Frequently Asked Questions
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What gear does my child need to participate?
We keep things simple. Wrestlers only need a few key items:
Required:
Wrestling shoes – These provide proper traction on the mat and help prevent slipping.
Athletic clothing – A fitted T-shirt and shorts or singlet for practice.
Optional (but recommended):
Headgear – Designed to protect the ears and reduce the risk of cauliflower ear.
Mouthguard – Not required unless your child has braces, but some athletes and parents prefer one for extra confidence and protection.
Our coaches are always happy to provide guidance on where to buy gear and what to look for in fit and comfort.
Is wrestling a high-risk sport?
No sport is risk-free, but large national studies of high-school athletes show that wrestling’s injury risk is similar to soccer and ice hockey and much lower than football.
Using a standard definition of a “serious” injury (one that requires medical attention and causes the athlete to miss at least one day of participation), typical injury rates are:
– Football: about 4–4.5 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures (highest of the major sports).
– Wrestling, soccer, ice hockey: about 2–2.5 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures.
– Basketball: about 1.8–2 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures.
In other words, wrestling sits in the same risk range as soccer and hockey and only slightly above basketball, and is significantly safer than tackle football on a per-practice/per-game basis.
For younger youth wrestlers, injury rates are even lower than at the high-school level. Most injuries that do occur are sprains, strains, and minor contusions, and are managed safely with proper coaching, good technique, and age-appropriate training.
What age should my Child start?
We start our program for wrestlers aged 6 and up. Like most sports, starting early has massive benefits for young wrestlers as they carry on with the sport as well as other sports.
Our youth program looks very different from our High School offerings. While both underscore strong foundations and having fun while training, our Youth program doubles down on the fun and ensuring young wrestlers are excited to keep coming to practice and challenging themselves. And while wrestling by the very nature of the sport is tough, conditioning is greatly limited to age-appropriate levels.