On Nov 16, 2018, the Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN)/Princeton Chapter hosted an NWCA CEO Leadership Academy for an inspired group of high school and middle school wrestling coaches in New Jersey. 

WIBN/Princeton president, Joe Savino opened the Academy workshop up with a brief summary of how WIBN can support scholastic coaches throughout the entire state.  Joe was followed by a terrific keynote leadership speech from Capt Justin Frankel, United States Marine Corps recruiter who wrestled at Absigami High School in New Jersey.   

The purpose of the CEO Leadership is to help scholastic coaches across the country to accomplish the following objectives:

• Reverse the declining trend of boys scholastic participation in wrestling

• Accelerate the growth of girls scholastic wrestling to keep pace with the explosion of newly established college programs

• Strengthen the recruiting and retention skills of coaches. 

• Develop transformational coaches who are deeply committed to educational values.

• Strengthen the CEO skills of coaches to make their programs more sustainable.

The Academy workshops are comprised of both seasoned veteran coaches and young inexperienced coaches.  Research shows that the best learning takes place through interaction with peer coaches.  The Marine Recruiters add considerable value to the workshops in that they freely share their tried and proven recruiting methodology with the wrestling coaches.  After all, the Marines are recruiting the same type of students in the same environment as wrestling coaches.

WIBN business leaders add substantial value in that they are perfectly positioned to provide ongoing mentoring after the Academy workshops are completed.  Joe Savino and some of the chapter board members have generously made themselves available to help coaches apply the business principles learned in the CEO Leadership Academy to benefit their respective wrestling programs. 

There is no doubt that the single most impactful thing that can be done to maintain and strengthen scholastic wrestling programs across the nation is to make sure that all coaches have the necessary CEO skills to meet the ever changing interscholastic athletics environment.  The partnership between the WIBN and coaching community will undoubtedly insure a very bright future for our sport