Group effort allows PNW wrestlers to get top-level coaching

Hundreds of wrestlers descended to W.F. West High School this week for the Center Circle Wrestling Camp, a five-day event that features Olympians, Division I All-Americans and college coaches teaching the sport to the next crop of talent.

The camp opened on Sunday afternoon with Beau Bartlett, a multi-time AA at Penn State, as the day’s clinician. James Green, a former Nebraska Cornhusker and a four-time AA and currently a member of the U.S. World Team led Monday’s session.

Mason Parris led Tuesday’s session. The Michigan grad was a 2024 Olympian and the 2023 winner of the Hodge Trophy, college wrestling’s version of the Heisman.

On the girls side, McKendree’s head coach Alexio Garcia, four-time NAIA champion Dymond Gulliford and Evergreen’s coach Fan Zhang appeared as clinicians.

“Our kids get exposure to the highest level they can,” W.F. West head coach Jamie Rakevich said. “The college counselors we have would be headliners at a lot of camps.”

It is a collaborative effort between several high school coaches in SW Washington to put on the camp. One of the coaches has connections with USA Wrestling to establish those relationships to get guys like Bartlett and Parris to Chehalis.

Add in the driving costs of youth sports, Rakevich and everyone else wanted to make sure it is cost-effective for families.

“Those guys do a really good job creating that network,” Rakevich said. “The kids get a great experience and if we can give them the opportunity… usually it is sold out within a month before we announce who is coming.”

During Tuesday afternoon’s technique afternoon session, Parris went over different moves and fundamentals over two hours and had everyone follow the Olympian’s lead for roughly 30 minutes before moving into another drill.

There’s duals and competitions during the evening before the day closes with a dose of motivation from the clinicians.

Rakevich feels five days is more than enough time to get the most out of the group. It also is the final week before the August no-contact period.

“We are not an intense camp, just four to five days at the end of the summer,” Rakevich said. “It gives our kids a little something to stay with.”