BackyarD Wrestling Club
Summer Hours:
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4:00-5:00pm
May 11 - August 6
(Off weeks: May 25-29 and June 29-July 3)
Westminster Schools Wrestling Room in Turner Gym
Grades 6-12
Open to all schools
*USA Wrestling Membership required
*see below for membership instructions
Welcome to Backyard Wrestling!
At the middle school level, we prioritize fun followed by learning the basic movements and pressures involved in wrestling and most every sport. Games like Spikeball abound to promote hand-eye coordination and agility, and mini-games break up wrestling instruction throughout.
Winning is great, but we’re the Backyard Dogs because I believe dogs (at least mine) have the right mindset towards wrestling: there’s never a winner, and there’s never a loser – it’s pure play. Our goal is to instill that attitude alongside sound technique and games.
Go dogs!
At the high school level, we focus on quality reps and the invaluable experience of live wrestling. In conversations with two longtime high school coaching legends with over 70 state titles between them, they each said Nike’s been right all along:
“Just do it.”
Get consistent reps, get comfortable on a wrestling mat, get in phenomenal shape by pushing yourself and your wrestling partner, and see where things shake out when you toe the line next time out.
It’s a simple recipe that works.
Choose 3 of the 33 Summer Sessions:
May 11, 12, 14
May 18, 19, 20
June 1, 2, 4
June 8, 9, 11
June 15, 16, 18
June 22, 23, 25
July 6, 7, 9
July 13, 14, 16
July 20, 21, 23
July 27, 28, 30
August 3, 4, 6
Choose 12 of the 33 Summer Sessions:
May 11, 12, 14
May 18, 19, 20
June 1, 2, 4
June 8, 9, 11
June 15, 16, 18
June 22, 23, 25
July 6, 7, 9
July 13, 14, 16
July 20, 21, 23
July 27, 28, 30
August 3, 4, 6
Custom heathered light blue short sleeve shirt from Cliff Keen with orange Backyard Wrestling and dog logo sublimation. Order to be placed 5/22 with a 4-week turnaround time to shirts in hand. It’s recommended to size up if you’re between sizes, and please note the actual shirt is a lighter blue than the mockup indicates (scroll for more accurate image). A form for name/size will pop up once added to cart. Thanks!
Choose 24 of the 33 Summer Sessions:
May 11, 12, 14
May 18, 19, 20
June 1, 2, 4
June 8, 9, 11
June 15, 16, 18
June 22, 23, 25
July 6, 7, 9
July 13, 14, 16
July 20, 21, 23
July 27, 28, 30
August 3, 4, 6
**For USA Wrestling Memberships
($42 one-time fee, ~$20 annual renewal)
1. Go to USA Wrestling’s Homepage – www.themat.com
2. Under the Memberships tab, select Login/Join
3. Create an account and profile for your wrestler
4. Go to Profiles, click blue Manage Profile button
5. Click on Get Memberships
6. Purchase/Renew an Athlete Membership
7. Select a Traditional Athlete Membership
8. Option to add the plastic membership card for $12
USA Wrestling governs wrestling clubs across the country in an effort to promote safe and reliable access to this phenomenal sport for beginners on up to Olympians. USA Wrestling provides Backyard with the insurance necessary to lease space in schools and delivers background checks and certifications for all coaches. Memberships protect everybody in the room to ensure our collective ability to compete and grow.
Coach Robert Friddell with Westminster wrestler Jack Polhemus circa 2019
Bio
Robert Friddell wrestled at Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia and coached four seasons at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, Virginia while earning degrees in English and Religious Studies from University of Virginia. In 2021, he authored the book intangible on UVA’s Men’s Basketball program under Head Coach Tony Bennett. Coach Friddell spent eleven seasons as the Assistant Head Coach of Westminster’s varsity wrestling team, coached Westminster’s middle school squad the past two seasons, and currently writes and lives in Atlanta with his wife, Laura, and two sons, Mac and Blair.
