Olympians provide leadership with Michigan USA Wrestling
By Gary Abbott USA Wrestling’s program in the state of Michigan is being expanded and enhanced with the hiring of respected Olympians Andy Hrovat and Jake Herbert as the new Co-Executive Directors for Michigan USA Wrestling. There is one thing for certain; things will be both inter- esting and exciting with Hrovat and Herbert getting directly involved in youth wrestling in the state. “It is an awesome resource to have two Olympians here to help in our state,” said Dan Coon, state chairman for Michigan USA Wrestling. “They are doing an out- standing job for us. They are getting to know more people from all across the state. They have gone out there and made many contacts on the high school and youth levels.” Andy Hrovat was a star college wrestler
for the Univ. of Michigan, and went on to earn a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in freestyle wrestling. Hrovat retired from competition and became a top Senior-level freestyle coach, working as the international coach for the regional training center at Michigan, the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club. He has also been a top volunteer coach within USA Wrestling’s Senior freestyle program, coaching teams at numerous major events including the recent Senior World Championships. Jake Herbert was a two-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner for Northwestern, and went on to win a 2009 World silver medal in freestyle for the United States. Training at the regional training center at Michigan, Herbert com- peted in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He has become a leader in inter- national wrestling, working on the Keep Olympic Wrestling effort. This September, he was elected as one of just seven inter- national wrestlers to serve on the presti- gious FILA Athletes Commission. Hrovat and Herbert are motivated to
also turn their focus on working with young athletes and helping the coaches and leaders in the state build the USA Wrestling program in Michigan. As with everything else, Hrovat and Herbert have their own unique perspective about their new challenge. “The potential we see is that we are
going after the masses within wrestling. We know what it takes to be a World class wrestler. We are confident that we can put young wrestlers on the right path where they can get where they want to be
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in the sport. We will be dealing with youth wrestlers. We want to make sure they are still treated as kids. We don’t want to make decisions based on the top 1% of wrestlers here. We want the 99%. We want to provide a product and a service which they see value in. We want them to come back for more,” said Hrovat. “Our goal is to increase membership for
USA Wrestling in the state, and to make wrestling better at all levels. After being in the state for the last three years, I am excited to have a fulltime position where I can make an impact here. I enjoy working with coaches and kids across the state,” said Herbert. Coon knows they have the ability to
work with the top wrestlers, but gets excit- ed with how they are working with the younger and less experienced athletes. Herbert says that they are looking at
the long-term impact that wrestling has on young people. “I want kids to get better in wrestling. I
want the United States to bring home all the gold medals. It starts with the youth. I’d like to impact a future Jordan Burroughs or Kyle Dake.”
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