The Petition to see...

[The LOCK]

LOCK get the coaching job at Augustana College...

[halfman]

I hope you do, but should there have been previous coaching jobs on the ol' resume first? I'm not too sure of Augustana's prominence, but any college wrestling positions should have either former paid coaches or college wrestlers coming out of college chomping at the bit.

In my case, I went ten years without any official ties to the sport. I got in by volunteering for a year and a half at a few middle schools before a teaching job and high school head coaching job opened up. No one asked me much about my pedigree; they were happy to have someone around who knew something about the sport and would not let the kids down by only half-heartedly being there for them.

I feel there are many, many people more qualified to do what I am doing and would have zero problem moving over to assistancy again at my current school if someone came along who knows more and has a better direction. I was pretty dumbfounded how I was going to lead a varsity high school team with the little experience I have in coaching and with a very meager wrestling resume myself. Somehow it is working out, probably based on long hours studying, going to clinics, coughing up cash when the athletic department can't or won't come through. I also risk ticking people off from time to time when I feel we are getting hosed as a sport in my school. This has worked in various degrees. Squeaky wheel politics sometimes have to be used to get a program going. Are you willing to establish a program and see it take hold and willing to pay the price to see that happen? Do you have the support, even potentially behind you, to make it worth trying?