Mission Statement:
To provide a positive experience for young wrestlers, enriching their growth as individuals, and allowing them to develop the skill, attitude, and enthusiasm to advance to the Junior High level of competition.
The South Central Pennsylvania Youth Wrestling Organization was formed by and for Elementary Coaches to advance the sport in our region. Meetings are held on the first Sunday night of the month through the wrestling season, 6:30 PM, at the Quality Inn, 2363 Oregon Pike, Lancaster (717-569-0477). Past topics of discussion have included recruiting, teaching techniques, fund-raising, rules (with guest presentations by referees), and sports injuries.
The Organization has been successful in opening lines of communication and creating a spirit of cooperation among our Member Elementary Programs. In addition to promoting the Traditional Tournaments (with age and weight brackets) that have been the staple of youth competitions for many years, SCPYWO has facilitated other activities, including scrimmages and "exhibition matches" of elementary wrestlers prior to High School dual meets.
For the 1997-1998 season, SCPYWO initiated Classification Tournaments, where wrestlers were matched not only by age and weight, but also by their skill level. This program included five "Novice" tournaments, with competitions for the beginner and intermediate level wrestlers, and one "Advanced" tournament for those with the most experience. The format for these events utilized four-man brackets, where each child received a medal for his place finish. The Classification Tournament concept was an overwhelming success, with over 700 wrestlers participating from 26 programs. In a parent questionnaire distributed at the last event, 96% indicated that the Novice Tournaments were a positive experience for their child, and they expected the child to wrestle the next year; 95% indicated that the tournaments had been a positive experience for the parent; and 99% indicated that they would encourage their child to wrestle the next year.
 Building on this success, SCPYWO grew in several ways for the 1998-1999 Season. First and foremost, this website was developed to facilitate the administration of tournaments, share information about youth wrestling events, and introduce prospective wrestlers to the program in their area. Each team was able to post a roster (accessible only to the Coach) listing the age, weight, record,
and other data on each child; this section was also used to electronically register entrants into the
SCPYWO sanctioned tournaments. Hosts of tournaments were able to download information about the wrestlers entered
into their events for simplified bracketing. Over 800 wrestlers were listed on the Web site's Team Rosters; six Classification
Tournaments and five Traditional Tournaments were administered using the electronic registrations.
Another SCPYWO innovation for 1998-1999 was Profit Sharing. The organization collected the entry fees for the
Classification Tournaments, then paid for medals, referees, and administrative costs; the remaining "profit" of over $5000
was returned to Member Programs in proportion to their participation in the events.
Elementary wrestling programs from school districts in South Central Pennsylvania are welcome to join the organization for a nominal fee of $50. Membership privileges include:
1) A "page" on the SCPYWO website to provide information to prospective wrestlers
2) SCPYWO "advertising" of any scrimmage, clinic, or tournament
3) The convenience of bulk registrations for sanctioned tournaments
4) Entry access for your wrestlers into the Classification Tournaments
5) Profit Sharing of the Organization's income
To apply for team membership, please complete the Member Program Information form; to participate in the electronic registration system, please also complete the Member Program Agreement for Website Registrations. To list wrestlers on your team's roster, first print and distribute the Information for Parents and Registration and Liability Wavier forms to each child's parent/guardian: the completed and signed wavier form must be returned to the coach and forwarded to SCPYWO before the child is eligible to participate.
To host an event, please complete the Tournament Information questionnaire; for sanctioned events, please complete the Member Agreement for Hosting Sanctioned Tournaments.
SCPYWO Officers:
| President: |
Mike Garrison (717-733-4874) |
| Vice-President: |
John Reynolds (717-625-2086) |
| Treasurer: |
Deb Reynolds (717-625-2086) |
| Secretary: |
Vicki and Mike Gesford (717-566-6545) |
| Parliamentarian: |
Brian Weaver (717-285-5667) |
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