Welcome to the 2006/2007 Wrestling Season! - WOW!

Welcome to the 2006/2007 Wrestling Season!
Welcome all returning wrestling families and newcomers!
There will be a signup/informational meeting at Naperville Central HS on October 1st at 12:30 in the Cafeteria.
We are going to be discussing the club, answering questions and signing people up at the meeting. Please make
this date if you can. All parents are invited and encouraged to attend. (Wrestlers are invited too) We would like
to sign up as many members as possible on this day.
The Naperville Wrestling Club is a nonprofit organization and a charted member of the Illinois Kids Wrestling
Federation (IKWF) and USA Wrestling (USAW). The IKWF has been in existence for over 30 years. Our
current charter was established in November 1992. During the past five seasons we have grown from 32 to 75
club members ranging in age from 5 to 14. We have both beginning and experienced wrestlers.
We try and work closely with the Junior High coaches in district 203 and encourage all of their wrestlers to join
the club. Last year, two of the Junior High coaches also coached with our club! Practice has not been mandatory
for Junior High wrestlers in the past, but is HIGHLY recommenced. All of our State place winners from
EVERY year attended our practice's as well as the Junior High’s. We believe in wrestling as many tournament's
as possible. This is one of the BEST ways of getting experience and preparing for the state series.
The Naperville Wrestling Club teaches wrestlers not only technique but also sportsmanship. Wrestling provides
a great foundation for building strength, balance, quickness, discipline and character. Many of the skills that are
learned can be used in many sports. Bill Cowher, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers when asked why he like
to draft ex-wrestlers said in an ESPN interview "In High School, I felt that if fI wanted to become a better
football player I should join the wrestling team, because so much of what they did I could incorporate in
football." He even drafted a wrestler that had NEVER played football but was a six time NCAA heavyweight
wrestling champion. That player, became all pro ONE YEAR LATER! Bears Fan Ever hear of Olin Kreutz
State Champ.
Wrestling can be a rewarding experience, just as any ex-wrestler!
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call Jim or Martha Graeber 630-416-8563 and if you have
Internet access, take a look at www.napervillewrestling.com

2006/2007 Registration Form
(Please Print)
Name_____________________________________________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________City_____________________Zip___________
Number (________)_________________________Birthdate_________________________________________
Current Grade_____________________________School____________________________________________
If in 6th, 7th or 8th Grade will you also wrestle for your school
Y/N______________________-
List any other IKWF club you have been a member of:
Club__________________________________________Years(s)_____________________________________
Club__________________________________________Years(s)_____________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name_______________________________________________________________________
Work Number ________________Cell Number __________________Email____________________________
List any medical conditions that we should be aware of
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Membersip Fee
Please Check the applicable items below
1st Wrestler $120
2nd Wrestler $65
3rd Wrestler $65
TOTAL AMOUNT DUE_____________________________________
(Please make checks payable to Naperville Wrestling Club)

Club Fees
The cost of joining the Naperville Wrestling Team is $120.00 per wrestler. For families with more than one
wrestler there is an additional fee of $65.00. There is a cap of $250.00 for any family. The Naperville Wrestling
Club's fees are a little different this year. We are still proud of the fact that our club membership fees are on the
low end of the scale, relative to other clubs in Illinois.
Each club membership fee covers the following items:
• USA WRESTLING membership card and IKWF membership.
• Team site insurance.
• Individual insurance.
• State Tournament series costs.
• NWC Charter(s), required by IKWF Wrestling.
• NWC Coaches card, required by IKWF Wrestling.
• NWC Club tournament sanction, required by IKWF Wrestling.
• NWC Club administrative supplies.
There is also a sepeate cost for attending tournaments. This fee is paid to the host club. We expect the costs of
tournaments to be between 12-15 dollars/tournament this year.
Our club is a non-profit organization which means that all coaches and board members volunteer their time and
do not get paid.
If you have never wrestled with an IKWF wrestling club, you must provide a copy of the wrestlers birth
certificate for age verification. The IKWF has established a two-week processing period before any wrestler is
eligible to complete in tournaments. The faster you provide the birth certificate the faster your son will be
registered and be able to compete in tournaments.

Practice
Practice will begin on Tuesday November 7th, Practice will be Tuesday and Thursday from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at
Naperville Central High School Auxiliary Gym. Please park and enter through entrance 19 which is off of
Hillside. Practices will continue through last February and will be held even if there is no school. Notices will be
distributed at practice if a conflict arises and a future practice must be canceled.
We recommend wearing comfortable clothing to practice. T-shirts and shorts are the best...sweatpants are ok
too. Gym shoes or wrestling shoes are required...no dress shoes. Each wrestler must purchase their own
wrestling headgear. Headgear protects the wrestlers head and is mandatory when competing in tournaments.
Wrestling shoes and headgear can be purchased from most local sporting stores, but we recommend Dick Ponds
on Chicago Ave. Their shoe prices are among the best in the the nation. Headgear comes in many styles and
retail around $20.00...buy the one that your wrestler is comfortable with. Jewelry, watches, glasses or any
others items that could cause injury or tear the mats must be removed prior to practice. Club uniforms are NOT
to be worn at practice. If a wrestler wears either the team singlet and/or shorts, they will be asked to change the
clothing.
Parents are welcome to stay and watch our practices. If you plan to drop your child off in the parking lot,
please make sure that practice has not been canceled and the school doors are unlocked. If you plan to have your
child meet you in the parking lot after practice, make sure that plan has been communicated to your child.
We strongly encourage attending as many practices as possible. Most often we have found that the wrestlers
who do not attend regularly fall behind the others. Also tournament information and practice cancellations will
be handed out at practices, so it is important they attend as much as possible.
We try and group the wrestlers by weight and experience as much as possible, however, this may not always
work depending on how many wrestlers are at practice.
A typical practice is as follows:
-begins at 6:00 p.m. promptly with 15 minutes of warm-up activities
-1 hour of technique training and review
-ends with approximately 10 minutes of games
If your child becomes ill during practice, one of the coaches will contact you by telephone.
We expect all wrestlers to be on their best behavior during practice. Any wrestler who disrupts practice will be

asked to sit out and if necessary, parents will be notified.
COACHES
All of our coaches are volunteers. Most of them have wrestled themselves and some have gained knowledge and
experience by watching practice and getting involved. Any parent with or without experience is encouraged to
get become a coach.
We also have a few suprises in store for everyone but are waiting to finalize the details.
We are always looking to increase our coaching staff, so if you are interested in helping out at practice and/or
tournaments please call either Martha Graeber or Jim Graeber.

Tournament Information
Many wrestling clubs host tournaments throughout the season. For those wrestlers who are interested in
competing, tournaments provide an excellent opportunity for wrestlers to put their skills to use against
wrestlers from other clubs. Beginning in December 2005 our club will attend 10 - 12 regular season tournaments
which takes us through the end of February, 2006 Most tournaments are on Sunday, only a few are on
Saturday. Entry fees are typically $12-15 per wrestler. There are many tournaments held throughout the
Chicago land area, our Tournament Director will be selecting our tournament sites during the next few weeks.
Most tournaments that our club will attend are open to all levels of experience. There are usually only a couple
of tournaments during the season that are restricted to first year wrestlers, and there are always a few that we
recommend only very experienced wrestlers attend. We strongly encourage our wrestlers to compete in as many
tournaments as possible...however, all tournaments are optional.
All tournaments lead up to the year-end State Series, which include Regional's, Sectionals and State. All
wrestlers are eligible to enter Regional's, but only the top six place finishers in each weight class will qualify for
Sectionals. The top three finishers in the Novice and Senior division will then move on the final tournament of
the year, Illinois State Championships. The State Championships are usually held the second weekend in
March.
Tournament information sheets will be available at practice approximately three weeks prior to the scheduled
tournament date. The information sheet has pertinent information such as location site, directions, entry fee,
weigh-in times, divisions, awards and a registration area that must be completed and sighed by the
parent/guardian. All of the tournaments require advance registration. Parents are responsible for transportation
to and from all tournaments.
Headgear and wrestling or gym shoes are required for all tournament matches.
Most tournaments will have four divisions: Bantam division is for ages 8 and under; Junior division is ages, 8, 9,
and 10; Novice division is ages, 10, 11 and 12; Senior division is 12, 13 and 14. All wrestlers will be grouped by
division then by weight. The Bantam division has 4 wrestlers to a bracket...the other divisions will have a
maximum of 8...this will vary from tournament to tournament based on the wrestlers who have weighed in.
A typical tournament day is as follows:
Arrive at the tournament site during weigh-in times...most tournaments will have weigh-ins open from 6:30 -
8:00 a.m. It is very important to make sure you arrive during these times...if you are late and weigh-ins have
closed, you will not be eligible to compete. Tournament officials are very strict on this issue...late weigh- ins
only delay the start of the tournament. It is also very important that you have your fingernails clipped short.
Tournament officials may ask to see them during weigh-ins and if your nails are long, you will be asked to clip
them.

After weigh-ins have closed, tournament officials will start bracketing the wrestlers by division and weight. This
process usually takes one hour. Once the bracketing is complete, there will be an announcement over the loud
speaker asking for the first division to report to the "bullpen". The bullpen is an area where the wrestlers report
and are arranged into their brackets. Most tournaments will call the youngest age division first. Once the
wrestlers are assembled into their brackets, a "runner" will take the wrestlers to their assigned mat. Our coaches
will be watching for our wrestlers so they can be at the mat when the match starts. Each mat will have one
referee, a scorekeeper and a timer. The younger divisions (bantam and junior) usually wrestle for (3) one-minute
periods and the older divisions will wrestle (3) periods, one one-minute, and two one and a half minute periods.
Most tournaments start wrestling around 9:00 a.m....refer to the tournament information sheet for the exact
starting time.
Once the match has ended, the wrestler is free to leave the mat area. The tournament director must allow at least
one hour between matches to give the wrestler a rest. The time between matches can vary depending on the size
of the tournament. The announcer will always call the next age group to the bull pen over the loud speaker.
Awards are given out after the bracket has finished all of the matches. Some tournaments hand out the awards at
the mat table and others will call the bracket up to the head table. Awards vary from tournament to tournament.
The tournament information sheet usually includes the types of awards.
Once the wrestler is eliminated due to losing the first two matches, you may leave the tournament if you wish.
The bantam division usually finishes up before noon since they only wrestle twice. The Senior division is the
last group to finish...typically around 3:00 p.m., but once again this will vary from tournament to tournament.
Should you have any questions regarding tournaments, please feel free to ask one of our coaches.