I have been around this sport for quite a while now and everyone in our area tries to emulate one program, Cleveland. Why is this? Since 2011, the Cleveland Blue Raider high school wrestling program has won a total of 17 state championships (Duals and Traditional) winning both in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018-2022. Two years ago, Cleveland founded a girl's wrestling program. In their first season they placed 3rd as a team. In their second season they won it all. State champions. The Cleveland middle school program consistently dominates the middle school league they reside in with margins that are unheard of in terms of point differential. For example, at the 2022 conference tournament Cleveland won it all with a total of 434.5 points. The second-place team scored 245.5 points. That is winning a team conference championship by 189 points! That in itself is insane. But how is this program so successful? How do they have so many All-Americans and State Champions? One word, consistency. For any program to build into a true powerhouse, you need that one utility player so to speak. For Cleveland, that is Josh Bosken. Josh has run the feeder program "Higher Calling Wrestling Club" for as long as I can remember. He spent one season as the boy's high school coach and is now the head of the Cleveland girls' program, while running the feeder program and running camps and clinics nearly 12 months a year. Bosken also runs a unique beginner's program that I have only seen in Cleveland. They're always looking for the next Cleaveland state champ. Instead of selling gear packages and requiring parents to go wait for hours and hours at a high school gym all weekend to maybe wrestle two matches, the Cleveland beginner program has one low-cost fee that comes with a shirt and shorts. Every Sunday after the club practice during October and November, they split the mats into competition mats and have an exhibition tournament. The middle school and high school kids pitch in to ref, coach, tie shoes, whatever is required of them. It is a total team effort. From this point, the kids that fall in love with the sport of wrestling begin attending normal practices at the conclusion of the short beginner season. The kids that realize that wrestling may not be for them can move on without a large financial and time investment by the parents, and they get some cool swag to keep in the process. The word "Consistent" is the only word that comes to mind when I think at what truly builds a powerhouse wrestling program, as I have seen this be the case with the most successful program in our tri-state area. Start them young, include the community in the program's success, and simply be "Consistent". This is the formula for the major success of the Cleveland Wrestling program in Cleveland, Tennessee. Not all programs have the right people in place to build the program the right way, but Cleveland ensures that those people are in place. Passionate, hardworking people. People who find sponsors, give kids rides to practices and tournaments, people who are "Consistent". There's that word again. It isn't that Cleveland has the best athletes or even the best coach in the United States (The coaches are great don't get me wrong), but they work hard "Consistently." A blue-collar approach that has proven successful. If you want to build a powerhouse wrestling program, follow the Cleveland wrestling roadmap to success. It is truly one of the most amazing things I've had the pleasure of witnessing in the years I have been around the sport of wrestling. To see the story of Cleveland wrestling, click the YouTube link below.
https://youtu.be/YFOUK3FaT7s
-Jesse Drennen
Founder $Bmoney Beastin'
Info@bmoneybeastinathletics.com
