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About RRW
The River Rival Wrestling Club (RRWC) is a non-profit organization founded to teach the sport of wrestling to youths in the towns of Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, West Newbury, Salisbury and surrounding areas.
RRWC seeks to introduce the sport of amateur folk style wrestling to students in grades 1 through 8. Our volunteer coaches work with boys and girls to teach the rules, moves, strategies and tactics needed to compete in local and regional wrestling events.
Our Coaches
Andrew Boroff
Wrestling Experience:
Lorem Ipsum High School, MA
Years with RRWC: 1
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Lorem Ipsum
Why Wrestle:
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Jon Cain-Saunders
Wrestling Experience:
Lorem Ipsum High School, MA
Years with RRWC: 1
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Lorem Ipsum
Why Wrestle:
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Sean Horgan
Wrestling Experience:
Lorem Ipsum High School, MA
Years with RRWC: 1
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Lorem Ipsum
Why Wrestle:
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Paul Hughes
Wrestling Experience:
Michigan State University, MI
Years with RRWC: 2
Favorite Wrestling Move:
All of them
Gabriel Kasper
Wrestling Experience:
Otter Valley Union High School, VT
Years with RRWC: 1
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Crossface
Why Wrestle:
A lot of what wrestling was an opportunity for me was exposure to positive role models. Through my years of wrestling, I was given the chance to learn hard work and perseverance physically and mentally. I learned how to set goals for myself and put a plan in place to achieve those goals.
Probably the most important thing wrestling has taught me is how to deal with adversity. Learning at a young age that sometimes you give your best effort and don't get the outcome you want is an opportunity to learn and improve has been an invaluable life lesson for me.
Nick Lussier
Wrestling Experience:
Lorem Ipsum High School, MA
Years with RRWC: 1
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Lorem Ipsum
Why Wrestle:
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Jack Purdy
Wrestling Experience:
Susquehanna University, PA
Years with RRWC: 2
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Fireman's Carry
Why Wrestle:
The sport of wrestling develops body strength, coordination and endurance. Wrestling you develop mental strength, self-discipline and concentration.
For young wrestlers, the sport will have an awesome positive effect on diet, sleep, fitness and goal-setting. Plus it's fun and an easy way to make friends!
Scott Yewell
Wrestling Experience:
Cornell University, NY
Years with RRWC: 7
Favorite Wrestling Move:
Front Head Lock
Why Wrestle:
Wrestling is awesome. It's a whole-body experience — not just physical, but an education in focus, self-discipline, and personal achievement.
It takes discipline to build your endurance, learn moves, and put together strategies. And because it's an individual sport, the results are yours alone. When you win, it's all you. When you lose, it's all you too.
That kind of accountability is rare — and it builds character that carries into everything else. But you're never in it alone. Your team is always there to help you get better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What towns can participate in RRWC?
We welcome wrestlers from the towns of Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury and surrounding areas. If you live in a neighboring town, feel free to reach out to us to inquire.
Is wrestling only for boys?
No! A women's wrestling has been an olympic summer sport since 2004, and women's wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the sport of wrestling.
At RRWC, we are committed to coaching all genders in the sport of wrestling.
What equipment does a wrestler need?
Wrestling Shoes – Wrestling shoes offer more ankle support than traditional shoes and are designed to be lightweight and tight to the foot. By utilizing movement and traction of the feet, wrestlers can stand up and down on the wrestling mat so they can train in their shoes/socks for the first few weeks and then make sure quite sure equipment. You can find wrestling shoes at Dick's, Amazon, and other sport equipment retail outlets for less than $50. Contact us if you have any questions about sizing adult/child wrestling shoes.
Practice Clothes – T shirt and gym shorts are standard for wrestling practices. Competitions may require wrestling singlets which the club will provide.
Headgear – Highly recommended for all mat practice and required for competitions. Headgear can prevent outer ear injuries and bruises during practice and competitions.
Mouth guard – For any wrestler with recent dental work on the outside of their teeth, mouth guards are recommended for practice and mandatory for competitions. If there is metal dental work on the upper and lower teeth, then the mouthguard must cover both the upper and lower teeth. A moldable mouthguard is recommended.
What do wrestlers learn at wrestling practice?
At RRWC, we try to make practices educational and fun. Each practice includes warm up and stretching, tactical instruction, functional drills, live wrestling, and usually a game or two. We welcome complete novices through intermediate wrestlers, and match wrestlers with partners of appropriate size and skill. Club members will learn:
The Rules of Scoring Effective takedowns like double / leg and single / leg take downs Pinning combinations like the far-side and spin Pinning combinations like the half nelson Let wrestling escape moves like the inside standup and sit out
Can my child get hurt wrestling?
Wrestling is a physical sport and injuries do happen, not unlike soccer, basketball, hockey, or any other youth sport. At RRWC, we do our best to teach and enforce safe wrestling practices. Our coaches are attentive during drills and live wrestling to avoid potentially dangerous activity by wrestlers.
Do wrestlers have to lose weight?
No. The sport of wrestling relies on the concept of weight classes to allow wrestlers of similar sizes to compete. At RRWC, as a youth focused program, we do not suggest any sort of weight management for wrestlers to target specific weight classes (i.e. no "weight cutting").
What are weight classes?
One of the best things about wrestling is that it welcomes participants of all shapes and sizes. Everyone's body is different which leads to different advantages and challenges when competing with somebody else's body. In wrestling, weight classes are used so that each wrestler can compete at their natural weight, matching them against an opponent of similar size at their level.
The Massachusetts Wrestling Association defines the weight classes as follow:
BW – (lbs) 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, HW
MW – (lbs) 74, 80, 86, 92, 98, 105, 113, 120, 135, 150, 165, 185, 215, 250
For example, if a wrestler is in the 85 lbs weight class, 9 means at the time of the competition weigh in, they weighed more than 81 lbs and less than 85 lbs.
Competition organizers may sometimes group weight classes less tightly in a formula in an attempt to even out the number of wrestlers per competition group. For example, if 24 wrestlers weighing 80 to 105 pounds, five wrestlers weighing 98 to 105 pounds, and 3 weighing 105 pounds weight in, the pairing officials may split those 32 wrestlers into three groups instead of trying to make even pairings with unbalanced numbers.