Coaches Aaron McClain and Jason Meggison took their new Otte Blair Middle School girls wrestling team from the mat to a classroom during practice Monday afternoon.
“It is difficult to get a group ready for a meet in 10 days when most of them have never even watched a wrestling match,” McClain explained.
Once the Bears took their seats inside the dark room, Meggison projected a Big Ten college bout onto the whiteboard. The girls watched and learned.
“You've got to teach moves,” McClain said, detailing the first week or so of practices. “You've got to teach them even how to walk out and shake hands. Today's a big day for that.”
Otte's first-ever girls wrestling team takes shape one year after Blair High School's first season last winter. There was talk of a middle school squad as early as last year, but there was a hold-up, too.
Questions existed. How many girls would even want to participate?
“Our response really was, like the old saying goes, 'If you do it, they will come,'” McClain said. “There's a large group of girls out there wanting to do something different.”
The new middle school sports team was approved by the Blair Community Schools Board of Education in August. McClain said the support of Otte Activities Director Erin Field and high school coach Terry Bellamy meant a lot.
Shortly thereafter, though, the coach got to work putting together a team on short notice. As a new school year and fall sports got started, he held a meeting to spread word about his winter activity, garnering 32 attendees just days after its approval.
“Now, I had no idea there would be 35 girls,” McClain said Monday from the edge of a practice mat. “Because that's what we have.”
The coach had guessed about 15 to 20 girls would actually step out onto the mat as practices started late last month. Since, though, he's had to add singlets to the team's order.
“The crazy thing is we haven't lost anybody,” McClain said. “All sports, you lose one, two kids. We haven't lost anybody. We've gained.”
Most of the new wrestlers in the room are new to the sport. Some have watched siblings participate, but the majority are starting from zero.
“We go over moves, but they can't see how it's tied together,” McClain explained. “'OK, I did that, but what does it mean?' I get that question all of the time.”
It's a sharp learning curve, but the coach was impressed through the first week of practices going into season-opening matches in Fremont
“They've been very good. They've been working very hard,” McClain said. “They've learned way faster than I ever thought they would learn.”
The middle school girls have connected a lot of dots on the mat and are, in some ways, picking up the sport quicker than some boys new to the sport have. McClain said the group's overall body awareness and coordination have helped them adjust quickly.
“It's been pretty satisfying,” he said of the team's initial work.
If the Bears stick with it, Meggison and McClain believe they'll see themselves grow by leaps and bounds by the end of Otte's first girls wrestling season.
“You're going to see a huge, huge improvement in us,” McClain said.
The team was scheduled to wrestle its first official matches Thursday and will host a dual against Gretna on Tuesday. The home debut starts at 4 p.m.
OTTE BLAIR GIRLS WRESTLING SCHEDULE
Fall/Winter 2023
Completed Thursday: Bears at Fremont Middle School triangular
4 p.m. Tuesday, Bears host Gretna dual
3:30 p.m. Nov. 20, Bears at Millard Beadle Middle School dual
TBD Dec. 4, Bears at Ralston Middle School Invite
Note: Schedule may be incomplete. Coach Aaron McClain said Monday school officials are still exploring more opportunities to compete this season.
