In the beginning of 2023, Coach Andy Siegal saw an opportunity. It was not an opportunity for him, but for many Florida wrestlers from all across the state. Coach Siegal saw an opportunity for kids from all over the state of Florida to be able to wrestle at a national level tournamnet. It was a great opportunity, but how would these kids go if they didnt have a coach? That was something Coach Siegal thought about as well. Being a former NCAA Division 1 football coach and a longtime wrestling coach as well, he decided he would just create his own team!
Siegal decided he would get a team of kids together from all different ages. A team of kids from all over the state. Anyone who wanted to be a part of it could do so. They would all be a part of Team Florida and compete in Independence, Missouri at the Adidas Nationals. Many wrestlers never have an opportunity to compete at a national level event such as the Adidas Nationals, much less as part of a team from their state.
Every year the Florida Amateur Wrestling Association [F.A.W.A] has the Florida National Team qualifiers. Many kids compete to try and make the different Florida National Teams but only the top kids end up on the team. The official Florida National Team is usually made up of state champions and state place winners, so there’s a large group of kids who don’t make the team. Coach Siegal’s team is the opportunity these kids would have to be able to travel, wrestle kids from other states, make lifelong friends, and wear the same uniforms as the rest of the kids from their state. Just like the kids who make the official Florida National Teams.
What Coach Siegal got was much more than he expected. He didn’t just get kids looking for an opportunity to be on a team going to a national event, he got kids who MADE a Florida national team. He would bring a mix of wrestlers at all different levels. Some were high level wrestlers and some were not as experienced. But they would all be a part of this team. They would all represent their state.
Coach Siegal and his coaches traveled to the Cable-Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri and represented the state of Florida. Coach Siegal had enough kids go to be able to make three different teams. HS Boys, HS Girls and K-8. Coach Siegal said last years teams had an amazing time. Many of the parents who made the trip thought it was a great experience for their kids but also for them. As a team in the HS Boys division, Florida placed 3rd, missing out on 2nd place by only two points to Missouri! The HS Girls team finished in 4th place, just 3 points shy of placing 2nd. The K-8 team finished in 5th place.
When I asked Coach Siegal about last years teams, he said ” When our kids were weighing in, kids from other states were laughing at them and saying ” We didn’t know you even had wrestling in Florida”. He said by the time the tournament was over, three of the officials along with the directors of the tournament were complimenting them. He further stated “They were all saying our kids were first class and wrestled very hard each and every match”. He told me the directors of the tournament said that Florida looked very good with their matching singlets and warm up gear. They were so impressed, they are considering doing another national level tournament but this one would be in Florida!
To calm the kids down after they were being laughed at by the other kids at weigh-in’s, Coach Siegal told them all to just relax because those kids only know what they see in the news about Florida. He advised them to show the other states what Florida wrestling is all about. He told them to give 100% during every match and conduct themselves with class whether on the wrestling mat or off. I guess they listened because they were receiving huge compliments by the time they were done wrestling.
Of course Coach Siegal could not have accomplished this without the help from others. He said he had the best group of coaches and parents who were there to help. Whether it was to help coach or just be there to make sure the kids were okay after a tough loss, his group was top notch. The following people were a part of making the first trip to the Adidas Nationals a big success: Coaches Robert Hickman, Chris McNichols, Bobby Otwell, Dave Wisdom, Ken Del Vecchio, Eric Christensen and Tim Boda. There were many parents who stepped in to help with anything the coaches needed as well. As they say, it takes a village.
April 12-14th, 2024 another group of kids from all over Florida will be heading back to Missouri and the Cable-Dahmer Arena with Coach Siegal. This years team is expected to do as well, if not better as last years team. I’m sure they will all have as much fun as last years squad too. The main goal is for these kids and their families to have the best experience they’ve ever had and to make long, lasting friendships with kids on their team who are from different parts of Florida.
The Florida Wrestling Room is happy to be able to sponsor this years team and is providing the entire team and all of the coaches with custom team shirts. If they are going to wrestle like champions then they’ll need to look like champions as well. As we say here at TFWR, “Grind For Greatness”
Photo Credits: Andy Siegal