Wrestling Yukon brought in Andy Ross, a facilitator from Edmonton, to run a coaching clinic at Holy Family Elementary School on the weekend.

The course offered was NCCP competition introduction part A and B.

For those participating in the course, they received status of being trained but will still need to go through the evaluation process over the next year.

Wrestling Yukon president Ted Hupe said the coaching clinic is important in developing a club.

“We are trying to develop a club and are working with the judo community,” said Hupe. “There was always the skeletal structure to build an organization. We need to build capacity for kids aged 12-17.”

Wrestling Yukon holds classes at the elementary school level but they often find as they get older they lose them to other sports.

Part of training the new coaches is about trying to get more kids engaged.

“It is so much easier when they are at a young age,” said Hupe. “As kids get older and bigger, they need a technically proficient coach to do things safely. Wrestling is a sport where you can’t just have a well-intentioned coach. That won’t cut it.”

Hupe said he was pleasantly surprised with the turnout of people who wanted their coaching credentials.

“I was over the moon with the turnout,” said Hupe. “I haven’t seen so much enthusiasm for wrestling in awhile.”

After spending Saturday morning in the classroom, they moved to the mat in the afternoon.

The class listened attentively as Ross taught them about staying on their toes, maintaining pressure with your chest, where to best grab hold of someones leg, and how to pin, to just name a few.

Once Ross had demonstrated a few of the moves, the coaches broke into groups to put into practice what they just learned.

Two would be on the mat, doing the techniques, while the others would be coaching them on what to do - a simulation of a competition setting.

Hupe said that those successes are essential in continuing to build the sport.

“It builds that structure of trust so people have somewhere to go,” said Hupe. “We need to create that structure of reliability.”

Judo athletes were also at the wrestling coaching clinic and Hupe said the two disciplines share a lot of similarities and form a natural relationship.

“We share a lot of the same athletes,” said Hupe.

The 2020 Arctic Winter Games will be held in Whitehorse in March 2020. Hupe said having more coaches will help better prepare athletes for Arctic Winter Games and North American Indigenous Games.

Tryouts for the AWG wrestling team will be held on November 23 at Holy Family Elementary School. Hupe said wrestling usually attracts athletes who get cut from their primary sport.

“It is a wonderful sport and anyone can participate in it,” said Hupe.

“November 23 is early in the season so not sure how many will show up.

“Lots come to wrestling if they are cut from their main sport. Athletic kids are athletic kids.”