In Their Corner

photo+by+Logan+Sandstrom

photo by Logan Sandstrom

Emily Nina, Staff Writer

All eyes are focused on the wrestlers staring each other down, waiting for the whistle.  But most of the audience is not looking at the coach. A coach is much more than standing on the sidelines, and Mr. Mossburg knows firsthand how stressful it can be to call the shots.  “I have to block out all the parents and fans yelling, and just focus on how to direct the boys on the mat,” Mossburg said.

Aside from appearing at matches, Mossburg works after school with the wrestlers to make sure they are ready.  “When you’re a wrestler, you just want to get out and wrestle, but when you’re a coach, it’s so much more than figuring out a practice plan.  There’s making sure their grades are up, dealing with medical emergencies, someone is always sick, or absent.  It’s all the little things,” Mossburg said.

The pressure is always on, and for a coach, this can be hard to handle.  Some people only see the coach as tough, and someone screaming at the mat, but Mr. Mossburg works hard every day to make sure the boys have the support they need. “The parents don’t always see it, but the boys know I’m in their corner,” Mossburg said.  Sometimes, it can be hard to stay on the sidelines.

“There’s always times I want to run out onto the mat and put them into position, but I can’t. I can only try to get their attention in some way and help coach them as best I can.”  Being head coach also has its rewards, though.  All of the work Mossburg does for the wrestling team is a small price to pay for what he gets out of it.  “The most rewarding thing about my job is seeing the wrestlers get the payoff for the hard work, when they know they’ve done well, they don’t even have to say anything. They just have that moment,” Mossburg said.

Along with the rewards of coaching, it’s definitely hard when things aren’t going as well as the team wishes it would.  Mossburg knows how hard it can be for the boys to not be achieving the goals they’re trying to. “It’s always stressful from the other side, though. When you see a kid struggling, and you just wish you could do more to help them get there.  And when they do get there, it’s so rewarding.  You just can’t put a price on it. I wrestle every match that everybody wrestles, in a way.”