Fourteen days ago Aden Valencia, with the Stanford “S” on his chest, let out a primal roar after he scored the winning takedown to realize his dream of winning an NCAA National title. After getting his hand raised he had multiple choices for his first celebratory embrace. The coaches were waiting with open arms and… Continue reading Newsletter 3.17: The Critical Moment
Category: Stanford Wrestling
Newsletter 3.16: Tipped (NCAA Recap)
At the beginning of the season, I wrote a newsletter about the idea of a tipping point (Newsletter). I was thinking about how progress works in a program. Most of the time, it does not announce itself. It builds quietly through ordinary days, hard practices, small improvements, and a lot of belief. Then, if enough… Continue reading Newsletter 3.16: Tipped (NCAA Recap)
Newsletter 3.15: Post-It Notes (ACC Recap)
Post-it Notes are littered on one of the walls in the coaches office with small quotes that reflect the time period we were inspired to write them. The tradition was started by Coaches Brucki and Hidlay, and when I saw what they were doing I thought it was a great idea and started doing the… Continue reading Newsletter 3.15: Post-It Notes (ACC Recap)
Newsletter 3.14: The Rising Tide
Heading into the first dual of the season we were ranked #10 by Flowrestling and hopes were sky high. We were returning many of the starters from the year before and, I’m not sure if this has ever happened in Stanford’s history, but we had three former All Americans in the lineup. Add Nico Provo… Continue reading Newsletter 3.14: The Rising Tide
Newsletter 3.13: Conviction Over Consensus (Stanford 28-6 Over #12 UNC Win Recap)
It was a fun trip to Chapel Hill. The team wrestled well and earned a 28–6 win over No. 12 North Carolina on their home mat. That is not easy to do in this conference, and I am proud of the way our guys competed. I will get to the match breakdown in a moment.… Continue reading Newsletter 3.13: Conviction Over Consensus (Stanford 28-6 Over #12 UNC Win Recap)
Newsletter 3.12: Fun, Free, and Full of Grit When We Need It (Win Over #12 Pitt Recap)
Fun, Free, and Full of Grit When We Need It I spend a lot of time as a coach trying to figure out how to get our wrestlers to have great performances. A big part of that is helping them recognize that this sport, while incredibly tough and demanding, is fun. My coach always told… Continue reading Newsletter 3.12: Fun, Free, and Full of Grit When We Need It (Win Over #12 Pitt Recap)
Newsletter 3.10: Servant Leadership & A Call To Action
Friends of Stanford Wrestling, Our new athletic director, John Donahoe, talks often about servant leadership. In a traditional leadership model, the leader sits at the top of the organization. They define the vision, set the goals, and everyone below works to serve that leader in pursuit of the mission. Servant leadership flips that structure. The… Continue reading Newsletter 3.10: Servant Leadership & A Call To Action
Newsletter 3.9: Cal Poly & Alumni Day/Dept Update/NCAA’s/Last Two Duals
Friends of Stanford Wrestling, On Friday night, we returned to Burnham Pavilion. It’s a space that holds decades of Stanford wrestling memories, and it felt right to be back there for a night that brought together current Cardinal and alumni alike. Burnham was loud, tight, and rowdy in the best way, a fun change of… Continue reading Newsletter 3.9: Cal Poly & Alumni Day/Dept Update/NCAA’s/Last Two Duals
Newsletter 3.8: Va Tech & UVA/NCAA Info
Newsletter 3.8: Finding a Way Home Finding a Way Forward and a Way Home There are weekends that test you on the mat.And then there are weekends that test everything else. Our trip to Virginia to face Virginia Tech and Virginia ended up being both. From the moment we arrived, it was clear this weekend… Continue reading Newsletter 3.8: Va Tech & UVA/NCAA Info
Newsletter 3.7: NC State Recap
Newsletter 3.7: Finding a way to lose and finding a way to learn There are losses that sting because you did not show up.And then there are losses that hurt because you did. Friday night against NC State was the second kind. We wrestled with real effort. We competed. We put ourselves in position to… Continue reading Newsletter 3.7: NC State Recap