Looking forward to a new season and my thoughts on the NWCA Coaches Leadership Academy

Coach Northcott and I are looking forward to the return of our wrestlers to campus in the near future! We have spent countless hours strategizing and getting ready for the season and we are pumped up! I recently returned from the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Leadership Academy in Ft Lauderdale, FL(It was tough, but someone had to do go. ;-) . While at the Academy, I gleaned wisdom from coaches like former Coach Dan Gable (Iowa), Tom Borrelli (Central Michigan) Brian Smith (Mizzou), Jim Beichner (Buffalo), Rob Koll (Cornell), Joe McFarland (Michigan) and Rande Stottlemyer (Pittsburgh). After attending the Leadership Academy and Convention in FT. Lauderdale I was encouraged to hear that most of our top college coaches in the sport today value what I have worked to make a priority in our new program. That priority many of us have in common is the development of CHARACTER in the life of the athletes which we coach. There isn't an easy way to develop character and like wrestling there is never an easy way to be the best, but through discipline of myself and HLG wrestling I hope to enhance what Character my athletes bring into the room. I will be saying more in the future about this idea of developing and demonstrating character through the sport we love so much.
Another area that was emphasized at the Academy was the Head Coaches need to get outside the wrestling room and do more to market the program. I must admit that this is an area I need to work on. I have some sat down with and wrote down some goals that I have to get the ball rolling. If any fans of HLG wrestling want to help me out with ideas or volunteerism, I would be happy to hear your thoughts and involve you in building up this program.
One of the last discussions the coaches of all NCAA divisions and the NAIA had together was concerning the change of wrestling season from a winter sport to a spring sport. I see the pros and cons behind the season change and perhaps there will be some sort of compromised, but I agree with Barry Davis (Wisconsin)that the change of season is only part of the solution to the marketing of our sport. Another important part of wrestling success is when coaches take responsibility for our sport and giving our athletes expectations to be professional, honest, and respectable in their appearance and conduct. However, this responsability is not just a college coach responsibility. This responsability needs to start out in our kids clubs all across the nation today. We as college coaches need to help coaches at the lower level see this if they don't already.