One common but major mistake in coaching is telling kids
what they are doing wrong instead of focusing on what they are doing
right.  At least 90% of coaches believe their
job is to point out mistakes.  This is
partially true, but anyone can see a mistake.
Most fans in the stands can see a mistake, especially after the fact.  The trick is to focus on what the athlete is
doing well.  Think about yourself, if
someone tells you are doing something poorly, it is deflating.  If someone tells you are doing something
well, you light up inside and you’re motivated to do an even better job.  There is a time and place for criticism but
it needs to be rare and presented properly.   As a parent, focus on what your young
wrestler is doing well and secretly have them working on their weaknesses.   That doesn’t
mean you can’t help your young athlete fix a mistake, just do it delicately and
out of love for them.

—–Original Message—–

From: CFry79@gmail.com [mailto:CFry79@gmail.com]

Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 9:16 AM

To: Cael Sanderson

Subject: Cael Sanderson | Ask a Question

Results from
form:

name:                  Red Beard

email:                 CFry79@gmail.com

question:              Do you think starting wrestling
at a young age is helpful/important?

Nittany Lion grapplers claim two of conference’s top awards

            UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; June 20, 2011 – The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team was honored by the Big Ten Conference as the Big Ten’s 2010-11 Men’s Team of the Year.  Penn State head coach Cael Sanderson was also tabbed as the 2010-11 Big Ten Men’s Head Coach of the Year.

            The Nittany Lion wrestlers were the 2011 Big Ten Champions, claiming the school’s first ever conference title, in early March in Northwestern and then winning the 2011 NCAA National Championship in Philadelphia on March 17-19 in front of a partisan Penn State crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.  Penn State posted a superb 17-1-1 dual meet record which included both the Virginia Duals title and a co-championship at the Southern Scuffle.  Penn State set a school record with a 6-1-1 Big Ten dual meet as well.  Penn State beat out the Ohio State men’s basketball team and the Wisconsin football team to claim the honor.

            Sanderson’s Lions rode the strong performance of eight national qualifiers including five All-Americans (all of whom finished in the top three and one of which won a national crown).  Sophomore Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) capped off an historic March run by winning the 184-pound crown as the No. 9 seed.  Wright began March with a Big Ten title as well as Big Ten Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler honors.  Junior Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) became a three-time All-American by advancing to the finals at 149.  Molinaro also won the 149-pound Big Ten title.  Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) capped off a stunning rookie campaign by advancing to the finals at 157 to become a freshman All-American as national runner-up.  Taylor was the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year.  Sophomore Andrew Long (Creston, Iowa) rolled to a third place finish at 133 at the NCAA Championships to become a two-time All-American.  Long also won the Big Ten crown.  Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) also rolled to a third place finish at 174 and collected the Gorriaran Award at NCAA’s for most pins in the least time.  Ruth was the Big Ten champion as well.

            Penn State’s run at NCAA’s was historic for the school and east coast wrestling as well.  The crown was Penn State’s first since 1953; the Nittany Lions become only the sixth team in the nation to win more than one NCAA team title; the 107.5 team points is a Penn State record (and marks the first time PSU scored over 100); the Nittany Lions now have 22 individual champions (among 19 individuals), 7th all-time in the nation; Penn State had five All-Americans for the first time since 1998 (the school record is eight, set in 1987); Penn State had five wrestlers finish in the top three nationally for the first time since 1953; Penn State had three national finalists for the first time since 1999.

            Sanderson’s overall conference Coach of the Year honor is the latest in a long line of accolades won the veteran mentor.  He was named 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Coach of the Year and earned numerous national Coach of the Year awards from various national publications.  Sanderson’s Big Ten Wrestling Coach of the Year honor, combined with his Big 12 Coach of the Year honors won while at Iowa State, makes him the only coach in NCAA history to earn coach of the year laurels from both the Big Ten and Big 12.  Sanderson now sports a 30-7-2 dual meet record at Penn State in two seasons and is 74-17-2 in five years as a head coach.  The 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist has also returned to the competitive arena, winning the 2011 U.S. World Team Trials crown at 84 kg and will head to Istanbul, Turkey, this September for the 2011 World Championships.  Sanderson beat out Ohio State men’s basketball coach Thad Matta and Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter for the honor.

            Penn State is already prepping for the upcoming season.  The season ticket package for the 2011-12 campaign features seven home duals (the Nittany Lion Open is not part of the package and the Intrasquad is free) and costs only $42 for all seats, the same price as last year.  Fans can place new orders for season tickets by calling Joel Diamond at 814-867-2557.  A $5 per order handling fee will be added to new season ticket holders.  Current season ticket holders from last year will receive their renewal notices later this summer and information on single dual tickets will come as the season approaches.  With season ticket sales already brisk, Penn State will be capping the number of total season tickets sold (combining new applications and renewals from last year), so fans wishing to purchase new season tickets are encouraged to do so quickly. 

            All information for purchasing new season tickets is also available online at is www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets/m-wrestl-tickets.html .  Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstatepat and on Penn State Wrestling’s facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season has been presented by The Family Clothesline.   The full 2011-12 Penn State Wrestling Schedule is as follows: 

Patrick Donghia

Penn State Wrestling Twitter:  http://twitter.com/pennstatepat

Penn State Wrestling Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling

Assistant Director of Athletics Communication

Ph: 814 865 1757 — email: pad11@psu.edu

Sanderson, who turns 32 this month, qualified for the World Championships in September in Istanbul.

“After last year’s World (Championships) I was just kind of thinking what am I doing this summer?” said Sanderson, who won four matches on Saturday. “I could have been a little more disciplined, a little more focused and I could have just wrestled. There is plenty of time in the day to add a little bit more and I really thought hard about it.

“My job right now is coaching the Penn State wrestling team and that is my top priority next to God and my family. I could go home at the end of the day and try and master (the video game) Call of Duty or be a little more focused and try and wrestle.”

Sanderson got out of wrestling shortly after winning an Olympic gold medal in 2004, following his 159-0 career at Iowa State — the first ever perfect four-year run through college competition. He coached the Nittany Lions to the NCAA title last season.

He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Thursday night.

Herbert, a two-time NCAA champion for Northwestern University, entered the weekend as the top seed after winning the U.S. Open title in April. He won a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships and awaited the Challenge Tournament winner for a best-of-three series.

All day Sanderson showed the ability to scramble and be physical when needed. He gained momentum with each match.

“Early on I hadn’t been in competitive matches like that in a real atmosphere,” Sanderson said. “I think I was forcing stuff, trying a little too hard. It felt more comfortable as the day went on. I had to adjust and add some things to my offense which I expected.”

Sanderson beat 2011 NCAA champion Jon Reader in the Challenge Tournament finals. Reader was recruited and coached by Sanderson at Iowa State.

Sanderson showed he still has the ability to scramble, coming out of a situation with a cradle to pin two-time NCAA champion Chris Pendleton in the second period of the semifinals.

“I don’t think he ever got that far away from (wrestling),” said Bill Zadick, who is on the Team USA coaching staff and won a world championship in freestyle in 2006 when he was 33. “He was always kind of working out, leading in his room.

“That first match, first time getting down to weight is tough. Wrestling is a tough physical sport and Cael showed that he’s still got that toughness.”

Sanderson’s experience should help the U.S. team in Istanbul. Three of the seven athletes heading to Turkey will be competing in their first World Championship.

“He is going to bring that work ethic and focus to a young group of guys,” Zadick said. “It’s really going to be a positive for the team in that environment.”

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

While at the World Team Trials I heard a few different coaches and athletes talking about how the athlete needs to be more “selfish” if they hope to win at the international level.  The idea of being “selfish” is a pet-peeve of mine. This is a common idea among elite level athletes and one that I totally disagree with.  Being “selfish” is not the right word or idea if you want to be the best you can be.  Being “selfish” is a very negative term with negative and limiting consequences.

 Let’s consider the definition of selfish:  looking after own desires; concerned with your own interests, needs, and wishes while ignoring those of others.  Showing that personal needs and wishes are thought to be more important than those of other people. 

Does that type of attitude sound like what it takes to reach your greatest potential?!  No way! 

 “Selfishness is really self-destruction in slow motion.”  -Neal Maxwell

Selfishness is basically the root of all sin and unhappiness.  The scriptures speak over and over again on the evils of selfishness.  Selfishness is not happiness and will never bring happiness. 

So how can anyone ever use the term in referring to anything positive?  You can’t.  How can an athlete (or anyone else) reach their greatest potential with an attitude fixed on asking  “what’s in it for me?”  It will not work.  There are no exceptions to the laws of God.

If a person in any field wants to reach their maximum potential they have to be disciplined, not selfish.

Being disciplined means that you get done what needs to be done.  Difficult or not, you do it.  There is plenty of time in the day to get the important things done.  You must be a team player.  My experience with athletes that think they need to be “selfish” is that they don’t want to help other members of the team because they feel like it will take away from their own mission.  False!  Everything is about them and their strength is limited.  The more you focus on yourself, the smaller you become and the larger your own problems become.   When you are told you need to be “selfish” you get the wrong idea.  

Being “selfish” doesn’t work.  Being selfish won’t work for you, and surely won’t work for your employer, or the team.   

You’ll get what you give.  If you bring value to an organization or team, you’ll feel better about yourself.  You will see life in a more positive light.  You go further in your own individual career 10 out of 10 times if you are a team player.  Plus, you’ll be able to keep your job…haha.  

If you want to see how great you can become, be disciplined.  Prioritize your life.  Do all the little and difficult things that it takes to make progress.  Being disciplined means that you eliminate actions, habits, and thoughts that hold you back from making progress.  Take no short cuts.   

Ok, that’s my two cents. 

Coach Cunningham wears short shorts.

But it was never the bruising and banging that got to Sanderson, six years removed from his Olympic gold medal and nine years away from completing his reign as an unbeaten collegian for Iowa State at 159-0. No, to be honest, it was the itching.

“It was always in the back of my mind how hard it was to stay away from the challenge of competing,” says Sanderson, 10 days shy of his 32nd birthday. “That feeling never goes away. I’m not sure it ever will.”

With little fanfare, Sanderson has been adding the sessions and losing the weight. In the back of his mind, the mornings wrestling with his collegians always had a dual purpose.

“I was doing everything to fire them up,” he said by phone Wednesday night. “But actually they were firing me up.” On Thursday he plans to make it official. One of the greatest U.S. wrestlers in history will announce his intentions to aim for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team.

It will be a busy weekend for Sanderson, who will be inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame on Thursday and will wrestle up to seven matches at the U.S. World Team Trials in Oklahoma City on Saturday. Should Sanderson win his 185½-pound weight class, he’ll represent the U.S. at the world championships in Istanbul in September. If he earns a medal at worlds this year, he will gain a spot in the finals at the Olympic trials in Iowa City next year.

“I want to start moving up the ladder,” he says.

Those who know Sanderson, as publicity-averse as a star can get, know he is not in this for the ink. He has told his family, his wrestlers, a few friends, his staff at Penn State and stayed clear of everyone else before speaking with SI. As much as he has opened up and become more detailed in his answers as a coach, the sight of Sanderson, stone-faced, lock-jawed and purposeful, is a more comfortable posture than the man in the suit who now willingly shakes hands with alumni and donors.

“I’d like this to be under the radar, the way it always has been,” he says, “even though I know it won’t be possible soon. For me the question is: Did I honestly do enough with the ability I was born with? I don’t think God cares if I win one gold medal or two; I think He gave us this ability and did I do everything I could with what I was given? That desire to compete, to fight for something, to rise to a challenge, I’m not sure it goes away. My window is short now. I want to take this as far as I can.”

Sanderson actually made a mini-comeback in March when he fulfilled a promise to his team. If they won the Big Ten title, he told them, he would wrestle at a qualifying event at SUNY-Brockport in March. Of course Sanderson blitzed the field in the 211-pound class, but that was just a nod to his wrestlers at Penn State. Wasn’t it?

“It was something else in my mind,” he says, “but I didn’t really say much about it.”

In fact Sanderson was taking his own temperature, seeing if he might be able to parlay his knowledge and residual fitness into a serious return.

“I know other people sometime make comebacks that don’t go that well,” he says. I don’t want to be like that. It’s the competitor in me. I can’t even picture or imagine not winning.”

Though Sanderson qualified at the 211-pound class, he decided to cut weight to in order to avoid wrestling against Jake Varner, a two-time NCAA champ from Iowa State and close friend.

“Jake is number one at his weight and he’s like a brother to me,” Sanderson says. “I don’t want to be trying to take his spot away.”

Still, moving down in weight is no easy feat. Whereas there were 10 weight classes when Sanderson coached at the NCAAs, there are just seven at the Olympic and world levels, meaning Sanderson must drop back to his old competition weight 185½ pounds from the 211 he carried during most of the season. He will also face a strong field that includes Quentin Wright, the only Nittany Lion who won an individual title at the NCAAs this year.

“I don’t really know where I am physically and I won’t until I face that first hard test,” he says. “Then I need to just be in there training, because that’s what it takes.”

And for now it’s the only way to stop the itching.

From: Pat Donghia <pad11@psu.edu>
Date: Apr 3, 2011 6:33 PM
Subject: VIDEO BLAST! Relive our magical 2011 Big Ten and NCAA Championship runs!

The video we put together for today’s awards banquet is yours, too!  Watch, Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weNoHX7y_kI

“Said the big white rooster, ‘Gosh all hemlock; things are really tough,

Seems that worms are getting scarcer and I cannot find enough;

What’s become of all those fat ones is a mystery to me;

There were thousands through the rosy spell but now where can they be?’

The little red hen who heard him didn’t grumble or complain,

She had gone through lots of dry spells, she had lived through floods of rain;

So she flew up on the grindstone and she gave her claws a whet,

As she said: ‘I’ve never seen the time there were no worms to get.’

She picked a new and undug spot—the earth was hard and firm,

The big white rooster jeered, ‘New ground! That’s no place for a worm.”

“The little red hen just spread her feet, she dug both fast and free,

‘I must go to the worms,’ she said, ‘the worms won’t come to me.’

“The rooster vainly spent his day, through habit, by the ways

Where fat worms have passed in squads, back in the rainy days.

When night fall found him supperless, he growled in accents rough,

‘I’m hungry as a fowl can be—conditions sure are tough.’

He turned then to the little red hen and said, ‘It’s worse with you,

‘For you’re not only hungry but you must be tired, too.

‘I rested while I watched for worms so I feel fairly perk,

‘But how are you? Without worms, too? And after all that work.’

“The little red hen hopped to her perch and dropped her eyes to sleep,

And murmured in a drowsy tone, ‘Young man, hear this and weep,

I’m full of worms and happy, for I’ve dined both long and well,

The worms are there as always—but I had to dig like heck.’

“Oh, here and there, white roosters still are holding sales positions,

They cannot do much business now, because of poor conditions,

But soon as things get right again, they’ll sell a hundred firms—

Meanwhile the little red hens are out a-gobbling up the worms.” 

-author unknown

by Ernest Emerson

02/22/2011

Have you ever seen two boxers staring each other down in the center of the ring before the fight?  Why do you think they do this?  Simply, they are trying to psychologically intimidate each other.  Two simple psychological statements are being made.  One is “I’m not scared of you,” and the other is, “I’m going to kick your ass!”  This action, in easy, seeable, and understandable terms defines the classic “psyching out your opponent,” that we’ve all heard of at some point in our life.

That example is a very easy way to illustrate the psychological interaction of human behavior, between two individuals engaged in or about to engage in combat.  However, there’s a lot more going on than the eye can see and in real combat the stakes are not whose hand is raised at the end but who ends up in a coffin.

As I’ve discussed all along, the vital if not primary role the mind plays in surviving a life threatening encounter, now we’ll take a look at what role it plays during combat itself.

The apex predator in North America is the male grizzly bear.  It’s 800 pounds of tooth claw and muscle.  It can kill a 700 pound elk with one blow and it fears no other species of animal.

Yet there is one animal that can and will kill a male grizzly.  What animal could that be?  A 400 pound female grizzly.  How could that possibly be?  The male outweighs her by 400 pounds and is bigger, meaner, and stronger.  I’ll answer the question and the answer is this; When the female is defending her young.  As you know, in the wild, males will often kill the offspring sired by other males in order to drive the females into estrus so they can pass on their progeny and genes.

How can the female kill a bear that dwarfs it in size?  There are several major dynamics at work and these, in total, give the female the advantage that she needs.  These are; She will fight to kill the male grizzly (Purpose and Intent).  She has no regard for her own safety (Loss of Self).  And, she will fight to the death (Ferocious Resolve).

I want to look at these three separate but necessary parts of the whole as they relate to combat, their effects on you, their effects on the opponent and why they are necessary for your survival when you are confronted with the harsh realities of a violent encounter.

We’ll start with Purpose and Intent.  Using the female grizzly as our model, if she is attacked by a male grizzly over territory, food, or any reason excluding protecting her young, the male grizzly would easily subdue her, drive her away or kill her.  Perhaps he is a serial killer grizzly and she was to become his latest victim.  

What is difference?  Same bears, same fight – but no purpose.  The difference is plain to see.  She didn’t have anything to fight for.  There was no purpose to fight.  She did not want to hurt or kill the male grizzly – no Intent.  She could always get other food or move to another territory.  So in this case the male grizzly dominates the other bear both physically and psychologically.  Just as with humans, after all we are still animals, there must be a purpose to fight, a cause, or a reason, or you’re heart just won’t be in it.  This purpose, whether it is to protect children, loved ones, partners, teammates, or the soldier next to you is a vital element of, survival against the odds.  This purpose can also be driven by less tangible but sometimes just as important reasons such as religion, justice, patriotism or moral righteousness.  

Sometimes it’s just plain self preservation.  Whatever that reason is, there must be a reason.
In regard to Intent, there must be a goal.  And that Intent must be to meet force of violence by responding with Overwhelming Force of Violence.  If you must fight you have to fight to win.  From the very onset.  Whenever I’ve worked with the Brits they were always talking about the switch.  Are you switched on?  Switch on – switch off – developing your switch, etc, etc.

I came to realize that what they meant was, in simple terms of a fight, your switch better be turned on or you’re gonna lose.  Switched on can also mean being aware of your surroundings, your environment and many other things but I’m not discussing those other meanings right now.  And, if you enter into the fight, any fight without the Intent to kill if necessary, then you may not get that option after you’ve been stabbed several times, shot or beaten with a pipe.  Here’s where most attorney types and a lot of Law Enforcement people say, “Hey, wait a minute.  You can’t tell people to go out and kill someone just because they’ve said, ‘F..k you I’m gonna kick your ass!’”  So let me just say this once again, the premise of this series of articles is “Surviving The Deadly Attack.”  Maybe it would be better to describe my point in more benign terms.  The female grizzly enters the fight to protect her young at full blood lust rage knowing that if she has to she will kill the male grizzly to protect her young.  Even more benign is this.  Picture this and you’ll know the difference I’m describing.  Walk over to your stereo and turn it on.  Now adjust the volume, turn it up so you can hear it.  Or… walk over to the stereo turn the volume up to full blast and then hit the on switch.  That is the difference I am talking about.  Against true, raw, naked violence you don’t have the option of turning up the volume, ramping up to fight off an attacker during the attack.  You need to hit them at full volume and then turn the volume down as is warranted both morally and legally as the dynamics change.  You’ve got to switch on at full volume until the threat is neutralized.  Sometimes just “putting up your dukes,” stops a fight before it starts as long as you are ready to go “all the way.”  If that is your intent, the opponent will get the message – psychologically.  It speaks loud and clear without a word being said.

The second aspect of the fight between the minds is this.  The Japanese Samurai called it “The loss of Self.”  What this means is that in order to fight, really fight with everything that you have, with no hesitation or holding back, you can have no regard for injury or harm to yourself.  Why was this important to the Samurai?  Because when two opponents are fighting each other in mortal combat with razor sharp swords that will cut a man in half, there can be no hesitation, second guessing or fear of being cut or injured.  “He who hesitates is lost,” is absolutely true in terms of mortal combat.  Many times we have been regaled with stories of soldiers who fought on against the enemy against incredible odds and serious injuries that any one alone would be enough to disable someone under “normal” conditions.  If you’ve ever had the opportunity to hear or talk to any of those individuals you will find that they had “ceased to exist” in those moments and that there was only the enemy to defeat, that everything in their being was channeled to defeating or killing the enemy.  There was nothing held back, it was pure focus and determination at the cost of all other considerations.  There was NO FEAR!  Mind you, I’m not talking about courage here.  That is something that is also necessary.  And many times that courage is fueled by Purpose as we discussed earlier.  

However, what I’m talking about here is a state of mind.  A psychological phenomenon.  It is also part of what enables the Grandmother to pick the car up, off of her Grandson.  There is no, “I can’t pick up the car.”  There is no, “It’s too heavy for me.”  There is no I or me.  There is only, “PICK UP THE CAR!”  I call this the Superman moment.  We all have it, you may have never used it, but you’ve gotta believe it exists.

The third and very vital component of the battle of the wills is this.  I will fight to the death, Ferocious Resolve.  When the female grizzly is defending her young she will fight to the death to protect them, willfully sacrificing herself to save her babies.  This is the never give up – never surrender state of being that gives you the resolve and the ferociousness of a cornered deadly animal.  Somehow the Male Grizzly knows this and it has an effect.  It’s not seeable it’s not physical, but it’s feelable.  The male grizzly feels it and it gives the female a huge psychological advantage over the male.  The knowledge that you will fight to the death is a powerful potion.  For some, (most) people they will never know if they would or if they could.  I guess that proves that our laws, our system and our individual morals and ethics are in good working order.  Which is a good thing.

However there are people – very bad people in our midst that intend to do us harm, and given the right circumstances they will perpetrate their evil deed.  You might be one of the lucky one whose path is never crossed by such evil and if so, consider yourself lucky.

But for the Warrior, those who see danger where others are oblivious, there is no doubt about the question; Will I fight to the death?  They already know the answer.

In a conventional confrontation, in the brief seconds prior to the first strike or blow, the battle of the minds has already begun and the battle of the wills is already engaged.  In the case of a surprise attack or ambush, the battle of the minds begins simultaneous to the physical engagement but it is still taking place throughout the encounter.

In any case, if all other things are equal, (size strength and skill) then the combatant with the psychological edge will usually win the battle, and in a lot cases where the opponent has the edge in strength size and skills, the combatant with the strongest resolve, the greatest force of will can still win the fight even against “the odds.”

When your opponent senses that he is up against a true Warrior, one who is projecting the following; I’m fighting for a righteous purpose.  I’ll kill you if I have to.  I don’t care what happens to me and I will fight to the death.  Then your opponent knows immediately the price he is about to pay for his mistake.  And the moment he senses that, and knows that he is up against a 10 foot tall fire breathing dragon, his resolve will crumble and you will prevail.  In so many cases the battle of the minds determines the outcome of the battle of the fists.  You must be armed and prepared to fight on both fronts to be the winner.  Just remember never to neglect one, for the other.

Go where your competition won’t go.  Do the things that your competition won’t do.  Do the little things that your competition overlooks.  Be great.  Someone is going to be…why not you!?!

question:              Hi Cael I was wondering about some advice you would have for a program that just wont grow.  I am the Head coach for Park City High School and have had problems with recruiting and with keeping kids out for the sport.  Also I have tried to get the community to support and yes I have been a head coach for only 2 years, so I cannot expect overnight success but  This school has so much potential.  Please help me with pointers on this problem.  I will be holding a youth camp this summer but I have no Idea of what else to do?

 —————————————————————————————————

Hi Coach Brenan,

Thanks for what you are doing!  Don’t get discouraged.  I assume you are talking about Park City, Utah? Just over the mountain from Heber City?  Awesome.  When I was in high school Park City started their wrestling team.  I’ve heard the program has come a long way since then.

My advice would be to stay positive and be patient.  I really believe the only way to build a championship high school team is to start with the youth program.  Four years is just not enough time for the average student to learn how to wrestle.  You have start them young.  If I were you I would go track down my dad and ask him how he set up his kid’s program.  When my dad first got to Heber City he wasn’t getting the results he wanted.  He started a youth program and 10 years later, his teams were dominating the state.  It’s certainly not an overnight project, and Wasatch had a solid tradition already.  So keep things in perspective.  You are coaching a team that has only existed for 15 years or so.   I won’t get into the details of the youth program here but go track my dad down. He’ll help you.  All the best.

Cael