Youth Wrestling Program Ready to Fuel Highland

More than 40 kids between the ages of four and six years old fill the wrestling mats in the practice room at Highland Regional High School, their smiles wide and their skills at the rawest stage.

In the backdrop is the Highland Wrestling Wall of Fame. It would be impossible for the kids to truly understand how great the achievements are that reside on the wall, or that the list of accomplishments is great enough to make even the most successful programs in the area envious.

One glance at the wall serves as a reminder that Highland won district titles every year from 1981-98 under coach Ralph Ross. Over that span the Tartans won 12 Olympic National titles and two Olympic American crowns. The Tartans also won 13 South Jersey group titles (12 Group 4, one Group 3). Since 1969, the school has produced eight undefeated seasons.

Little do they know, that as four-, five- and six-year-olds in the Highland Junior Wrestling program, they represent that great hope for a high school program looking to climb back to the top of the summit.

“You know you are doing something right when you are seeing 40, 50 tots in the room every year,” youth coach Brian Colber said. “It shows you that you are doing something right and that word is spreading—which is great. There are people spread out from different towns that are coming over because of connections from family and friends. Tots are what feed the program. If you don’t have that, you will die. It’s the same thing with the feeder program to the high school.”

The wrestling room wasn’t always so full. In fact, just five years earlier, the entire program had just 25 to 35 kids a year. That’s when Colber and Tom Myers stepped in to get the program heading back in the right direction.

“We had 35 kids when I took over,” said Myers, who serves as president. “This year, we had 115 kids sign up.”

The program ranges from age four all the way up to middle school. Myers said it has a uniqueness to it that not only attracts interest, but maintains it.

“We do things a little differently than other programs, and it works for us,” Myers said. “We try to foster a family environment. I try to do it the way it was done when I was a kid. The coaches all have kids in the program and hang out together, and everyone feels like they belong and wants to be there.”

Myers has seen the growth not just in terms of numbers, but also in commitment level.

“Five years ago, I couldn’t get people to help at fundraisers,” he said. “Now, so many people want to be involved that I could turn people down if I needed to.”

The program has an executive board of 11 people—seven trustees and four members. Together, the board members work to schedule tournaments, communicate with parents and coaches, and recruit new wrestlers. They also oversee a travel team that features the program’s top young wrestlers.

Colber is one of the program's coaches. Six years ago, he joined Myers in revitalizing the program and served as vice president. Once things started shaping up on the administrative side, he stepped down so he could focus his attention on working to develop the young wrestlers on the mats.

Colber said much of the credit for the program’s success should go to the parents, who have been stood behind the organization.

“The parents support is what got us going,“ Colber said. “Between the parents and the board, things are so organized that I don’t have to step out of the (wrestling) room. Every practice, they pull parents out of the room and update them on what tournaments are taking place and what the program has planned.”

The program has also helped raise awareness and money for cancer, taking part in the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure, as well as working with the American Cancer Society. Earlier this year, it produced the largest non-corporate-sponsored team at the Komen Philadelphia event.

However, the main focus of the youth program is to develop young wrestlers who will one day blossom at the high school level.

Mike Davidson, the Tartans' first-year head coach, is excited about what he is seeing from the youth program and understands how critical it can be in building a high school program.

Davidson, a Highland graduate, spent the last decade as an assistant coach at Timber Creek, helping build a program at Highland's Black Horse Pike Regional School District sister school that has churned out district and regional champions and is one of the favorites to win a Group 3 state title this season.

Now that he is back home, he intends to take a Highland team that is already competitive and return it to previous heights.

“It’s good being back, and it’s something I have wanted to do for a long time, to get back and rebuild the program that has been so rich,” Davidson said.

Having been a big part of Highland’s decorated run on the mat, Davidson is a big believer in the importance of the current wrestlers understanding the tradition and expectations that come with being a Highland wrestler. There is a reason the bar is set so high, and Davidson expects his wrestlers to reach it.

“They want their names on the wall and want to be part of that winning tradition,“ Davidson said. “We have a slogan on our T-shirts that says ‘Tradition Builds Champions.'”

He certainly has two supporters in his camp in Colber and Myers. Colber is Davidson’s brother-in-law, and a former teammate, while Myers coached him when he was coming up in the program.

“He knows the value of the junior program and what it does in high school,” Myers said. “I have three high school-level instructors that coach kids, which is something not many programs have and something that is a great asset. The junior program is a huge part of what builds a high school program.”

The first payoff from the revitalized youth program is expected to arrive next year, when the first group of kids to spend five years under Myers and Colber reach high school age. The impact may not be immediate, but both men are confident it will be long-lasting. They believe the days of local wrestlers heading to other schools is over.

“We had a talk with all the parents and they agreed that they want the kids to stay together and stay with each other through high school,” Colber said. “We will send seven kids from our program to Highland next year and that will be our first real group since we took over. From there on out, they will be flocking in there.”