Your future, our focus
By DAVID DICKEY
Powell Tribune Sports Editor
Each year, Northwest College conducts its American Frontier Wrestling Camp in Powell. And every summer, the camp's list of instructors reads like a Who's Who among accomplished coaches and wrestlers.
This year's camp, which concludes today (Thursday), is no different. Though not all of the lead instructors have coached or wrestled at NWC, it's not hard to find a distinct tie linking them to the college. Doug Moses is a perfect example.
Moses, currently the head wrestling coach at New Mexico Highlands University, is tied into the Trapper wrestling program through his connection with current NWC coach Jim Zeigler. Moses, a mainstay at the annual camp, served as Zeigler's coach at the University of Southern Colorado. In Moses' case, he brings a coaching resume that includes six Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles, four Western Region crowns, two national team runner-ups finishes, 11 national champions and almost 70 All-Americans.
And in addition to Moses, this year's camp boasts numerous others with direct ties to NWC.
Among this year's lineup of instructors are Jeff Harrington, Luke Salazar and Cort Petersen.
Harrington, a Worland native who wrestled at NWC from 1996-98, also served as an NWC assistant coach from 2002-04. Salazar wrestled at NWC from 2003-04 and earned All-America status as a Trapper. He went on to be a NCAA qualifier at the University of Northern Colorado and is currently a graduate assistant for Moses.
Petersen, a Gillette native and product of Wright High School, was at NWC from 2003-04 and like Salazar, was part of the 2004 national championship team. Petersen, after leaving NWC, went on to be a two-time All-American at Central Oklahoma. In the fall of 2008, he will be a graduate assistant at South Dakota State University.
Add the wrestling knowledge of those wrestling greats both past and present to that of Zeigler, his assistants and various other coaches and wrestlers, and the annual event takes on the form of a family reunion of sorts.
"We've always looked at it as a family," Zeigler said. "These guys look forward to coming in here for the camp."
According to Zeigler, the camp gives old friends a chance to connect and provides them with a chance to give back to the sport that has been an important part of their lives.
Carl Valley, currently an assistant coach at NWC, said the camp is rewarding on many levels. However, the part of it he enjoys most is seeing a young wrestler take something he or she was taught and using it on the mat.
"That's what I like to see," Valley said. "It's rewarding to see a kid use something they learned during one of the sessions. When you see that, you know thatsomething you told them or another camp instructor told them, helped make them better. It makes you feel good to know that they are listening and wanting to get better."
According to Petersen, the annual trip back to Powell is one that he enjoys from the standpoint of sharing what he's learned, seeing old friends and being able to spend some time in the community he once called home.
"That's one of the best parts about it - coming back to Powell," Petersen said. "When you come back, you realize just how much fun this place was."
Added Salazar, "NWC has a great program, and it's one of the best around. It means a lot to be a part of it, and it's good to be able to come back and be a part of something like this."
Zeigler, who relishes in the fact that so many of NWC's top wrestlers venture back to Powell for the camp, said such dedication pays great dividends for the campers, who range in age from 10 to 18. When students of the sport learn the basics of stance, position, motion, level changes, penetration, back step and back arch, they are learning from some of the best.
"For these guys that come back, they get a sense of ownership in the camp," Zeigler said. "That means a lot to them, and that makes them very dedicated to being a part of what we're doing."