Coach Bell's Reflections on the Summer...

I listened to a great interview on Flo Wrestling with Iowa State head wrestling coach, Kevin Dresser. Coach Dresser was speaking candidly about his expectations for this coming season. Iowa State returns a very strong team and will contend for a national team title. What I found to be the most insightful part of the interview is how Coach Dresser addressed success. He stated that at this time in his career, more than outcomes, he is interested in putting his athletes in situations that will help them grow as wrestlers and men. Winning championships and high individual achievements are always goal, but watching our young men & women grow and prosper is the ultimate goal and measure of success. A coach assesses results in terms of wins and losses as a teacher you can see results in academic performance---but that is only scratching the surface. The real measure of success is seeing the young men and women that you worked with become successful adults, husbands, wives and parents. The higher purpose of a teacher/coach is to help our charges meet challenges, grow, have a purposeful, fulfilled and successful life. 

This spring and summer our North Hunterdon athletes challenged themselves by wrestling in national competitions: NHSCA National Duals, Bison Duals, USA Wrestling North East Regions, and the U.S. Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals. The NHWC hosted our clinic series in the spring as noted in earlier blogs, the NHWC youth camp and concluded our summer season with Mike Grey’s Cornell Wrestling Camp. 

The value of the camps and clinics is not only in the instruction. The greater value is to have our young men and women interact with coaches and athletes that have accomplished success not only on the mat, but in life. All of the clinicians that came to North Hunterdon had a message for our youth: Integrity, character and effort matter. To quote legendary wrestler Gene Mills, “You can’t be the best wrestler that you can be until you are the best person that you can be.” The Coaches that presented at our camps and clinics all shared that you shape your future, hard work pays off, grades and character matter, as much, if not more than results. The young athletes presenting shared the perspective that they were in the same place as everyone present at the camps/clinics, they did not all start out at the top—few did, it took effort, perseverance and recovering from failure many times over. The universal message was the life lessons, friendships and opportunities gained from wrestling are priceless.

The Cornell camp was a home coming for the clinicians: Simon Ruiz, Delbarton, Mike Grey, Delbarton, Jacob Cardenas, Bergen Catholic and Kellen Russell, High Bridge/Blair Academy. The effort and enthusiasm that they gave to our athletes was worth more than the cost of camp. They genuinely enjoyed being at North Hunterdon and our athletes responded as such. Parents, your sons and daughters did you proud—respectful, appreciative, grateful and insightful in their questions. It was a great week of growth for everyone involved. North Hunterdon made a great impression on Cornell Wrestling.

The culture of North Hunterdon Wrestling, which has always been strong, is becoming enriched as our athletes are setting goals and striving to achieve them. They are not intimidated by stepping out of their comfort level- as athletes, parents and coaches there is a lot to be proud and encouraged about.

-Dave Bell