All Gazette Coach: Chad Gilmore builds Medina into a powerhouse
Medina’s wrestling program just needed to tear down its house, draw up a new blueprint and grab a ton of roofing nails.
That was the plan of Chad Gilmore nine years ago, when the now 32-year-old brought along assistant Wade Chapman to a school struggling to find respectability.
Flash forward to this season and the Bees aren’t only finding respectability, they’re turning into a power on the mat.
“When I got here, it was all about blowing things up and starting all over again,” said Gilmore, The Gazette’s 2010-11 Winter Coach of the Year. “Wade has been with me since the beginning. We were two young, energetic guys ready to mix things up.
“Those first few years we weren’t focused on technique. It was changing the mental attitude of the program. Once the attitude went from top to bottom, it could move forward. Then we could work on the wrestling and it has paid off.”
The dividends Medina has reaped because of Gilmore, who is quick to share the accolades with everyone in the program, came to a head this season.
While the Bees have made incredible strides the last four years, in 2010-11 the squad set the bar high for seasons to come.
Try a third straight Northeast Ohio Conference River Division championship.
Try the most state placers — Ryan Hornack, Mike Griffith, Mike Hammer and Teddy Hammer — in school history.
Try an individual (Griffith) setting a Medina record for wins and pins and another (Teddy Hammer) obliterating the Medina County record for near-falls in a season and career.
Add all that together and it ended with the team’s first top-10 finish at the state tournament, where the Bees placed seventh.
“It’s like him winning a state championship. I’m so proud of him,” said Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia, who mentored Gilmore on the mat in high school. “To know him on a coaching level is so unique. That’s what’s great. It’s seeing the legacy he’s started.
“What he has done over there, he’s got some tough kids. They’re the real deals. This isn’t a lucky thing. This isn’t the only year he’s had it. This is four years of consistently getting kids to state. He could have easily said forget it, but he loves the sport and helping kids.”
That’s the secret to Gilmore’s success. He’s brought his passion to the mat, but has also surrounded himself with a variety of assistants.
Not every wrestler responds the same way to a certain coaching style, so Gilmore brought in Chapman, Jeff Miller, Jim Hewitt, Greg Roche and Kipp Cullin to a room ready to succeed.
“He’ll bring in different people to help everyone,” Griffith said. “A lot of people trust Chad because he takes the pressure off them and focuses them on what they need to do the next match.
“He sticks with everybody and makes sure they’re together and we’re all thinking the same. He’s a both a coach and a friend. From the coaching aspect, he’s strict when he needs to be, but when you need a friend, he’s there to help you out as well.”
As much as Gilmore is a teacher, he’s also a student.
The team’s website not only has updates on how the Bees are doing, it has technique videos and articles on how to improve both in life and on the mat.
“This award is long overdue,” Chapman said. “Nobody outworks him. He’s 110 percent effort. From the attitude adjustment to the ability to the wrestling families in Medina coming around, he’s been huge.
“Chad’s constantly making himself a better coach. He’s been fully committed to this program for years. He gives up family time to get this program where it is. It’s not what he does inside the room, it’s what he does outside. It goes beyond the wrestling aspect of it.”
Now that the Bees are on top, don’t expect them to go away anytime soon. While Griffith and Teddy Hammer will graduate, Hornack, Matt Hammer and state alternate Zach Getto return. Those three, as well as a strong youth movement, have Medina dreaming even bigger.
“I don’t look at it as my program,” Gilmore said. “The kids are putting in the work. The kids are getting recognition in the paper, on video and in chat rooms. When that happens, that’s the best I can do.
“Once you get that foundation built and you get the wrestling community believing in itself, champions breed champions. It feeds off itself. The more they believe, the easier it is to keep that success going
By Brad Bournival
That was the plan of Chad Gilmore nine years ago, when the now 32-year-old brought along assistant Wade Chapman to a school struggling to find respectability.
Flash forward to this season and the Bees aren’t only finding respectability, they’re turning into a power on the mat.
“When I got here, it was all about blowing things up and starting all over again,” said Gilmore, The Gazette’s 2010-11 Winter Coach of the Year. “Wade has been with me since the beginning. We were two young, energetic guys ready to mix things up.
“Those first few years we weren’t focused on technique. It was changing the mental attitude of the program. Once the attitude went from top to bottom, it could move forward. Then we could work on the wrestling and it has paid off.”
The dividends Medina has reaped because of Gilmore, who is quick to share the accolades with everyone in the program, came to a head this season.
While the Bees have made incredible strides the last four years, in 2010-11 the squad set the bar high for seasons to come.
Try a third straight Northeast Ohio Conference River Division championship.
Try the most state placers — Ryan Hornack, Mike Griffith, Mike Hammer and Teddy Hammer — in school history.
Try an individual (Griffith) setting a Medina record for wins and pins and another (Teddy Hammer) obliterating the Medina County record for near-falls in a season and career.
Add all that together and it ended with the team’s first top-10 finish at the state tournament, where the Bees placed seventh.
“It’s like him winning a state championship. I’m so proud of him,” said Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia, who mentored Gilmore on the mat in high school. “To know him on a coaching level is so unique. That’s what’s great. It’s seeing the legacy he’s started.
“What he has done over there, he’s got some tough kids. They’re the real deals. This isn’t a lucky thing. This isn’t the only year he’s had it. This is four years of consistently getting kids to state. He could have easily said forget it, but he loves the sport and helping kids.”
That’s the secret to Gilmore’s success. He’s brought his passion to the mat, but has also surrounded himself with a variety of assistants.
Not every wrestler responds the same way to a certain coaching style, so Gilmore brought in Chapman, Jeff Miller, Jim Hewitt, Greg Roche and Kipp Cullin to a room ready to succeed.
“He’ll bring in different people to help everyone,” Griffith said. “A lot of people trust Chad because he takes the pressure off them and focuses them on what they need to do the next match.
“He sticks with everybody and makes sure they’re together and we’re all thinking the same. He’s a both a coach and a friend. From the coaching aspect, he’s strict when he needs to be, but when you need a friend, he’s there to help you out as well.”
As much as Gilmore is a teacher, he’s also a student.
The team’s website not only has updates on how the Bees are doing, it has technique videos and articles on how to improve both in life and on the mat.
“This award is long overdue,” Chapman said. “Nobody outworks him. He’s 110 percent effort. From the attitude adjustment to the ability to the wrestling families in Medina coming around, he’s been huge.
“Chad’s constantly making himself a better coach. He’s been fully committed to this program for years. He gives up family time to get this program where it is. It’s not what he does inside the room, it’s what he does outside. It goes beyond the wrestling aspect of it.”
Now that the Bees are on top, don’t expect them to go away anytime soon. While Griffith and Teddy Hammer will graduate, Hornack, Matt Hammer and state alternate Zach Getto return. Those three, as well as a strong youth movement, have Medina dreaming even bigger.
“I don’t look at it as my program,” Gilmore said. “The kids are putting in the work. The kids are getting recognition in the paper, on video and in chat rooms. When that happens, that’s the best I can do.
“Once you get that foundation built and you get the wrestling community believing in itself, champions breed champions. It feeds off itself. The more they believe, the easier it is to keep that success going
By Brad Bournival
No comments:
Post a Comment