Westfield wrestling rebuild starts with homegrown coach and fast-growing camp

Former Westfield and current Life University redshirt sophomore wrestler Chandler Dean took time to properly demonstrate proper pushup technique to the 17 kids sitting a few feet away. To the kids Dean, 157 pounds of pure energy, is a physical example of what can be if they do the work and listen to Westfield varsity wrestling coach Nic McGehee. Having his former wrestler demonstrate how is much more important to McGehee than why. “I’m more impressed with doing drills right,” he said to his audience. “Quality over quantity.”

The annual Westfield wrestling camp took place this week and the numbers of campers are up from last year, almost double in fact. “Last year the most we had on one day was nine kids,” said McGehee, 27, this is a big turnout. The goal is to be able to build a quality camp. To be able to have this many kids is a big deal.”

Westfield’s last strong wrestling team, McGehee’s first, was packed with seven seniors and tons of experience. Two seasons later McGehee is rebuilding the program from the ground up and that starts with the youngsters at the camp there to learn proper technique, the safe way to work on takedowns and how to work out. “We are working on rebuilding a culture,” said McGehee. “Working on the culture where the kids want to be here whether it’s a first grader or a high school student.” Last season McGehee had to forfeit a number of weight classes at meets due to the lack of wrestlers. “We only filled out four varsity weight classes last year,” said McGehee. “This season we will be able to at least fill out 11 weight classes.”

He added, “Sharing athletes is a big deal.” At schools like Westfield athletes are more likely to play a minimum of three sports and this year’s wrestling team will have to take advantage of that reality but there will also be athletes looking to wrestle exclusively and that too is how you build a strong program. The youngest wrestler at camp on Wednesday morning was a second grader.

Entering his third season, the first as a full-time coach, McGehee, also a teacher at the Westfield School, is following in the footsteps of his father Ira McGehee who helped start the program in 2002 as a volunteer coach. One of his best young wrestlers was his son Nic, of course. The love of Westfield Hornet wrestling was passed down and now is in the hands of the younger McGehee.

“We have two groups this year in an effort to grow the program,” said McGehee about the campers. “Start them young and they’ll feed through. McGehee is quite familiar with the popularity of baseball and football and to a smaller extent basketball is at Westfield. He knows the wrestling team will have to not only build it’s athlete base but it’s fan base all over again. “This year we are trying to get some big programs in here,” he says of the school’s annual tournament. “Just trying to do things a little bit different.”

Another former Westfield wrestler who volunteered at the camp this week was demonstrating the captain’s chair dip workout on the a pull-up station near the wrestling mats spread around the wrestling gym. While the young man goes through the motions of keeping his legs together, extended out while going through the exercise the kids eyes were glued to him while also taking verbal instructions from McGehee about focussing on technique even while tired. “This really works in all sports but especially in wrestling and football,” said McGehee of the exercise.

Mindful of the allure of football, McGehee is rebuilding the Westfield Hornets wrestling program one young wrestler at a time.