Hanrahan. He believes the MMA training has improved his ability to use his hands and leverage. Each session starts with boxing work before going to grappling, with Ratliff working his way up to six rounds with only 60 seconds of rest in between. “The conditioning part of that is amazing,” said Ratliff, a rare 3-4 nose tackle who stays on the field in passing situations. “Once you get on the field, you never get tired. If you do, you recover extremely fast.”

Ratliff weighed in at 296 pounds, which he said is a pound heavier than the weight he played at last season. He feels quicker and stronger.

The pain in his elbows, which have bothered him the last three years and gradually got worse, is “extremely tolerable.” It was often excruciating last season, when he never asked for a play off but often compensated for the pain by altering his technique.

“I haven’t felt like this in awhile,” Ratliff said. “I’m hoping and praying for big things.”

He put in the work the last month, albeit far away from the Cowboys’ practice facility.

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 26-07-2010

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Introduction: Welcome to the Roswell JR Hornet wrestling. The primary purpose of Roswell JR Hornet wrestling is to provide area youths with an organization focused on teaching the fundamentals of the sport depending on each child’s level of skill & experience. We want every child to have a rewarding & fun experience that creates a positive feeling about themselves & the sport of wrestling.

Practice Groups – Roswell JR Hornet wrestling has different practice groups, which are established to serve every child’s needs. The group your child is placed in will depend on age, experience, & skill level. It is important that each wrestlers needs are being met & that we are not progressing to fast or to slow for any one child. Practices will be 1 ½ hours in length & will include a warm-up & some cardiovascular, skills & drills, live wrestling, & for the younger groups, games.

Tournaments – During the season there are various tournaments held throughout the State on almost every Saturday & Sunday. As a club, we participate in many of the tournaments that take place in our region as well as our own tournament, which is normally held the 3rd Saturday in January. While you can attend any tournament you wish the club is only guaranteeing to have coaches present at the area tournaments we attend as a club. The typical tournament requires your child to be present in the morning for weigh ins & wrestling will begin mid-morning with all matches concluding by early afternoon. Most tournament formats guarantee you child at least two matches. The brackets are all broken down based on age & weight of the participating wrestlers. Most of our area tournaments will have hundreds of participants, which allows them to ensure that all wrestlers in one bracket are very similar in weight, & are guaranteed to be of the same age group.

What to Expect at Tournaments – If & how many tournaments your child wrestles will be determined by you the Parent. Very few beginner wrestlers experience instant success, especially if they are joining the sport at an older age. Most tournaments try to take experience into account, but this is not always possible. Win or lose, your reaction is the most important factor in how your child will react. Losing a wrestling match for a young child can be more traumatic than a loss in a team oriented sport. If your child knows that regardless of the results you are proud of him/her for simply having the courage to compete & you focus on the positives it will make the tournament experience more rewarding. We can’t emphasize enough that many of our Country’s top wrestlers did not experience success in this sport right off the bat. Make sure your expectations are realistic & remember they are kids!

Wrestling Styles – There are three primary styles of amateur wrestling: Folksyle, Freestyle, & Greco-Roman. Folkstyle is the primary American style & the style Roswell JR Hornet wrestling will focus on. We do encourage our wrestlers to gain experience in all of the styles as they progress in the sport.

Equipment & Dress – For Club practices shorts, wrestling shoes, head gear, clean tennis shoes, & a t-shirt, are all that we require. For Tournaments the Club provides a singlet which needs to be returned at the end of the season.
Code of Conduct – Roswell JR Hornet wrestling expects our members to always exhibit respect & sportsmanship towards coaches, other members, & of course competitors. While we understand that young children have limited attention spans we do expect our members to pay attention & follow instructions. We reserve the right to revoke the membership of any wrestler who we feel is hurting the ability of the coaches to conduct a normal productive practice.

We expect all Parents to also exhibit respect & sportsmanship at all times. We understand that watching your child wrestle in a live match can be an intense experience, but how you react & is not only important for your child, but a reflection on the club.

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 26-07-2010

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We Hope everyone is having a great summer.

Just wanted to update everyone on some changes this season, We`ve made some changes that should be easier for everyone. We are going to have registration earlier this year so I can get the orders in on time and be prepared for the start of the season. We`ve reduced registration to $125.00 dollars if paid by 30 Sept 2010 after that it will be $150.00 dollars. We plan to have online payment up and running soon.

We have an online registration form located at: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform? formkeydERHX1J2TEgzMzV1enN0RWZmdDIySlE6MQ. Checks can be mailed to Roswell JR Hornet Wrestling, 160 Wavetree Drive, Roswell, Georgia, 30076. Make the check payable to Roswell JR Hornet Wrestling .

The sooner we can get a head count on how many folks are planning to participate this coming fall, the sooner we can get the orders in for New Singlets, Practice Shorts and Shirts.

We are changing the design of the practice shirts this season and will be selling all of our left over inventory as Spirit Wear, $5.00 a piece (shorts and shirts – we have all sizes from child small to adult extra large) sizes and quantities are limited but, we`ll post the inventory on the blog site soon.

Also, we have used head gear and shoes $5.00 also, or you can swap out for free – we`ll post the types and sizes on the site as well. If you want to donate shoes/head gear that you no longer want to use, we`ll put it the Hornet Closet and sell to other wrestlers to benefit the organization.

There are a lot of exciting things in store for the 2010-2011 season, we hope to see as many new and returning wrestlers and families as possible.

As always, keep checking the Roswell Wrestling Website located at: www.roswellwrestling.com for news and information. Our one stop launch pad for all things Roswell Wrestling.

I`m also happy to announce that the entire coaching staff is returning and maybe some new additions.

Thank you
Jeff Miller
Director, JR Hornet wrestling

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 25-07-2010

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Mocs Wrestlers Add Five More To 2010 Incoming Class
posted July 21, 2010

UTC wrestling coach Heath Eslinger announced the addition of five new Mocs to the 2010 recruiting class today.

Eslinger will welcome incoming freshmen Shawn Greevy (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio), Blake Thomas (Brentwood, Tenn.) and Adam Wilson (Atlanta, Ga.) and sophomore transfer Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.) to the roster in the fall.

This group joins the four student-athletes the Mocs inked during the fall signing period, bringing the recruiting class to a total of nine.

Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.), Joe DeAngelo (Mebane, N.C.), Cole Hayes (Knoxville) and Trey Stavrum (Chattanooga) all signed with Chattanooga in the early period.

“Just like the group we signed in the fall, these five student-athletes fit into what we are trying to do academically, athletically and socially,” stated Eslinger.

“There is a lot of potential in this nine-member class and with a commitment to doing things the right way, they can be very successful on the mat and in the classroom.”

Thomas highlights the group after capping off a perfect 38-0 record during his senior season at Brentwood (Tenn.) High School and winning the D-I 125-pound state title. Wilson is a two-time state runner-up at Roswell High School and will look to compete at 133.

Greevy is also a state runner-up from Mechanicsburg, Pa., who will compete at 149 for the Mocs. Chattanooga beat out Ohio State and Kent State for the heavyweight services of Malone.

Garner is a 133-pound sophomore who is transferring from Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Ore. He was an NCAA qualifier at Navy as a freshman in 2009 and redshirted last season at Clackamas CC.

Chattanooga has won six consecutive Southern Conference regular season titles and 24 of the 33 SoCon championships since 1978. Eslinger just completed his first season as head coach of his alma mater.

Prescott Garner – 133 – West Linn, Ore. (Clackamas CC)
Former NCAA qualifier at Navy who spent last season redshirting at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Ore…posted a 29-16 record as a freshman at Navy in 2008-09…advanced to the NCAAs where he went 1-2 as a freshman…placed 5th at the EIWA Championships in 2009…2007 graduate of West Linn High School in West Linn, Ore…attended the Naval Academy Prep School in 2007-08…led West Linn to the 2007 state championship with a 58-2 record…individual state champion as a senior…third at the NWCA nationals in 2008…PERSONAL…Full name is Prescott Hardin Garner…son of Steve and Cindy Garner…born Nov. 19, 1988, in Mountain View, Calif…father wrestled at Princeton.

Shawn Greevy – 149 – Mechanicsburg, Pa. (Cumberland Valley HS)
2010 state runner-up at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa…wrestled for head coach Dave Heckard…two-time sectional champion…won the Top Hat Tournament and finished 6th in the Beast of the East…went 66-13 over his last two years…Honor Roll student as a junior and senior…PERSONAL…Full name is Shawn Michael Greevy…born August 5, 1991…son of Mike and Melissa Greevy…has an older Brother, Scott, and an older sister, Heather…plans to major in Environmental Science.

Kevin Malone – HWT – Carrollton, Ohio (Carrollton HS)
District champion and finished this in the state while competing for head coach Ken Posiak at Carrollton High School in Carrollton, Ohio…posted a 41-5 record as a senior…went 34-7 as a junior…finished 4th in the Top Gun Tournament…also played football and baseball in high school…earned honorable mention all-district honors in football…PERSONAL…Full name is Kevin Jaymes Malone…born August 13, 1991…son of Kevin and Marybeth Malone…has an older sister and two younger borthers…enjoys playing the guitar…plans to major in Physical Therapy or Exercise Science…also recruited by Ohio State and Kent State.

Blake Thomas – 125 – Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood HS)
2010 state champion with a perfect 38-0 record at Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., wrestling for head coach Joe Blair…three-time regional champion who was also a member of the Tennessee Dream Team as a senior…went 87-3 over his last two years…runner-up in the state tournament as a junior…will be one of 35 students chosen from over 200 applicants to the UTC honor program…member of the Spanish National Honor Society, International Thespian Society, Honor Roll and graduated with honors…PERSONAL…Full name is Blake Walker Thomas…born June 25, 1991…son of Phil and Kathy Thomas…has one older sister, Brandi…mother was a cheerleader at Memphis and sister was a cheerleader at Tennessee…plans to major in Biochemistry…was also recruited by Duke and Davidson.

Adam Wilson – 133 – Atlanta, Ga. – (Roswell HS)
Two-time state runner up for Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga…went 33-3 with 23 pins as a senior…team captain and Roswell MVP award winner in each of his last two years of high school…went 76-11 over his last two years…competed for Hornets’ head coach Evan Goff…holds the school record for most wins and pins at Roswell…earned the Tom Zachary VIP award and earned honorable mention in the Laws of Life essay contest…PERSONAL…Full name is Adam Donald Wilson…born April 25, 1992…son of Sheila and Randy Wilson…has an older sister, Leah…plans to major in Pre-Law.

2010 Signing Class
Levi Clemons 174 Kissimmee, Fla. Osceola HS

Joe DeAngelo 125 Mebane, N.C. Southern Alamance HS

Prescott Garner 133 West Linn, Ore. Calackamas CC

Shawn Greevy 149 Mechanicsburg, Pa. Cumberland Valley

Cole Hayes 149 Knoxville, Tenn. Baylor School

Kevin Malone HWT Carrollton, Ohio Carrollton HS

Trey Stavrum 149 Chattanooga, Tenn. Baylor School

Blake Thomas 125 Brentwood, Tenn. Brentwood HS

Adam Wilson 133 Atlanta, Ga. Roswell HS

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 21-07-2010

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Full details and online registration link released shortly.
They added a qualifier this year.

The 2010 Georgia Super 32 qualifier will be held on September 4th as a one day event at Parkview High School. There will be High School and Middle School age divisions.

Registration: Now until August 31st
Weigh Ins: Friday Sept 3rd 5PM – 10PM
Competition: Saturday September 4th 8AM

Where: Parkview High School
998 Cole Drive Southwest
Lilburn, GA 30047-5499

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 29-06-2010

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Have A great Summer !!

Fall/winter season fades into summer.

There are plenty of Wrestling opportunities during the summer months. Some wrestlers go year round.

We are in full swing for Greco and Freestyle wrestling (during the fall/winter – wrestling focuses on Folkstyle). While officially, Roswell does not train for Greco and Freestyle there are many opportunities in the state to become engaged.

Greco and Freestyle are the styles of wrestling that are seen in the olympics. Folkstyle is what is concentrated on during high school and college, often referred to collegiate.

You don`t have to be a heavy weight to wrestle age groups for the youth programs run between 50-270+ pounds.

Wrestling isn`t just for boys, there are a number of top-notch female wrestlers as well.

Ages and weights are carefully paired up in tournaments so that your child is paired up in age/weight. There are a number of `newbie` tournaments as well, so if you have a beginner, you can pick and choose where to have your wrestler compete

It`s a great family sport.

The Roswell JR Hornet wrestling program, has a stellar cast of talented coaches at both the Elementary and Middle School levels. We`ve been developing a top notch program.

All of our coaches are volunteers and come from excellent -*wrestling backgrounds and all are bronze card carrying members of the USAW association and have been fully screened.

Roswell JR Wrestling has a promising future.

Wrestling teaches discipline,hard work, tenacity and most of all character!

For more information, click on the contact information to your left and send an email or call Jeff Miller, Roswell JR Hornet Wrestling Director.

Posted by Miller | Posted in Wrestling | Posted on 05-04-2010

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By Jack Fisher Editor of Texas Wrestling Magazine

Talking with football coaches, I find they labor under the myth that wrestling is an off-season sport that detracts from their program and does not support the goals of football. What are the goals of football? Strength, speed, endurance, quickness, coordination, balance and weight gain are the most sought after outcomes for young athletes in football. I will concede that wrestling does not support the goal of weight gain but encourages its athletes to maintain or cut weight. Football and wrestling are both maligned by the public for the methods often used by their athletes to achieve their weight goals. More has been said about the ill effects of weight gain products than the methods wrestlers use to lose weight. Now with the rule that a high school athlete cannot lose more than 10% of their body weight from the certification weight at the beginning of the season, less controversy surrounds weight loss efforts as it has achieved a more natural process. Having 275 as the limit for heavy weight wrestlers, it excludes offensive linemen tipping the scales at more than 305 pounds. Football coaches need not fear that their behemoth linemen will shrink in size, as they would be disqualified the minute they step on the scales. The sleek, speedy, muscular, linebackers and defensive backs, however, will find wrestling the most enduring off-season sport. Ounce of ounce, you will not find a stronger athlete than a superior wrestler. Many an unskilled and inexperienced wrestler has achieved victory through strength alone. Those who achieve greatness, however, are skilled, experienced, and strong. Wrestling coaches of winning programs incorporate weight lifting and strength building as a part of their training, some even having weight rooms, free weights and weight machines of their own. Even wrestlers that do not follow a regimen of weight lifting on their own will acquire strength on the mat by the resistance they meet in their opponents. The sport demands that you overpower your opponent, hence the need for strength. Speed is an indirect outcome of wrestling. It is achieved by the strength and conditioning requirements for a wrestler in training. Just as in track (which by the way is a sport that does not overlap in seasons with wrestling), the great sprinters do much weight training with the lower body, an effective wrestler will work the upper and lower body equally. There is great demand put on the lower body of a wrestler as he pushes against his foe while in the neutral position, or in having to lift his opponent off the mat while bringing him down to the mat under control. As a part of conditioning, some coaches require running distances and sprints to get the body in shape, just as a track coach would do for his runners to build speed and endurance. I once overheard an outstanding wrestler (state champion at 145 and two-time state placer) who also was an all-district standout in football his junior and senior year at linebacker, comment at the end of football season, “its wrestling season now and time to get in shape!” Those who wrestle and play football will tell you that four quarters of football does not put near the demand on you physically that three, two-minute periods of wrestling will. That is why there is a 45-minute mandatory wait period before a wrestler can get on the mat for the next match. The demand for action at all times is emphasized

further by the fact that a referee will caution wrestlers for stalling if they are not actively trying to take down their opponent from the neutral position, pin their opponent if on top, or working to escape if on the bottom. You cannot build a lead in wrestling and coast to the end comfortably. Time outs are allowed for injuries only, not to catch your breath. It is no wonder that a wrestler lies exhausted on the mat at the end of a grueling match. And, then there is overtime and double overtime. Quickness is often a trait acquired on the mat by experience. A wrestling coach can drill his team on moves over and over again, but until the match experience requires reaction to the moves of your opponent, the wrestler does not learn the value of quick reactions. The takedown, escape, and reversal are moves based on quickness. Though some thought is required in analyzing your opponent and consciously working your opponent, the truly great wrestlers will instinctively and quickly react to situations to gain the advantage. Quickness is a by-product of endurance also, as the quicker wrestler late in the third period of a close match usually prevails. Coordination and balance are interrelated in that a wrestler measures his opponent, using a series of motions with hands, arms, and feet to lift, trip, drag, push, or pull his opponent to the mat under control. The wrestler uses his momentum and his opponent’s momentum to set up takedowns. Riding your opponent requires great skill in positioning and balance. The great wrestlers keep their opponents off balance at all times with a series of coordinated moves. A two-time state placer in wrestling at 215 attributed his success in football as a two-time all-district defensive lineman to wrestling teaching him how to maintain balance and use his opponent’s momentum to his advantage. He might have been a three-time state place or champion and three-time all-district or all-state defensive lineman, had he not had his knee blown out in football his junior year. Wrestling is the only off-season sport that supports all facets of a football program. Even weight gain is achieved after wrestling season ends. Most wrestlers will tell you that as soon as wrestling season is over, most of them balloon up to weights well above where they started the season. There are other benefits that wrestling has over football as a sport, which should be analyzed as well. The injuries in wrestling are less debilitating than in football. It is unheard of to have a wrestler go through knee surgery or shoulder surgery or any surgery as a result of injuries sustained in wrestling. The most frequent cause for matches to stop for injuries in wrestling is for blood time due to bloody noses, scratches or scabs being knocked off. Though football is a team sport and emphasizes team work for success, a valuable lesson for any athlete to learn, wrestling combines the advantage of team work as a dual team member, while allowing a wrestler to rise to victory based upon his own merits or handle defeat with no one to blame but himself. There is a combination of teamwork and individual acclaim in wrestling. If team unity is lacking or the team as a whole is weak or even non-existent, a wrestler can experience a successful season and even be a state champion as was the case for a young man several years ago from the small town of Pilot Point, Texas. Great football players would make good wrestlers just based on athletic ability, but great wrestlers would make outstanding football players. Football should become the off-season sport for wrestlers.