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Penn Trafford Wrestling



PT Junior Wrestling General Information

We would first like to welcome new and returning wrestlers to the Penn Trafford Junior Wrestling program. Our program has been around for over 35 years. Throughout the years it has become one of the best and largest junior wrestling programs in the area. Our coaches and parents are the backbone of this program and we are blessed to have a great support system. We have put together this information to help you to understand our program as well as understanding wrestling in general.

KEYSTONE JUNIOR WRESTLING LEAGUE

Penn Trafford belongs to a 28 team wrestling league called the "Keystone Junior Wrestling League." During the course of the season, our wrestlers will compete 6 different times with a group of league teams at a designated school on either a Saturday or a Sunday in order to give the wrestlers practice matches. At these matches, every wrestler will be guaranteed a minimum of 2 matches in which every effort is made to give all wrestlers a fair opponent. The kids are paired up according to age, weight, experience and skill. Although individual scores will be kept and a winner will be determined at these matches, the matches are only for practice. It is our hope that all of our kids will win some matches as well as lose some matches...they must learn to lose as well as win! At the end of the season, if a wrestler has competed in 4 of the 6 weekend league matches, he will be eligible to wrestle in the "Keystone Wrestling League Tournament" in which trophies will be awarded to the first 4 place winners in each age group & weight class. The Keystone Tournament is a fantastic experience for our wrestlers, and we encourage all of our wrestlers to take part!

AREA III JUNIOR WRESTLING

The state of Pennsylvania is divided into many areas, Penn Trafford is considered to be a part of Area III. The Area III Tournament determines the top wrestlers in our Area for each ages and weight class. Area III is separate from the Keystone League, and at some point in the season, these will overlap with one another. Around this time, our school will have wrestle-offs. This is when a wrestling match is held between our team members of the same age category and weight class to determine which wrestlers qualify to represent Penn Trafford for the Area III Tournament. Please understand that your child is not required to wrestle off for this tournament and if your child does wish to do so that there is a longer commitment to our program. If you feel that you do not want your child to go to this tournament or if you will be away during when Areas takes place, please do not have your child wrestle off. Only the top wrestler from each group is guaranteed to represent our school.

The Area III Tournament is another wonderful experience for our wrestlers to take part in. The boys who have participated in past Area III Tournaments really cherish the experience that they had.

At the Area III Tournament, the first and second place winners ages 9 & up qualify to represent our Area at the All Area / State Tournament. At this State tournament they will wrestle others in the same age / weight class from all of the different areas in the state of Pennsylvania. The winners of this tournament are the best in the state for their age / weight class. Generally this tournament is either held in Johnstown, Erie or Hershey.

UNIFORMS
All uniforms (singlets) for league matches will be provided by our wrestling program. All uniforms MUST be returned at the end of the season. There will be a $25 charge if not returned.

PRACTICE CLOTHES
Clean tennis shoes, T-Shirt and shorts without zippers or sweat pants are the only things that are needed for practice. DO NOT walk outside with your wrestling shoes or tennis shoes on! Please have the kids wear a different pair of shoes to the school than what they will be using in the wrestling room so that mud & dirt are not tracked onto the mats. Wrestling shoes are not required. We will have used shoes for sale during the first weeks of practice.

HEAD GEAR
Head Gear (for ear protection) are highly recommended for practice and are required at "League Matches", but they are not mandatory in the practice room. We will have Head Gear for sale during the first few weeks of practice at a lower rate than what you can buy them for at a sporting goods store. If you do not wish to purchase head gear for the league matches, we will have extra head gear for your child to use on match day.

HYGIENE
Fingernails should be trimmed and be free of jagged edges at all times. It is highly recommended that your child bathe at home each night after practice using friction, antibacterial soap and warm water in order to prevent the spread of skin diseases that are common in the sport of wrestling. Length of hair should be kept to the collar and above the top of the ear. If hair is longer than what is required, a wrestler will have to wear a non-abrasive hair net/cap.

PLEASE NOTE
No jewelry of any kind can be worn in the wrestling room! No watches, rings, earrings, necklaces, etc... can ever be worn on the mat.

USED WRESTLING SHOES PROGRAM
For the past few years, the Penn Trafford Junior Wrestling Program has had a used shoe program. Wrestlers from previous seasons donate their used shoes to the program which are then available for purchase during the first few weeks of practice. Each pair will be sold for $5 with the profits being donated to the Junior Wrestling Program. Not only will this program supply a little extra cash for our program, but it will also provide a great savings for many of our new young wrestlers.

PRACTICES
Practices will be held every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at the Penn Trafford High School Wrestling Room, except for days when school is not in session. No school means no practice. You will be given a practice schedule and times will be listed on our web site. If for any reason that a practice is going to be cancelled due to inclement weather, we will post this notice on the front page of our website. All wrestlers are to enter the school by using the POOL ENTRANCE which is located on the lower right hand side of the school. While practice is in session, parents should not be in the wrestling room. Siblings of our wrestlers should also be supervised at all times during practice and children are not permitted to be running the halls. Please keep your children out of the Pool Areas, including the Pool Balcony at all times.

HOME MATCHES
Throughout the season we host Keystone matches at Penn Trafford. Due to all of the hard work that is involved in making these matches successful, we rely on our wrestling families to help. In order to continue to keep our registration costs down for our program, we require that an adult representative from each wrestling family helps us during at least one of these home matches. Even if you have a coach in the family, you still need to have another adult member of your family assist at a home match. We will have sign-up sheets available for the various areas that we require assistance. Wrestling experience is not required to be a helper, and every effort is made so that you will not have to miss your child's match. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and your help.

PARENTS MEETINGS
There will be a parents meeting which will be held within the first two weeks of the season in order to distribute additional information about our program and to answer any questions that you may have. It is highly recommended that ALL Parents attend this meeting. An additional meeting will be held mid season.

COACHES MEETING
Before the start of each season, a coaches meeting will be held for all of those who are interested in helping in our wrestling room. You do NOT need past wrestling experience in order to be a coach. All Coaches are required to get State Police, Child Abuse & FBI clearances.

BUTTON PHOTOS
A few weeks after practice begins, we will take pictures of the wrestlers for button photos. Each family will receive 2 FREE button photos of their child. We ask that on the night that we take photos, that your child wears his wrestling uniform to practice.

BANQUET
Each year our program holds a banquet for our wrestlers who are active in the PT Jr Wrestling Program. This is typically held towards the end of April. Every wrestler receives a trophy and a T-Shirt. Recognition is also given to the Keystone Place Winners, Area III Place Winners and State Place Winners. Our program also provides jackets to all wrestlers who have finished their fourth year in the program, and they are presented at the banquet. In order to receive this jacket, you must have spent 4 years in the Jr. Wrestling level of the program. At the banquet, the Junior Wrestling Program also presents three awards annually to graduating seniors from our High School program that are selected by our Jr. Wrestling Coaching Staff. There is no cost for our Junior Wrestlers to attend this banquet and when they turn in their uniform they will get their ticket for the banquet.