I need to start with an apology, “Fast Break” is not an appropriate title for a wrestling post. Just understand that “Fast Break” is the title used to index all the Q/A posts. Sorry!
So many coaches and athletes don’t understand how much they could learn from coaches and athletes in other sports. Greg Leibach coaches wrestling at Galesburg High School. If you are a young coach starting out and you are wanting to build a program- Greg Leibach is someone to learn from.
Some basics:
*** Coach Leibach has nearly tripled the number of participants in wrestling. This past year there were 65.
*** Coach Leibach and his staff have meshed girls and boys teams into the same wrestling room and same program.
*** Galesburg wrestling wins and produces champions.
*** At the foundation, there is a culture where wrestlers want to be in the room and want to work.
*** Wrestlers come back after they graduate and want to help the next generation.
*** A recurring theme in the wrestling program among athletes and coaches is centered around growth and improvement.
Baseball manager, Leo Durocher once said,”Nice guys finish last.” Greg is certainly disproving that saying. Galesburg wrestling under Coach Leibach is winning in many different ways!
“He’s wrestling at another new level.”
Leibach- Gauge entered high school as polished and advanced as any wrestler in my coaching years. And since then, there have been lots of memorable moments where I’ve watched him and thought, “Gosh. He’s wrestling on another new level.” The greatness was progressive.
His sophomore year was the first year he could compete in regular season tournaments as COVID restrictions were further lifted. I remember walking into tournaments that season knowing that we’d be represented in the finals at the end of the day.
“He loves wrestling as much as anyone I’ve been around.”
Massey- Everyone likes to say great athletes have to be willing to really work hard. In reality, I think most great athletes never have to “work”, they enjoy the sport so much that they want to put the time and effort in. Was Gauge one of those people who was invested in the process?
Leibach- Indeed. He loves wrestling as much as anyone I’ve been around. I was constantly opening the wrestling room by Gauge’s request outside of our regular practices and routines. It’s where he often wanted to be, because he always had some new thing that he wanted to sharpen or try.
There is certainly some playfulness to the process as well. It’s not always serious. For Gauge and his teammates, theheavy, focused work was often balanced with “play wrestling”, other competitions in the wrestling room, andlaughing over funny wrestling stories. All of it adds value in different ways.
“They were very generous with their time…”
Leibach- It’s difficult to fully summarize. I can say that Gauge is proud to be from Galesburg. He represented our team and our town on some stages that hadn’t been seen in some time. Through his wrestling experiences, there aren’t many questions about the sport at our level that he couldn’t answer or give guidance on.
Gauge was also very invested in team success. It was during his years that we became a winning program and achieved some nice team accolades. Gauge didn’t do it by himself. There were lots of great contributors - too many to list here - but Gauge was certainly at the center of it.
He worked with the kids’ club a lot during his high school years too, alongside his dad, Coach Shipp. They were very generous with their time and that provided a lot of excitement and inspiration for those younger kids.
“…become a collage of all the people that he’s wrestled…”
Leibach- I suppose there are lessons in his willingness to learn from all available sources. Sometimes as competitors, we can be afraid to admit what we don’t know or get stuck in doing things one way. Gauge, as a wrestler, has become a collage of all of the people that he’s wrestled with and the different rooms in which he’s wrestled... Our sport is very collaborative. Wrestlers are willing to share what they know – coach-to-wrestler, wrestler-to-wrestler, and wrestler-to-coach. I can think of specific things that Gauge does on the mat and he’d say, “Oh yeah, I learned that from Roman Bravo-Young at ISI Camp… We worked this with Coach Juergens in the Young Guns room… My teammate at National Duals showed me this.”
“…can’t recall a time when I saw his determination waiver…”
Massey- All the wins and all the championships, what about him impressed you the most?
Leibach- I am most impressed by his consistency. Having known Gauge closely for almost six years now, I’ve seen him have a few bad days and I’ve seen him take some losses, but I can’t recall a time when I saw his determination waver or his excitement toward his goals dip.
“We have a great group of “wrestling people.”
Massey- The wrestling program has grown in so many different ways over the last five years. What are the reasons for this growth in terms of winning and numbers participating?
Leibach- A great thing about wrestling is that the roster does not have a cap. We have a singlet and can get matches for everyone that makes the commitment. It has been very nice of our athletic directors, Mr. Young and Mr. Matthews before him, to support opportunities for our whole roster. Girls wrestling has grown immensely over the past four years, so that has added a new and exciting side to our team.
I also like to think that the consistency in our coaching staff has helped the growth. We have a great group of “wrestling people”. Coach Varela and Coach Orellana instill a love of the sport in our junior high wrestlers. That progresses to the high school. Ryan Shipp, Eric Vogel, Aaron Lipe, Stephen Gust, Alex Baughman, and Kane Miller have all been really dedicated for extended periodsto helping grow our team at the high school level.
“Great group of wrestlers that are chasing their own goals.”
Massey- When it comes to the program, what are you most proud of? And what are you the most excited about going forward?
Leibach- I am most proud that we’ve developed a culture where alums want to come back to the wrestling room and give back. It is a real joy for me to introduce graduates to our next wave of wrestlers. I love to tell their stories and brag about what they accomplished with their time in the room. Then, I get to watch as older wrestlers share their knowledge with the younger ones. Those are really meaningful moments for me.
Going forward, I am very excited about the new wrestling room that is being built. We are grateful for the district’s investment in the program. I believe that new space – a permanent home – will be a huge asset in helping kids to benefit from the sport. We have a great group of current wrestlers that are chasing their own goals and there are some next-level team accomplishments that we are still striving for.
No comments:
Post a Comment