Coaching was

exceptional

Being an alumni of Clyde High School and a former coach I feel compelled to publicly recognize some athletes and coaches. I feel that it is very important to congratulate and commend those people that not only do their jobs well, but go above and beyond.

I attended the Southview Invite wrestling tournament on Dec. 28 and 29 to support a young athlete. Even though I am a very avid sport fan, this was my first high school wrestling match. What I came away with was not how the wrestlers placed or if they won or not but two other things.

First the student athletes from Clyde High School were very well behaved focused on the task at hand and very supportive of each other.

These may not seem like much to people in the community since we have grown to expect it. But the following actions were definitely not exhibited by all athletes and coaches.

It was not uncommon to see the more experienced wrestlers take the less experienced wrestlers off to the side after a match and give them some tips on how they could have better utilized or completed moves and or give them suggestions of other options that they may have had.

Also some of the wrestlers were very helpful to me personally in explaining some of the things that were taking place, since as I mentioned this was my first match.

They did not seem bothered by this and even went out of their way to talk to me even though they should have been focused on what they needed to do.

The coaches are the real reason for this letter. Rob Jennings and his staff went above and beyond. They made it a point to have at least one coach and 99 percent of the time two coaches at every match that they had a competitor.

This mind you is no small feat when there are five mats with continual action going on and six coaches. The coaches did what they were supposed to, that is coach during the match.

But to a man, they would take the athlete after the match and explain/coach him with things that he could do better or differently the next time.

This may not seem like much but trust me this was the exception not the norm at this event. Many coaches would constantly yell at the athletes.

This may not seem like it is very important at first glance, but when you think about it, it is a great thing these men are doing. These coaches were not there to "Win", they were more involved with improving their student athletes.

So to Rob Jennings and the rest of the Clyde High School wrestling staff, great job! You are not only acting as coaches but also as leaders and role models for the next generation, job well done. Please keep up the great work and good luck during the rest of your season.

Lonnie Nitschke

Perrysburg