Rancho Bernardo Little Tyke/Begineer Camp
(Dates: June 18th-June 20th)
Rancho Bernardo Summer Camp Series
NOTE: Requirement to Attend is Masters Qualifier/Regional Qualifier or Youth State Participant.
Register Here: https://rbwrestling.sportngin.com/register/form/407293708
2024 Flyer
Clincians:
| Week 1: Tim Box | ||||||||
Bio Tim Box started at Palomar College in 2021, becoming the eighth head wrestling coach in program history. Before becoming head coach, Coach Box served as an assistant coach under Brody Barrios at Palomar College and Ross O’Briant at Carlsbad High School. Prior to Palomar Originally from Bakersfield, CA, Coach Box comes from a family of wrestling coaches and has been coaching himself for many years at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. He has had the opportunity to learn from and coach alongside some of the most distinguished coaches in the nation, including NCAA Champion wrestler and current head wrestling coach at the University of Northern Colorado, Troy Nickerson. Many of Tim’s former athletes have gone on to earn state and national-level honors, and even more have gone on to have academic and professional success. Additionally, Coach Box’s father and coach, Mike Box, will assist Tim as a volunteer assistant at Palomar. “I’m very humbled and thrilled to lead the Palomar College Wrestling program. Wrestling at Palomar is an amazing opportunity for student-athletes to continue wrestling at the collegiate level while staying in the San Diego area. I have big goals for the future of this team.” – Coach Box Competitive History Referred to as “One of the most versatile wrestlers in America” by FloWrestling, Coach Box is one of the only American wrestlers to win national medals in four different styles of wrestling, which he earned during his time at Bakersfield High School, Cal State Bakersfield, the University of Northern Colorado, and Team USA. Individual achievements: UWW Beach Wrestling World Silver Medalist US Beach Wrestling World Team Member Freestyle Masters National Champion College Freestyle and Greco Roman All-American NCAA Division I National Qualifier 95 NCAA Division I Wins (54 bonus point wins) 4x Conference Medalist 2x Big XII Medalist (2x Semi-finalist) 2x Pac 12 Medalist (1x Finalist) Nationally ranked all four years of NCAA competition Big XII Athlete of the Week (First in School History) Team Captain, University of Northern Colorado & CSU Bakersfield 2x Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational Medalist California Collegiate Open Champion 3x High School All-American 2x CA High School State Medalist CA Freestyle and Greco Roman State Champion CA Central Section Masters Champion Personal Coach Box graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a master’s degree in English. He currently works full-time as the managing editor at a digital marketing company. Coach Box lives in Oceanside, CA, with his wife, Amanda, and his daughters, Amelia and Erin |
| Week 2: Eric Morrill |
| Eric Morrill was hired as California Baptist University wrestling’s assistant coach in August of 2022. He spent the previous four seasons as an assistant at Bucknell University (2018-19 to 2021-22). In CBU’s first year in the BIG 12 conference, Morrill and the staff helped guide the program to its first BIG 12 dual win at Wyoming and dual wins over Vanguard and the program’s first win over Cal State Bakersfield. The Lancers defeated seven ranked wrestlers and had a BIG 12 Wrestler of the Week in Elijah Griffin. The Lancers competed in their first-ever BIG 12 Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma and faced several All-Americans and national champions. Hunter Leake earned the first-ever win in the tournament with a decision win over Kobe Nelms of Utah Valley in the 133-lb weight class. Morrill spearheaded recruiting at Bucknell, where the Bison were the only program in the country to sign three Pennsylvania State champions in 2020. In 2021, he helped develop Zach Hartman into Bucknell’s first All-American in 10 years. The year before he arrived at Bucknell (2017-18), the program’s dual meet record was 3-14. He helped lead the Bison to a 12-6 record in 2020-21. Prior to Bucknell, Morrill spent three seasons in the same position at Ohio University, where he helped mentor one All-American and 11 NCAA qualifiers. In 2015-16, his first season with the program, a record seven Bobcats qualified for the NCAA Championships, with Cody Walters earning All-American accolades for the second year in a row. Ohio University finished third at the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championships and fifth in 2018. The Bobcats went an impressive 13-3 during the 2015-16 campaign and saw one wrestler win a MAC title and three finish runner-up in Morrill’s tenure. The program also brought in its highest ranked recruiting class, with three recruits slotted in the top 100 nationally. Before joining the Bobcat staff, Morill spent four seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at ACC powerhouse Virginia Tech. During his time in Blacksburg, the Hokies won the 2013 and 2014 ACC Championships and placed a then program-best eighth at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Morill worked directly with nine All-Americans and the first NCAA finalist in school history. Morrill was a three-time NCAA qualifier at Edinboro University, where he graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Health Studies. Morrill, who wrestled at 125 pounds his first three seasons before bumping up to the 133-pound weight class as a senior, posted a 90-45 record. As a junior, he compiled a 31-9 ledger and was ranked as high as fourth in the country. As a senior, he went 24-10, won an Eastern Wrestling League title and qualified for the NCAA Championships at his new weight class. He also placed second at the EWL Championships as a sophomore and fourth as a true freshman. |
| Week 3: Caleb Flores |
| Vanguard Career: Flores was announced as the coach to bring wrestling back to Vanguard and has put together a solid program in a tough conference. Flores battled through the 2020-2021 season and got two wrestlers to the NAIA National Championships. Armon Fayyazi and Ricky Padilla proceeded to finish fourth and second and collect All-American status. The two would get that honor again in 2021-2022 and Fayyazi would win the first Cascade Collegiate Conference title for VU at any weight (with Fayyazi winning the 174-pound crown). Flores took five wrestlers to the NAIA Tournament in 2022 and continues to build a quality program at Vanguard. The”Matmen” were gone for 40+ years but came back to life under Flores, much to the delight of Southern California College alums from 1973-1975 who had incredible success on the mat. During their inaugural season, they went 15-1 and capped it off with a perfect 20-0 season in 1975. Along the way, the team won three consecutive NAIA District III Championships, and hold the distinct honor of the Vanguard Gym being named “The Pit” as opposing coaches hated the wrestling environment due to the raucous crowd and small, intimate environment on match days. Prior to Vanguard: Caleb spent the last eight years as the Assistant Coach at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, as well as being the Assistant Coach at Northview High School in Covina, which was his alma mater. Flores has a wealth of wrestling knowledge gained over the past two decades being affiliated with the sport including being well versed in up-to-date wrestling techniques, training modes, and nutrition to best help the Vanguard Wrestlers succeed on and off the mat. In his tenure, he has guided a pair of dual Junior College State Championship Teams, coached his teams to a Top-5 finish for six consecutive seasons, and instructed 11 individual state champions, and 28 All-Americans. In 2013, he was recognized as the CCCAA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Playing Career: Flores’ education began at the University of Northern Iowa where he gained a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. In his wrestling days, Flores was named the 2007 Redshirt of the Year Award Winner at Northern Iowa before going on to be an NCAA Division I National Qualifier the following year. Twice he was named All-Conference for the Western Wrestling Conference and by his senior year, he was recognized as team captain. Personal: Caleb has been married since 2014 to his wife Teresa. The couple, along with their four kids – Caleb, Jacob, Elijah, and Evelyn, live in Brea, CA. Flores gained a Master of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University – Irvine in 2018. A man of varied skills, he has also served as an adjunct professor at Mt. San Antonio College teaching yoga curriculum, kickboxing classes, and developing curriculum in both areas of study. Flores is a certified yoga instructor. He also was the USA California Wrestling Folkstyle National Team coach. |
| Week 4 Nick Mitchell |
| Mitchell has built a dynasty from the ground up. As the Head Wrestling Coach, Nick Mitchell started the first-ever wrestling team at Grand View University. The program began in the 2008-2009 season. Over the last 14 years, the Vikings have become a perennial power. A look at the numbers and facts: · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, & 2023 NAIA National Champions · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 National Dual Champions · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, & 2023 NWCA All-Academic teams top 15 finish (Team Champions in 2022) · 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, & 2021, & 2023 NWCA National Coach of the Year · 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022, & 2023 NAIA National Coach of the Year · 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 Regional Coach of the Year · 2020 USA Wrestling Coach of the Year · Coached 136 All-Americans (school-record 12 in 2017) · Coached the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NAIA Tournament in 2023 · 36 NAIA Individual National Champions · 95 Heart of America/Central Regional Individual Champions · 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017 Central Regional Team Champions · 14 top-10 national finishes 8th-2009, 9th in 2010, 5th in 2011, 1st in 2012, 1st in 2013, 1st in 2014, 1st in 2015, 1st in 2016, 1st in 2017, 1st in 2018, 1st in 2019, 1st in 2020, 2nd in 2021, 1st in 2022, 1st in 2023 · 89 wrestlers have been honored by the NWCA with All-Academic team honors · Has a 177-10 record in duals over 13 seasons · 2017 team broke the National scoring record set by the 2016 team by scoring 234.5 points. (210 was the previous record) (3rd time in school history GV broke the scoring record) · 2017 team broke the national record for the greatest margin of victory 160 · Holds the longest colligate dual streak · 2023 made history by winning all weight classes at the Heart Conference Duals Program Philosophy Although the Vikings have become one of the nation’s elite teams by consecutively winning the last eight NAIA National Championships, Mitchell continues to find ways to raise the standard. “Our goal every year is not only to compete for national championships but to find out how good we can be. To do this, it takes total team effort. Every guy on the team needs to be committed to living a championship lifestyle which means not only trying to be the best on the mat but the best in all aspects of their lives. If they do that, winning will take care of itself but more importantly, these guys will find the best versions of themselves.” Prior Coaching Before coming to Grand View, Mitchell was an assistant coach at Wartburg College for eight years. In that span, he helped 62 athletes achieve All-American status. Additionally, four of those teams won national titles. Student-Athlete Mitchell wrestled his college career at Wartburg where he was a three-time Iowa Conference champion and three-time NCAA Division III All-American. Individually, he finished second at the national championships once and was third twice. Mitchell was also a part of the 1999 national championship team and team captain for the Knights. He was named the team’s Outstanding Wrestler twice compiling 114 wins as a Knight. Mitchell is now a member of the Wartburg College Athletic Hall of Fame. Degree: Bachelor of Science in Education from Wartburg 2000, Master of Arts in Education Viterbo 2009. Family: He resides in Ankeny with his wife, Rachelle, and daughters Brynn and Paige. |
| Week: 6 Omi Acosta |
| Omi Acosta took over as the Head Coach of the Life University Men’s Wrestling Team during the 2016-2017 season, since then he’s produced 8 individual NAIA National champions,14 NAIA National finalists, 40 NAIA All-Americans, and 66 NAIA National Qualifiers. Last season, Acosta led the Running Eagles to a 2nd place at the NAIA National Championships bringing home his 4th NAIA Team Trophy back to Life University. With NWCA National Duals back on again after taking a hiatus last season, Acosta led them back to the finals for the 4th time in his Coaching Career. The individual accolades reflect the team’s accomplishments, breaking through to win the 2021 NAIA National Championship, and earning a third-place team finish in 2019, while also making back-to-back trips to the NWCA NAIA National Duals Finals in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. Coach Acosta’s Running Eagles have placed inside the Top-10 every year at the NAIA National Tournament since he took over and has been awarded Life University’s Coach of the Year in both 2019 and 2021. For his team’s standout performance in 2021, he was named the 2021 NAIA Coach of the Year as well as USA Wrestling Magazine’s 2021 Coach of the Year across all collegiate divisions. Acosta led the Running Eagles to 4th straight conference regular season championships. As well as back-to-back-to-back Conference Tournament Championships. Acosta was also named conference Coach of the Year for the last 3 seasons. Before coming to Life University, Acosta spent three years as an assistant coach at Grand View University. In that span, he coached and mentored 15 NWCA Academic All-Americans, 12 Individual NAIA National Champions and 19 NAIA All-Americans. Additionally, all three of those teams won NAIA National titles. Acosta was also an assistant wrestling coach at the Coast Guard Academy, where he coached two NWCA Academic All-Americans, two NCAA qualifiers, and an All-American. Coach Acosta wrestled collegiately at Grand View University and Waubonsee Community College. At Waubonsee, Acosta was a two-time NJCAA All-American with a fifth-place finish in 2009 and an NJCAA national championship in 2010. He is a member of the Waubonsee Community College Athletic Hall of Fame. At Grand View, Acosta was a two-time NAIA qualifier and the 133-pound 2012 NAIA National Champion. He is now a member of the 10 for 10 Alumni at Grand View University, being voted one of the ten most successful graduates in the past 10 years. Acosta received his bachelor’s degree from Grand View University where he double majored in Spanish and Criminal Justice in 2013. He received his master’s degree in Recreation and Sport Sciences with a concentration in Coaching Education from Ohio University in 2016. Acosta earned an additional Master’s Degree from Life University, graduating with a degree in Positive Psychology with a concentration in coaching. Acosta graduated from powerhouse South Dade High School in Homestead, Fl. where he placed sixth at the state tournament in 2007 and was an NHSCA Nationals All-American (third). Additionally, he was part of the 2008 state championship team at South Dade. Coach Acosta Records: 19-2 against other Georgia Colleges 44-5 against Conference opponents 81-12 overall record 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 NAIA National Duals finalist 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 MSC and AAC Regular Season Champions 2021, 2022, 2023 MSC and AAC Tournament Championships |
| Week 7: Ryan Deakin |
| 022 NCAA champion Ryan Deakin begins his first season as the Cardinal’s volunteer assistant coach in 2022-23. Deakin joins the program from Northwestern, where he compiled an impressive 109-14 career record from 2017-22. At the 2022 NCAA Championships in Detroit, he capped off his time as a Wildcat with the program’s first NCAA individual title since 2014 and its ninth overall. Just the fourth four-time NCAA All-American in Northwestern history, Deakin was a finalist for the Hodge Trophy (2022), a three-time Big Ten champion and a five-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. In freestyle, Deakin was a junior world silver medalist in 2017, a three-time national team member (2019-22) and a U.S. Open champion (2019). A native of Broomfield, Colorado, Deakin graduated from Northwestern with a degree in economics in 2020, a master’s of science in management studies in 2021 and earned a grad certificate in specialized studies in 2022. |
| Week 8: Chris Pendleton |
| Chris Pendleton, one of the most successful collegiate wrestlers in the history of the sport, was selected to lead the Oregon State program on March 29, 2020. In just two seasons at Oregon State, Pendleton already has the Beavers as Pac-12 Conference and national contenders. The first Pac-12 team championship – with five winning individual titles – highlighted the third season at the helm of the Beavers for Pendleton. Seven qualified for the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, five – Brandon Kaylor (125), Cleveland Belton (141), Matthew Olguin (165), Aaron “Mateo” Olmos (174) and Trey Munoz (184) – qualified automatically after winning individual conference titles. OSU finished 29th at the NCAA National Championships where Trey Munoz clinched All-American honors after finishing in sixth place. Pendleton’s third season included bouts against ranked nonconference foes including Penn State, Oklahoma State (in front of a crowd of almost 7,000), Cornell and Princeton. Oregon State finished 12th at the 2022 NCAA National Championships, the Beavers’ best finish in a decade. Brandon Kaylor (125), Devan Turner (133), Grant Willits (141) and Hunter Willits (157) all earned All-America honors, the team’s most in a single year since 1995. The Beavers placed second at the Pac-12 Championships, just a half point out of first, with Trey Munoz taking the conference title at 184 pounds. Kaylor (125), Grant Willits (141), Hunter Willits (157), Ryan Reyes (197) and Gary Traub (heavyweight) all finished second at the tournament in Tempe. OSU, meanwhile, placed eight wrestlers at the NCAA Championships after Pac-12s, the team’s most in more than a decade. Kaylor, Turner, Grant Willits and Hunter Willits were all named Pac-12 Wrestlers of the Week during the season; the four selections tied for the most in the conference. Not surprisingly, after all those team accolades, Pendleton was named the Pac-12’s Coach of the Year. He joins Joe Wells (1994) as the only Oregon State coaches to earn the honor within their first two seasons in Corvallis. In Pendleton’s first season at the helm in 2020-21, Oregon State went 4-5 in duals that included wins over Pac-12 foes Cal Poly and Little Rock. OSU finished second at the Pac-12 Championships with 123.0 team points, just 15 points behind first-place Arizona State. Pendleton coached Turner (133) and Grant Willits (141) to their second individual Pac-12 Championship titles. He led Hunter Willits (157), Reyes (184), and J.J. Dixon (197) all to a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships. Kaylor (125) also earned a top-three finish, third-place, at the Pac-12 Championships. Six wrestlers — Kaylor, Turner, Grant Willits, Hunter Willits, Reyes, and Dixon — qualified for the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships in the first season under Pendleton. Beaver wrestlers posted a combined overall record of 88-80 (.524) and 44-46 (.489) in duals. In 2021, OSU went 51-45 in matches decided by decision and 23-16 in major decision matches. Pendleton arrived at Oregon State after spending the previous six seasons as an assistant coach at Arizona State. The Sun Devils had won three of the last four Pac-12 titles prior, including scoring 141.5 points (most by ASU since 1993) on its way to the conference crown earlier this month. ASU finished the shortened season ranked No. 6 in the country and defeated seven top 20 teams, including snapping No. 1 Penn State’s 60-match win streak. During his six-year campaign in Tempe, he solidified himself as one of the premier coaches in the country. Pendleton represented the United States as one of the USA Wrestling Freestyle Junior Team assistant coaches in Finland in August 2017. During his time at Wyoming, the Cowboys made great strides, guiding his wrestlers to back-to-back West Regional titles, two-straight All-American honors and multiple conference championships. Pendleton also earned the Cowboys their fourth regular-season Mountain West dual title in six years. In his time as a student-athlete at Oklahoma State, Pendleton was considered one of the top athletes in the sport. A two-time NCAA Champion and three-time All-American selection at 174 pounds, Pendleton led Oklahoma State to three-straight NCAA Team Championships in 2003, 2004 and 2004, while accumulating an overall collegiate record of 118-12. Pendleton was also the Big 12 champion in his weight class in both 2003 and 2005. In 2012, InterMat tabbed him one of the 10 Best College Wrestlers of the 2000s. Pendleton is a key figure for Team USA. He was a three-time national team member as a competitor and has since served as a coach. Pendleton is still active in the U.S. freestyle scene and wrestles in various competitions throughout the world. In April 2014, he competed in the ASICS Las Vegas/Open Wrestling Championships at 97 kilograms (213 pounds). Pendleton was also a three-time member of the U.S. National Team under Arizona State head coach Zeke Jones. Coach Pendleton was the California prep champion at 145 pounds at Lemoore High School. He is a 2006 graduate of Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Pendleton and his wife, Selanee, have one son, Ryker. |
Why Wrestle?
- Anyone can do it – You are grouped by age and weight, so it doesn’t matter if you are small, short, tall or big. Every size and shape has a style that can be successful.
- Everyone gets to participate – Unlike team sports like football and lacrosse, there is no riding the bench. No politics or favorites. Every wrestler has a chance to participate and compete.
- They learn valuable life lessons:
- Personal accountability – When you win, it’s because you did it. No one else takes credit; no one else to blame.
- Don’t give up when things get hard – Now days on-demand technology has conditioned kids to turn off their games if they die or change the channel if they don’t like a show. Wrestling puts you in situations where you have to dig in and fight to reap the rewards. It’s all you in a wrestling match and there’s an incredible feeling of getting your hand raised when winning a hard fought match.
- How to handle adversity – In every match someone will win and someone will lose. Losing in a team sport is disappointing but it’s different when it’s only you. In wrestling, you learn how to lose gracefully and more importantly, how to quickly put it behind you and work hard to improve for the next match. You approach defeat as part of the learning process.
- How to perform – Any given tournament, a wrestler may have 2-5 matches or even more depending on the format. They can easily get 50+ matches in a season. They have to mentally prepare for a match, learn how to stay calm under pressure, and deal with the feelings of anxiousness and nervousness over and over again. This repetition makes it second nature and prepares them for life. They know how to approach a speech or a big meeting or an interview because they’ve learned how to step up when it’s their time to perform.
- Persistence – Some kids find success early, but many will lose more than they win early on. In fact, many of the greatest wrestlers started out losing their first few seasons. It can take a couple of years, if not more, before it finally clicks. But when it does, it’s one of the greatest moments to observe. The lights come on, their confidence starts growing and they start beating opponents who they’ve lost to several times. This is when they truly become a wrestler.
- Real confidence is built – Confidence is built through accomplishing hard things. Praise is fine, but only lasts for so long. When you master a skill, score with a move you’ve been practicing or win a match over a tough opponent, it’s because of the work you put in.
- Incredible conditioning – Wrestling uses every part of your body and is one of the toughest sports to train and compete in. Kids build core strength and great cardio. You will be in shape.
- Great for other sports – Many get into wrestling because they are football players or in other sports and they want to improve their skills. Wrestling improves body awareness, balance, coordination and the ability to control someone else.
- Energy outlet -Kids have a ton of energy and they need a way to channel it. Wrestling practices and matches are non-stop with no down time.
- Competitiveness – If you are competitive by nature, you will love wrestling. Competing and winning against another individual is fun and a great sense of accomplishment.
- Fun – It’s fun to win, it’s fun to compete and it’s fun learning and executing new moves. And while it’s an individual sport, there’s also a special bond that wrestlers have. (From Level Up Wrestling)