Note: We have had one Kansas wrestler represent the team in the past - Curtis Near, from Garden City, in 2013.
April 6, 2020
Dear Coaches & Parents,
Since 1983, more than 600 of the top youth wrestlers, from Ohio and surrounding states, have represented the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team on summer wrestling tours out west. The list of team alumni features many wrestlers that would go on to become State Champions, National Freestyle Champions and even NCAA Champions.
Below you will find a list of some of the more noted team alumni.
While there is no tour scheduled for 2020, we are planning to do one final tour in 2021. Currently, we have three spots still available for the team and which we hope to fill within the next two weeks.
Attached you will find an application for the team (if none is attached, please message bdbop@aol.com and one will be sent to you). If you have any wrestlers that are current 5th thru 8th graders, that might be interested in applying, please let them know of this opportunity. While all applications received will be considered, the main weights we are currently most interested in are the following:
-Current 5th/6th grader, with an anticipated 2021 summer weight of 70-74 pounds
-Current 6th-8th grader, with an anticipated summer 2021 weight of 115-122 pounds
-One "wildcard" wrestler, current 5th-8th grader, with an anticipated summer 2021 weight 68-150 pounds, that may or may not be the greatest wrestler, but that is just a quality kid and that would be a benefit to have as part of the Team.
We are hopeful of making a decision on the size of the roster soon and filling the additional spots. So, if there is interest, please do advise us, so that we know an application is forthcoming.
If you wish to talk to parents of former team members, about their OASWT experience, we can provide contact information for you to do so.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.
Yours in Wrestling,
Bart Freidenberg
Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team
614-507-1653
If folks want to see some photos, from past trips, they can join our OASWT Photos page at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1658250907549999/ Here are links to two highlight videos from past tours (2018 and 2014). The 2018 video focuses more on the sightseeing the kids do on the trip, while the 2014 video has a combination of wrestling and sightseeing photos. Wrestlers generally average around 20 matches and we also have an additional 15+ practices, besides a 5 day training camp, prior to the start of the trip.
However, according to past team members, the best part about the team is becoming brothers and learning how to deal with issues in the confines of the team. You can read what some of them, as well as some parents, have said about the trip below as well.
2018 Video:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1658250907549999/ 2014 Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrZRWPJ4vE0 Past Participants By State (1983-2019)
Ohio-405 wrestlers (15 who went 2X)
Non Ohio-241 wrestlers (11 who went 2X)
Total: 619 different wrestlers (26 who went 2X)
States that have been represented (25): CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, TN, VT, VA, WV, WI, WY and Canada
CURRENT 2021 TEAM MEMBERS (with 2021 grade in school and estimated 2021 summer weights)
74 Seth Cavazos-6th (Massillon, OH) - 2X OAC State Runner Up; 4.0 Student
77 Eli Gabrielson-7th (Chesapeake Beach, MD) - Maryland Youth State Champ; "A" Student
80 Colin Broxterman-6th (Cincinnati, OH) - 2X OAC 3rd Place; "A" Student
80 Lincoln Rohr-7th (North Canton, OH) - 2018 OAC State Champion; "B" Student
83 Liston Seibert-7th (Massillon, OH) - 2019 OAC State Champion; Honor Roll Student
85 Brandon McLaughlin-6th (Westlake, OH) - 2019 OAC State Runner Up; Straight "A" Student
88 Carter Trukovich-7th (Ashland, OH) - 2017 OAC State Champion; Honor Roll Student
92 Lucas Spring-8th (Perry, OH) - 2X OAC State Qualifier; Honor Roll Student
92 Ethan Cantrell-9th (Sardinia, OH) - 2X OAC State Qualifier; A/B Student
95 Mason Rohr-8th (North Canton, OH) - 2019 OAC State Champion; "B" Student
95 Brennan Warwick-7th (Massillon, OH) - 2019 OAC State Champion; 4.0 Student
100 Gael Ramirez-7th (Cincinnati, OH) - OAC State Placer; Honor Roll Student
105 Brody Perzanowski-6th (St. Clarisville, OH) - 5th at 2019 OAC; Honor Roll Student
106 Joshua Hogg-6th (Bridgewater, MA) - 4X Massachusetts Youth State Champion; Honor Roll Student
108 Colby MacIntosh-7th (Bridgewater, MA) - 3X Massachusetts Youth State Champion; 5X Student of the Month
110 Jack Dinwiddie-8th (Medina, OH) - OAC State Placer - 4.0 Student
110 Aaron Moccia-7th (Bel Air, MD) - 2019 Maryland Youth State Champion; 4.0 Student
126 Jack Duncan-9th (South Park, PA) - 2018 PJW State Qualifier; Honor Roll Student
128 Chris Hogg-10th (Bridgewater, MA) - All New England Qualifier; Honor Roll Student
130 Levi Pidgeon-9th (Carrollton, OH) - 6th at 2018 OAC; Honor Roll Student
135 Malachi McCullough-7th (Washington Ct. House, OH) - 3X OAC State Placer; Honor Roll Student
138 Carter Davis-9th (York, PA) - 3rd at 2017 PJW's; A/B Student
140 Matt Kowalski-8th (Springboro, OH) - 2X OAC State Placer; Honor Roll Student
150 Lincoln Shulaw-8th (Lima, OH) - 3X Top 3 OAC State Placer; Straight "A" Student
Note: We are not set to certain weight classes. Whatever we have, we let the coaches know and we match up as best as possible. Therefore, we can have several wrestlers at, or around, the same weight class. If we compete in a tournament, then the wrestlers will decide what weight class they wish to enter and we could end up with multiple wrestlers in the same bracket. That is really the only time they need to make a certain weight on the trip.
Past team members have included:
RECENT TEAM MEMBERS (2012-2018) - and the year they went (grade listed is the year in school they had just finished)
2012-Kaleb Romero (7th grader) - 4X OH State High School Champion; wrestles for Ohio State
2012-Austin O'Connor (7th grader) - 4X IL State High School Champion; NCAA 3rd as Freshman for UNC
2012-Dylan D'Emilio (6th grader) - 4X OH State Champ; 2015 Cadet National Champ; wrestles for Ohio State
2012-Dylan Taylor (9th grader) - WV State High School Champion
2012-Garrett O'Shea (8th grader) - Took 4th at NJ State High School; wrestles for Air Force
2012-Michael May (9th grader) - 4X OH State High School Placer
2012-Jacoby Ward (8th grader) - 4X OH State High School Placer; wrestles for Air Force
2012-Alex Rhine (7th grader) - OH State High School Champion
2013-Abe Bloom (8th grader) - 2X RI State & All New England High School Champion
2013-Jack Davis (8th grader) - National Prep Champ and World Team Member; wrestles for Penn State
2013-Gabe Tagg (7th grader) - OH State Champion; World Cadet Team Member; wrestles for UNC
2013-Julian Tagg (6th grader) - 2X OH State Champion; Cadet National Champion; signed with UNC
2013-Jimmy Saylor (9th grader) - PA State High School Runner Up; attends Army
2013-Jordan Ward (6th grader) - 2019 OH State High School Runner Up; wrestles for UNC
2013-Zane Brown (7th grader) - 3X Kentucky State High School Champion
2014-Ty Mills (8th grader) - 4X IN High School Top 3 Placer; wrestles for Duke
2014-David Crawford (8th grader) - 2X OH State High School Champion; wrestles for Pitt
2014-Logan Ours (5th grader) - 6X OAC State Champion & 2015 Ohio TofC Champion
2014-Bryce Andonian (7th grader) - 2X OH State High School Champion; wrestles for Virginia Tech
2014-Dustin Norris (6th grader) - 2019 OH State High School Champion; 2X OAC State Champion; signed with Purdue
2014/2018-Lucian Brink (6th & 10th grader) - 2019 OH State High School Champion; signed with Northern Illinois
2014-Trey Lane (7th grader) - 3X Florida State High School Champion; wrestles for Virginia
2014-Andrew Fallon (7th grader)-3X Rhode Island State Champion; signed with American University
2015-Hunter Adrian (7th grader) - 4X Massachusetts State High School Champion
2015-Jack Bokina (9th grader) - NY State High School Champion; wrestles for Brown
2015-Luke Bokina (9th grader) - NY State High School Champion
2015-Jack Darling (8th grader) - 4X Massachusetts State High School Champion; wrestles for Virginia Tech
2015-Cooper Flynn (7th grader) - 2020 National Prep Champion
2015-Lachlan McNeil (8th grader) - 2020 National Prep Champion; 2X Ohio TofC Champion; signed with UNC
2015-Kyle Rowan (7th grader) - 2019 OH State High School Champion; OAC State Champion; signed with Stanford
2015-Cole Skinner (6th grader) - OAC & Ohio TofC Champion
2015-Zach Wiseman (6th grader) - 3X OAC State Champion
2015-Cael Woods (7th grader) - 2019 OH State Runner Up; OAC Champion; signed with Ashland
2015-Gavin Weaver (7th grader) - 2020 5th at OH State High School signed with Ashland
2015-Chris Langguth (8th grader) - 2X OH State High School placer; wrestles for Ken State
2016-Brennen Cernus (6th grader) - 2020 National Prep Champion; 2019 IN State Champion
2016-T.T. Elhajj (8th grader)- 2015 PJW State Champion; signed with Bloomsburg State
2016-Nicholas Fine (7th grader) - 5X Rhode Island State Champion; 2X New England Champion
2016-Ethan Fletcher (7th grader) - 2015 Ohio Youth Champ; 3X OAC State Placer
2016-Reese Fry (10th grader) - 2X Michigan State High School Champion; wrestles for Brown
2016-Justin Mayes (7th grader) - 2019 3rd at OH State High School; signed with Cornell
2016-Logan Messer (7th grader) - 2X OAC State Champion; 2013 Ohio TofC Champion
2016-Eli Pack (7th grader) - 4th at 2020 IN State High School; 2012 Ohio TofC Champion
2016-Clayton Ulrey (8th grader) - 2019 PA State High School Runner Up; signed with Virginia Tech
2016-Evan Goodall (8th grader) - 2020 Massachusetts State High School Champion
2016-Nolan Springer (7th grader) - 2020 Wisconsin State High School Champion; 3X WI Youth State Champion
2017-Ian Darling (7th grader) - 2020 Massachusetts State High School Runner Up
2017-Peyton Fenton (7th grader) - 2019 OH State Champion
2017-Max Leete (8th grader) - 3X Massachusetts State Champion
2017-Austin Pownall (8th grader) - OAC State Champion
2017-Braden Welch (7th grader) - OAC State Runner Up; IN State High School Qualifier
2017-Sterling Segal (6th grader) - 2X OAC State Champion
2017-Eli Spencer (6th grader) - 2X OAC State Champion
2017-Logan Hursey (8th grader) - 4th at 2019 OH State High School
2017/2019-Ethan Tanner (7th/9th grader) - 4th at 2019 WV State High School
2018-Marky Samuel (8th grader) - 2020 North Carolina State High School Champion
2018-Braxton Lewis (8th grader) - 2019 Virginia State High School Champion
2018-Vinnie D’Alessandro (7th grader) - 6X OAC State Placer
2018-Mikey Longo (8th grader) - 2X Connecticut State High School Champion
2018-Amaan Gulacha (8th grader) - National Canadian Runner Up
2018-Jared Johnston (6th grader) - OAC State Champion
2018-Max Shulaw (6th grader) - OAC State Champion
2018-Reese Stephen (6th grader) - 2019 Ohio TofC Champion
OTHER OHIO WRESTLERS
1994-Ryan Bertin (6th grader) - 2X NCAA Champion
1984/1985-Alan Fried (6th and 7th grader) - NCAA Champion; 2X NCAA Runner Up
1984-Rex Holman (7th grader) - NCAA Champion
1990-Corey Kline (7th grader) - NCAA DII Champion
1989-Willie Wineberg (7th grader) - 4X State Champ
1988-John McGhee (5th grader) - 4X State Champ
1999-Lance Palmer (6th grader) - 4X State Champ; NCAA Runner Up
2004-Cam Tessari (6th grader) - 4X State Champ
1986-Shawn Nelson (8th grader) - 3X State Champ; Current Head Coach at Findlay
1990-Eddie Jayne (8th grader) - 3X State Champ
1989-Drew Pariano (6th grader) - 3X State Champ; Former Head Coach at Northwestern
1992-Scott Burnett (6th grader) - 3X State Champ
1994-Mark Jayne (7th grader) - 3X State Champ; NCAA All American
1994-Mason Lenhard (7th grader) - 3X State Champ
2001-Mike Miller (8th grader) - 3X State Champ; NCAA Runner Up
2002-Kevin Hardy (7th grader) - 3X State Champ & NAIA National Champion
2002-Colt Sponseller (7th grader) - 3X State Champ; NCAA All American
2007-Brandon Thompson (6th grader) - 3X State Champ
1985/1986-Scott Zapadka (7th and 9th grade) - 2X State Champ
1988-Jimmy Johnson (6th grader) - 2X State Champ
1992-Mike Kulczycki (6th grader) - 2X State Champ & NCAA All American
1994-Keith Cupp (6th grader) - 2X State Champ
1996-Marcus Gordon (7th grader) - 2X State Champ; Current Head Coach at Bloomsburg State
1996-Matt McIntire (6th grader) - 2X State Champ
2001-Braxton Scaletta (8th grader) - 2X State Champ
1999/2001-Kevin Lipp (6th and 8th grader) - 2X State Champ
2000-Pat McLemore (7th grader) - 2X State Champ
2004-Gus Sako (6th grader) - 2X State Champ
2005-Joey Ward (5th grader) - 2X State Champ; NCAA All American
OTHER NON OHIO WRESTLERS
1986-Sheldon Thomas (7th grader) - NCAA Champion, from DE
2006-Kenny Anderson (9th grader) - 3X NCAA DIII Champion, from MA
1996/1997-Nathan Galloway (6th and 7th grader) - 3X PA State Champ
1999/2001-Mike Rowe (6th and 8th grader) - 4X MD State Champ; 2X National Prep Champion
1999-Ricky Frondorf (9th grader) - 3X NJ State Champ
2006-Evan Silver (8th grader) - 4X National Prep Champion, from MD
1998-Robbie Preston - 3X National Prep Champion, from NJ
1996-Bobby Ingraham (9th grader) - 3X VA State Champ
1996/1998-Ryan Needle (5th and 7th grader) - 3X NY State Champ
2001-Walker Faison (7th grader) - 3X VA State Champion
1998-Trevor Chinn - (6th grader) - 4X NY State Finalist
2000-Hudson Taylor (7th grader) - 3X NCAA Placer, from NJ; 2X National Prep Champion
2005-Todd Preston (7th grader) - 2X National Prep Champion, from NJ
2007-Jack Clark (6th grade) - 2X National Prep Champion; 3X MD State Champ; 1X NJ State Champion
1997-Zach Thone (7th grade)-3X New Hampshire State Champion
2001-Connor McDonald (6th grade)-3X Delaware State Champion
2006-Codey Combs (7th grade)-4X Delaware State Champion
1992-Jason Taylor (9th grade) - 3X WV State Champion
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“Looking back on this trip, I just want to let whoever reads this to know that this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have gained 21 new brothers that I am closer to than any other friends I have ever met. I never thought we would get this close, due to the occasional fights and arguments, but we did. Now, I can always have a bunch of people to look forward to seeing every time we get a chance. I also have a new family I can look to in any time of need.
I can’t stress the importance of becoming brothers enough. It turned this trip into a lifetime of fun. I don’t think most people will be able to understand how close we have become, but these are the types of friends you have your future children call “Uncle” - that is how close we are. It is an unspeakable bond that we will have for the rest of our lives.
On this trip I have also learned so many important life lessons, including how to do laundry, how to budget my money and a bunch of tips on how to be street smart. The last thing to explain is the wrestling. Besides camp, I got 20 matches and had another 12 practices. The drilling partners I had definitely made me so much better. We did a LOT of wrestling and that was one of the highlights.
Writing this brought me to tears. I don’t want to leave any of these guys. They are my Family, my Brothers." - Jack Darling, Boxford, MA, age 14, 4X Massachusetts State High School Champion
“This trip has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. One of my favorite parts was becoming a family. We all had our ups and downs, but once we overcame that and became a family/brothers, that was one of the most enjoyable things for me. I now have the the best friends of my whole life and people I can always rely on.
This trip has also taught me many life experiences, such as laundry, budgeting my money and how expensive things are. I now know that you can’t go around and get everything you see, because everything costs something. Another thing I learned is talking to people, especially adults. I learned not to be so shy around people. The things this trip has taught me I will never forget. The friends and family I have made will always be with me.
The last thing I would like to talk about is the wrestling. In my opinion, the wrestling was amazing. The matches were really great and were tough and they were in such cool places, like when we wrestled outside, in a park, in Cali.
But, the most important part to me was that the practice partners were incredible. They were always pushing me. The Coaches were also amazing and were always teaching us great moves. The practices were hard, but they also made them fun I would just like to thank all my brothers for making this summer the best. Love you guys.” - Cooper Flynn, Seymour, TN, age 13, 2020 National Prep Champion
“The past six weeks have been the greatest six weeks of my life. To say the least, the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team is life changing. In the past 45 days, I have learned so many social skills, experienced amazing experiences and have become brothers with 21 great kids.
On this trip, I have learned the importance of many little everyday things that we take for granted, like laundry, behaving like a young adult in certain situations, learning how to grow “thick skin” and how to work together as a team. On the trip, you will have the opportunity to meet people that have had success in life and learn from their experiences. On the trip, you will share embarrassing moments, such as singing in front of a crowd, or acting on stage in front of each other. But, those are the moments that make the brotherly love even stronger. This leads me into my next topic, of becoming brothers.
At the beginning of the trip, I did not think the team would become brothers, but I was clearly mistaken. After 45 days on the road, and sharing the experiences we shared, I can proudly say that the team has transitioned from friends, to good friends, to brothers. I now have 21 brothers that I can share my deepest secrets with, 21 brothers who will become great lifelong friends in the future and 21 brothers who will truly be missed.
In conclusion, if you have the opportunity to participate on the Ohio All-Star Team, don’t let the fear of missing them stop you from enjoying this once in a lifetime trip.” Lachlan McNeil, North York, ONT, age 14, 2020 National Prep Champion & Ranked #1 in the USA at his weight
“The summer of 2015 was the greatest time of my life. The Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team trip was amazing and fun. We enjoyed so many memorable experiences which you may not ever see the rest of your life, such as white water rafting and all the shows in Las Vegas. Also on the trip, we learned life lessons, like laundry (which you can now help your mom with), and also the value of money and how to spend it wisely.
The most important part of the trip is becoming brothers. Once you do so, the trip becomes so much more fun and you learn to trust each other. The wrestling is also awesome. Overall, this is a once in a lifetime journey through wrestling. You get to wrestle kids that you won’t ever see again.
The trip may seem scary at times, but trust me, the trip is definitely worth it and will help you later in life.” - Kyle Rowan, Madison, OH, age 13, 2019 Ohio High School State Champion
“I’ve learned a lot on this trip, some of which is how to represent a team, my hometown and state. I learned how to do laundry and also how to answer questions that adults have about our team, or just how to talk to them. This trip was a once in a lifetime trip and you will probably never do anything in life like it. The kids on the team become your brother for life and the trip is something you will never forget.
It meant a lot to me that I was able to be part of this awesome experience. I’m very glad that I had the support of my family, friends, businesses and my hometown to be able to help me go on this trip. If it wasn’t for them, I would not have have been able to go.
This trip is such a great trip because the things you get to do and the people you meet are unbelievable. It’s funny because random people come up and ask you about the team and what it is, so you have to know how to talk to them nicely and properly.
Whoever goes on this trip should be very grateful to be a part of it.” - Gavin Weaver, Newcomerstown, OH, age 14, Placed 5th at 2019 Ohio State High School
“When I was selected for the trip, I really did not know what it was about. All I knew about the trip was that it was 45 days long. On the trip you learn to bond with kids you never thought you would bond with. A fun thing on the trip is stuff that you do that you don’t think is fun, but turns out to be fun, because you’re doing it as a team.” - Brennen Cernus, 6th grade, Pickerington, OH - 2020 National Prep Champion and 2019 Indiana State High School Champion
“This trip is absolutely amazing and not just because of all the activities or wrestling, but because of all the bonding and the life lessons. On this trip, I have become closer to most of the kids on this team than most of my friends. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned was that I take my parents for granted and everything they do for me, especially in regards to money. I have also learned that my family is not always going to be there for me and I need to figure things out by myself. Lastly, this is a once in a lifetime trip and it is worth all the time and effort.” Ethan Fletcher, 7th grade, Canfield, OH
“The trip taught me the importance of becoming a young man. It taught me how to bond, spend money wisely, how to behave around others and how to make people respect you. The trip wasn’t just about wrestling, it was about bonding as a team and then becoming brothers.” - Justin Mayes, 7th grade, Bellevue, OH - 2019 Placed 3rd at Ohio State High School
“This trip was an amazing experience. I learned a lot of responsibility before the trip even started, as I had to fund raise, keep track of the money, make deposits/withdrawals and learned to use a checkbook, as well as how to ask for donations. My favorite part of the trip was becoming brothers. It took a while but, after all the hard work we put in together, and all the fun we had together, we pulled through. Aside from learning wrestling, I learned how to be frugal and also how to become a leader. I’m going to miss my new family, but am grateful for all the fun we had together. This trip taught me so many life lessons and was the trip of a lifetime. This trip also opened up so many opportunities for me and I know I know I'm going to reunite with several of my brothers this season.” - Trevor Nugent, 8th grade, Massachusetts
“This trip is truly a one in a lifetime experience. When will I ever get to travel across this beautiful country again, with 26 kids may age, that all love to do the same thing I love to do - wrestle. At first, when I signed up, I didn’t know what I was getting myself in to. I went into this trip with 26 others and now I can say I am leaving with 26 brothers. I can truly truly all of them and hope that I can keep a relationship with as many of them as I can. I also learned so many life lessons, like doing laundry, dealing with others, learning to trust each other and how to talk to strangers. These 45 days have been some of the best days of my life and I wish I could be with my new brothers every summer.” Clayton Ulrey, 8th grade, Pennsylvania - 2X PA State High School Runner Up
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Parent Quotes
“I had a good idea up front that this would be a one-of-a-kind trip, which was why I put in the requisite effort to convince my wife to let Lachlan go. But I have to say that it exceeded even my high expectations! We were fortunate enough to be able to see the group both during the first week (training camp) and the fourth week (in California), and to see how close they had become is such a short period of time was astonishing.
For any parents who are considering this trip, but are worried about the length of time, my son had had a hard time dealing with being away for a week long camp the previous summer. During this trip, it was completely different. He settled in quickly and at no point was he ever homesick. In fact, knowing the trip was about to end, and that he was coming home, was actually bittersweet. We were excited to see Lachlan but knew that something very special was coming to an end and that he was very upset at leaving his new “brothers.”
Finally, if you are more worried about missing your son than you are about him being able to cope with the trip, then you are at risk of missing out on an opportunity to give him a gift/experience that will stay with him for a very long time!”
Cheers
Calum McNeil (father of Lachlan McNeil) and member of the 1992 Great Britian Olympic Wrestling Team
"While my son was one of the older kids on the team, he's a 'homebody.' In addition to that, the longest he'd ever been away from home was a couple of days, and that was during a class trip with kids he had grown up with and knew well. I'm a bit overprotective to begin with, and I was VERY hesitant about letting him be away from home for so long, and with people I didn't really know - and that he didn't really know.
I have to say, I'm so glad I allowed him to seize this opportunity of a lifetime. The places he traveled to, the things they saw and experienced, the people they met, the coaches and teammates they were able to learn from ... This trip will forever have a positive, profound impact on my son, both in his wrestling, and in his life.
The wrestling knowledge and skills he gained were incredible. But the life experiences he had along the way were unbelievable as well. He saw places and did things he would never have otherwise been able to do. He had to do so many things for himself (like manage his own money, laundry, speak up for himself at restaurants, conflict-resolution with others, etc.) that he was used to us doing for him; this trip helped him grow as an individual.
As far as my worrying about him being gone for so long with people he didn't really know? He returned home saying his bond with his teammates was stronger than the bond he has had for a lifetime with the kids he grew up with. The team really did become his 'family.'
Finally, I want to recognize the coaches, they know how to take care of the boys, and they know how to run this trip without a hitch. I can very strongly state, with every confidence, that your son would be in very good hands with these coaches/chaperones. The Ohio All Star Wrestling team is truly an opportunity of a lifetime for your son -- allow him to seize it!"
Stephanie Langguth, mother of Chris Langguth, a 2X Ohio State High School placer
“For 47 days, Cooper was part of a team who bonded as brothers. If you asked me a year ago, I would have told you sure I'm excited, but the reality of June 26, 2015 was still so far away that time was on my side. Fast forward to that Friday morning.
The early morning goodbye was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. One last hug, watching my heart walk down the hall to the elevator, and knowing it would be 6 weeks before I would have him back completely broke me. But I must tell you, my tears quickly turned to smiles and proud moments that left me in complete amazement. When I saw the excitement and happiness in Cooper's face day after day, that's all I needed. Sure, I was still counting down the days till he was home but I was also sad for him in that it would soon be over.
I am so grateful for Cooper's time as an OASWT member. It was an amazing experience that we would never be able to give him. It truly was a once in a lifetime and something he will always remember. I'm thankful for each place he visited, the cool things he got to do and see, the fun he had, the discipline, conditioning and workouts, his awesome practice partners, the 23 matches he wrestled...just everything!
It was an amazing ride! Thank you to the 2015 OASWT, the coaches, host families, past OASWT families and Bart for allowing us to be a part of this journey! Our family has been blessed by you!”
Christie Flynn, mother of Cooper Flynn
"I’ve been lucky enough to be associated with some great people and programs throughout my wrestling and coaching career. My hope is that my son, Kyle, can experience the same fortune and foster relationships through wrestling that will continue on throughout his life. The Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team provided a significant and positive life experience for my son.
When I first filled out the application for Kyle, I was unsure of what to expect. As departure for the trip approached, questions filled my mind: What was this trip going to be like? Will Kyle enjoy the trip? How will he fare away from Mom for over a month? Even after the training camp and prior to departure, I was still curious and nervous for my son.
Kyle and I corresponded while he was away. He was, as most middle school boys are, reserved when speaking to me, afraid to let me know too much about his trip and the training. I still wondered and hoped that Kyle was enjoying his training.
My doubts, fears, and curiosity were put to rest when I watched a video that Coach posted on the team Facebook page. Here was Kyle, the day before the team returned home, pouring out his thanks and gratitude to his twenty-one teammates. This emotional outpour convinced me that he got the most out of his experience and is something that only the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team could provide.
Sure, he learned technique, training, and had competition, but he learned the greatest benefit of our sport: the camaraderie that develops among those who train closely together. What most young men don’t learn until their late-teens/early twenties, Kyle had the opportunity to learn and experience as a middle school student.
He has developed a lifetime of fond memories and relationships that will continue to grow as he does. His willingness to train, to improve his technique, but-more importantly-to do right, develop maturity, and learn what it means to be a hard-working man has all been positively influenced by his experience with the Ohio All-Star Team.
I am grateful for what the sport has now shown to Kyle and I know that it will do the same for many other young men that participate on the Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team."
Dave Rowan, father of Kyle Rowan, and a 1987 All American at Edinboro.
