• Home
    • Contact >
      • Volunteer
    • WO Panthers
    • The Panther Fund
    • West Ottawa Public Schools
    • Panther Pipeline
    • The West Ottawan
  • High School
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
    • Program Information
    • YouTube Page
  • Middle School
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
  • Youth
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
    • Program Information >
      • FAQ
  • Women's
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
    • Program Information
  • PE-RTC
    • Off Season Points
    • Weight Training
    • Camp
    • Myrmidon
  • The Program
    • Media
    • History
    • Champions >
      • Academic
      • Team Titles
      • Individual Titles
      • Individual Records
      • Girls
      • Other Records and Awards
      • Weight Room
      • Youth Titles
    • Galleries >
      • 1960s
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
  • Links
    • Michigan Grappler
    • Flowrestling
    • MUSAW
    • MYWAY
    • WAAAM
WEST OTTAWA PANTHER WRESTLING
  • Home
    • Contact >
      • Volunteer
    • WO Panthers
    • The Panther Fund
    • West Ottawa Public Schools
    • Panther Pipeline
    • The West Ottawan
  • High School
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
    • Program Information
    • YouTube Page
  • Middle School
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
  • Youth
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
    • Program Information >
      • FAQ
  • Women's
    • Schedule
    • Coaches
    • Program Information
  • PE-RTC
    • Off Season Points
    • Weight Training
    • Camp
    • Myrmidon
  • The Program
    • Media
    • History
    • Champions >
      • Academic
      • Team Titles
      • Individual Titles
      • Individual Records
      • Girls
      • Other Records and Awards
      • Weight Room
      • Youth Titles
    • Galleries >
      • 1960s
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
  • Links
    • Michigan Grappler
    • Flowrestling
    • MUSAW
    • MYWAY
    • WAAAM
WEST OTTAWA PANTHER WRESTLING
Picture

Thank You on the Season

5/10/2021
Picture
Gratitude is essential, even when perhaps things didn't go the way you wanted them to. Here are the people I'd like to take for the 2020-2021 West Ottawa  Wrestling Season.
Picture

​Athletes
Thank you for the blood, sweat, and tears you have dedicated to the season. Early morning runs, coupled with staying late to drill technique, all to make sure you perform at your best for the community—a Special shout to the captains that helped us steer the ship during this pandemic season. We could not do this without you.

Picture
Coaches
Our coaching staff is the best out there. Period. Every year, these leaders give up time away from their families and sacrifice sleep to make the team do everything it needs to be the best version of itself. We could not do this without you.
Picture
​Stats
While coaches, parents, and even wrestlers sometimes stepped up to record our stats and every match, by far, the great contributor was Hannah Sarli. Younger sister of Coach Sarli, Hannah has been the lifeblood of our stats program. Without her, we would not be able to keep accurate stats and help us set new records, and aim higher every season. We could not do this without you.
Picture
Parents
So many of you are on the frontline. Making sure athletes are fed, clothed, and getting enough sleep seldom brings in accolades, but it really should.  It was so great to see parents invest not only in their children but the success of all of our wrestlers. There were parents and went above and beyond, like parent rep Beth Nichols ensuring our wrestlers had food and rides to where they needed to go. Or the irreplaceable photography of Jennifer Diel, who made sure that everyone on this team's memories could encapsulate to remember the rest of their lives. She was the window for parents to view their child's success. We could not do this without you.
Picture
​Fans
While we didn't get the chance to fill out the stands like we would have liked to, the fans who could make it were active participants. Whether it was working a store clock at a meet or just cheering as loud as you could, your voices and presence shook our very foundation. We could not do this without you. 
Picture
Alumni
Nothing brings me greater joy than having a former athlete volunteer at an event. The "giving back pillar" of pantherstyle wrestling is the hardest to promote but the most rewarding to see executed. We create a legacy of West Ottawa wrestling with every "Like" or "share" on social media and keeps the mission alive and relevant. We could not do this without you.
Picture
Admin
The apparent thanks here goes to MWA Athletic Director of the Year, Bill Kennedy. His ability to navigate the rules and allow us the freedom to create the program is unparalleled. His commitment to wrestling only aids us as we build. Karen Dykema was another person in the offices that made sure we had what we needed and worked tirelessly on logistics.  Partner this with the principals that helped me recruit in the hallways, and we had a staff that looked out for us. We could not have done this without you.
Picture
​Faculty
Any teacher that made sure our wrestlers' grades were good took one thing off of our plate. Or Ms. Holmes coming to workout out with us so she could appreciate our hard work. Or all the food donated by Ms. Dewit to make sure we didn't go hungry. The warmth we felt from the staff as we came into wrestle every day was truly remarkable. We could not have done this without you.
Picture
​Community
Thank you, members, of the media that covered and shared our stories online or in the paper. Thank you to the trainers that made sure our wrestlers were healthy and prepared to go off to battle. And thanks to all the businesses that donated to our program to make sure West Ottawa wrestling had the best season it could. We could not have done this without you.
Picture
​A special thanks to my wife, Betsy, and our four children. You all make it worth it.




​

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Tweets by @westottpanthers

    Archives

    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly