USA Wrestling declares November 13-19 as #BacktotheMat Week

USA Wrestling has declared November 13-19 as #BacktotheMat Week, which highlights the beginning of high school wrestling all across the United States.

This week, which will feature social media promotion, is a call to action of all high school coaches to help raise the visibility of the sport in high school hallways nationwide.

The “wrestling season” on the high school level is starting, a great chance to invite new young people, both boys and girls, to get involved with the sport.

Each day this week, #BacktotheMat Week will celebrate a different positive reason for high school students to participate in wrestling.

• Monday – Wrestling develops the foundation for success in life
• Tuesday – Build self confidence
• Wednesday – Gain new friends
• Thursday – Showcase integrity
• Friday – Transform yourself
• Saturday – Instill discipline
• Sunday – Develop new skills

Coaches are encouraged to cite specific examples of individuals on the team or those who have wrestled before who have exemplified the daily lesson/example. Please give post your examples of these traits on social media using the hashtag #BacktotheMat.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, wrestling is the No. 7 participation sport for high school boys with 244,804 participants in 2017-18, and the No. 8 sport by number of boys teams with 10,629 programs.

These numbers have shown a decline in recent years, and the entire wrestling community is working hard to recruit more high school students into wrestling. We are calling for high school coaches, former high school wrestlers and current high school wrestlers to reach out to new young people and ask them to try wrestling.

Girls wrestling is growing on high school campuses, with 14,587 girls wrestling for 2,091 programs during the 2017-18 year. There is so much room for growth for girls high school wrestling, and the start of a new season is a perfect time to invite more girls to participate in the sport.

Today’s positive wrestling trait is this statement: “Wrestling develops the foundation for success in life.” Please post examples of this to social media using #BacktotheMat.

Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations