Mr. Mead head wrestling coach and teacher at Lincoln Middle School. He has been coaching Lincoln Wrestling and Edwardsville Wrestling Club since 2018. He has been wrestling since he was in 6th grade and continues to grow the sport.

         He has had lots of his own experience of wrestling, has one main thing he likes to pass on, that would be to just enjoy the sport. “Every day I wish I could go back and compete and do it all over again. I really want the kids to really just soak it all in and appreciate every opportunity they get, whether that is in practice or in competition.” Mr. Mead explained he also likes to let the athletes know they can also get better in the off season and not just during the season. However, through the season he likes to work on their conditioning a lot and thinks it’s a big factor in them improving and winning difficult matches.

        After hearing about the difficulty of this sport I decided to ask about the relationships he develops with these athletes. He explained how he gets to the point where he treats them like his own kids, “Wrestling is a difficult sport, and the kids need a lot of support from me, their families, and their teammates to succeed. I try and get to the point where the kids can just really trust me to guide them through the difficult season.”