FAQs

When does the Wrestling season begin?
The 2018-2019 Season begins November 12th & runs until mid March.

How do I register my son or daughter?
Registration can be done on-line @ www.PenfieldRec.org

PYW Philosophy:
- To introduce school age children to the sport of wrestling, while maintaining a POSITIVE learning environment for each child. Our focus is on learning and development, as well as growing the wrestling community within the town of Penfield.
- The safety and well being of each wrestler is the #1 priority!!!!

Expectations of Wrestlers:
- The expectation of each wrestler participating in PYW is that they give their best effort.  Giving their best effort means listening to instructors and trying their best, as well as being respectful of others. The focus is not on winning championships, but to develop future champions at the next level. (JV, Varsity, College, etc.)

Equipment:
Shirts, Shorts, mouth guard: very inexpensive, and will protect your child’s teeth & keep them from biting their tongue while wrestling (highly encouraged, required w/braces), Headgear: (highly encouraged) to protect wrestlers from long term injury. The constant beating and bashing of a wrestler's ears can cause blood vessels to burst. This painful condition is known as Cauliflower Ear. Singlet: (not required for most tournaments) A wrestling singlet is a one piece uniform. The uniform is tight fitting so as not to get grasped accidentally by one's opponent, and allows the referee to see each wrestler's body clearly when awarding points or a pin. Sneakers are fine for practice (must be cleaned before entering wrestling room), Wrestling Shoes: encouraged (required for most tournaments) Generally light and flexible, they try to mimic the bare foot, while providing slightly more traction and ankle support. 

Coaching Staff
Head Coaches:
 Scott Kropman (585) 734-1930, [email protected]
Mike Liess (585) 750-8337, [email protected]

Assistant Coaches:
Bryan Ray: (917) 207-5797
Rachel Bode: (585) 770-0142
Shawn Evans: (585) 766-9433 

 Competitive Wrestling:
Greater Rochester Youth Wrestling League: (GRYWL)The GRYWL is a competitive league for town based youth wrestling programs in the Greater Rochester area. wrestlers competing for each team must live within that registered team school district boundaries. GRYWL allows youth teams to compete against each other in a dual meet format similar to that used at the junior high, high school, and collegiate levels.

-We will participate in the GRYWL dual meets with one wrestler at each weight class wrestling against the other team. 
-The GRYWL is a competitive Dual League with over 17 teams around the greater Rochester area.
-Weight classes start @ 50 lbs and increase in intervals of 5lbs up to 130 lbs.
-Ages are from K-6th grade.
-Each PYW wrestler will have the opportunity to compete to represent PYW on this travel team.
-If your child does not make the “starting” line up for our GRYWL team there may be opportunities for them to travel with us for exhibition matches. (This is for the competitive wrestler.)
-Each wrestler that competes in the GRYWL must have a NYWAY card ($17). This covers out of facility insurance.

 Tournaments:
The best way for any wrestler to develop is to get out on the mat and wrestle! The more matches and mat time a wrestler can get, the better they will get at wrestling.  There are tournaments almost every weekend throughout our area.  Information (including registration forms) can be found on the PYW Calendar.

 NYWAY:
-New York Wrestling Association for Youth, an organization that supports youth wrestling throughout the state. It offers insurance for wrestlers and also sponsors tournaments, including the state Championship. For more information, visit NYWAY.org

For Parents:
During Practices:
Parents are welcome to stay and watch practices. However we ask that you keep interaction with your child to a minimum to maximize the coaches’ effectiveness. We want to maintain a positive atmosphere for all children in the room so please no cheering or coaching while practice is in session.  We ask that parents please do not  enter the wrestling room while practices are in session. If you are a parent that has wrestling experience, we welcome you to join our coaching staff. If you are interested, please let us know.

 During Competitive Wrestling:
Positive encouragement and sportsmanship is a requirement of all wrestlers, coaches and parents. Watching your child compete can be stressful. The coaches will be  familiar with your child and their skill sets. Please always cheer and encourage your child, and allow the coaches to coach and instruct wrestlers during matches. What your child needs most from you on the mat is your love and support - win or loss. Remember: Sportsmanship, sportsmanship, sportsmanship!!!!!

 Photography:
If parents are interested in sharing photos, There is a team dropbox folder for sharing photos and video.

**If you do not wish to have your child appear in any promotional photos please let us know.

Hygiene:

Due to the sport’s skin-to-skin nature, it is important that every wrestler take precautions and develop good habits to keep themselves & their fellow wrestlers healthy. preventing skin diseases is much easier than treating them. A constant effort must be made by athletes, coaches, parents, and any other figures involved in the wrestling  community. This is needed to ensure that athletes are kept safe and healthy. Not only can skin infections such as Ringworm, Impetigo, Staph/MRSA, Scabies, Cellulitis, & Molluscum create further health complications, they can also hold athletes back from both practice and competition. An athlete that brings a skin infection into the wrestling room can easily infect the entire team. Luckily, there are some simple things that can parents & children can do to keep everyone healthy.

• Shower Immediately -The longer your child waits to shower after practices and matches, the more time harmful germs are allowed to stay and grow on their skin. when showering, always use liquid antibacterial soap and a mesh scrub to ensure that you’re both killing the bacteria and limiting the number of bacteria left on showering equipment.
  

• Know Your Child’s Body -Check your child’s body frequently for anything out of the norm. Keep an eye out for red/irritated skin, scratches, peeling, bumps, itching, etc. If you do find something of concern, see your child’s doctor, and tell your coach right away. He or she will know the proper course of action and treatment.
  

• Keep Nails Short -Certain types of bacteria and fungi may live underneath the fingernails, and can easily be transmitted to another wrestler’s skin. Long nails also pose a danger to other wrestlers, as they may scratch skin or cause injury to eyes.
  

• Don’t Share Equipment -Any item that is used during practice, especially shoes and headgear, should absolutely never be shared. This is a very easy way to spread infections.
  

• Wear Clean Practice Gear Daily -It is necessary to have a clean set of gear for every practice session; this includes t-shirts, shorts, and socks. Gear worn for more than one practice is an easy way to transmit skin infections to teammates.
  

• Clean All Equipment Frequently -Any equipment that is used on a daily basis needs to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure harmful germs are not hiding out in them.  towels, uniforms, and any other piece of equipment should be washed and dried after every use. ***Gym/Wrestling Bags Should also be washed periodically

• Cover All Wounds -During practice and competition, it is important to cover any open wounds or cuts to prevent infection. Full-length rash guards limit skin-to-skin contact and can help to prevent skin diseases.
  

• Keep Shoes Clean -The majority of bacteria and fungi that is brought into the wrestling room gets there from being on the bottoms of wrestlers’ shoes. Don’t wear  your wrestling shoes outside of the wrestling room, especially into the restroom. Also, don’t step on the mat wearing gym or street shoes. 
  

Making Weight:
Your child will NOT be expected to lose or “cut” weight! Children are still growing and developing physically and it is NOT the philosophy of PYW  to encourage weight loss. Tournaments and the GRYWL league have weight classes to promote safe wrestling. Most tournaments have some sort of weight allowance of 1-3lbs from what is written on the registration form. There are weight classes in the GRYWL, however there is a 2lb allowance for each class.

Parental Concerns:
Please direct concerns and questions to Mike Liess: 585-750-8337