From hundreds of wins to the first GMC victory since 2009, the 2022-2023 Lakota West wrestling season was phenomenal. The victories didn’t come with ease, for there was a lot of dedication, inspiration, and hard work. With a prominent wrestling coaching staff, we can all hope and foresee a successful 2023-2024 season.

Adam Meyer is an experienced wrestling coach who has been with the Lakota West Wrestling Team for the past 9 years. Adam Mayer graduated from high school as a dominant wrestler and wrestled for some time at Division Three school, Ohio Northern. Meyer expects another successful season, with promising staff and new faces. 

 “We have one of the best coaching staffs in Ohio.” Coach Meyer said, “I mean the coaches that we have have accolades, they have the knowledge, they have the passion, they’re great as role models, they’re great people.”

Though last year’s team was quite successful, the majority of the team’s starters were seniors. Going into this season, we’re faced with new challenges: Maintaining the champion title and figuring out how to develop an inexperienced team. “There are a lot of new faces.” Coach Meyer says, “sometimes when you have a veteran team like we did last year… they kind of just take the reins during practice and lead.” 

However, this new-found inexperience leaves the opportunity for new development. When asked his thoughts on the new wave of young wrestlers, Coach Meyer responded, “That’s exciting as a coach because then it’s kind of like starting over again… You have to go back as a coach and make sure you’re explicit with like, ‘Okay this is how we warmup,’ y’know, ‘This is what our practice is gonna be like,’ ‘This is kind of our philosophy.” New challenges present new opportunities and development in the eyes of Coach Meyer.

Though the team has lost a lot of experienced wrestlers, the onslaught of new wrestlers will provide a great opportunity to grow the overall abilities of the team. 

“Is it more than just coaching a sport to you?” I ask Meyer. “I coached at 2 high schools prior to this… if you had asked me that question then, (it would have been) to develop a good wrestling program, have good wrestlers, um- but now, it’s so much more than that to me” Meyer replies. The wrestling spirit in Meyer’s eyes transforms adolescents into better adults.

 “Honestly, we do, we do our workout and we learn techniques, but it’s really just about making it an experience that each person that comes in that room can take something from, and use it later in life. And help them have more confidence, um, – be able to handle adversity, and just- to know they did something that was really tough.”

Wrestling is a sport of discipline, toughness, and most importantly adversity. The mat itself doesn’t represent just a successful wrestling team for Lakota West, but a team of young men and women who are slowly developing themselves in their effort to be once again, the most dominant team in the GMC region this season.