August 12th Update

DV Wrestling Family,
 
Now that things have settled down this week I wanted to thank everyone for another great summer. The amount of time that we all put in was amazing and I thank you all for helping the team get the job done. That last weekend in NY state was just great. Winning our bracket with the high school team and finishing 3rd in the Jr high event are great accomplishments and something to be proud of. The 1000 Islands event and all of our summer stats are up on our DelValWrestling.com web site for you to review.
 
If anyone has a picture of the team after we won our bracket I'd love to have it. If it is good enough I'll send it into the democrat to get more press for our team.
 
I'll be in touch as we get closer to school and move through the fall. We will start open mat sessions back up again in late September to allow time for everyone to get back into a routine academically. For now, concentrate on your fall sports, relaxing, and getting our school work done that was assigned this summer. I'm sure most of us have assigned work due the 1st few days of class.
 
The only reminder for now is to get physicals scheduled during this fall before our season starts. This is now the 2nd year where DV does not provide them so hopefully we into are into a routine with this. If you are playing a fall sport you are probably OK, but you should check to see if you have had a physical 1 calendar year prior to the start of practice (the day after Thanksgiving). The attached forms need to be filled out as part of the process.
 
As always, e-mail or call me if you have any questions.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling
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July 26th Update

DV Wrestling Family,
 
823 bouts. That is a very impressive number and I'm proud of all the work this team has put in this summer. We have already wrestled more off season bouts that in any other time in our history and we still have 1000 islands to go. We are certainly getting the job done on the mats this offseason.
 
Last week was a great week with Rutgers and our dual tournament at Raritan. After wrestling about 370 matches at Rutgers, 17 guys got up and wrestled 5 more bouts on Saturday. We finished 3-2 on the day and have several guys making breakthroughs on the mat. We also have 2 wrestlers finishing up memorable trips to Fargo and Europe for some great competition. It's been fun to keep track of all this wrestling we've done the past few weeks!
 
Regarding 1000 islands, we will have a meeting for the 32 DV wrestlers making the trip after the Tuesday workout. We are asking at least 1 parent of each wrestler to attend. We will keep it brief and it will be right after the workout at 7:30 in the back of the wrestling room. If you can not make it let me know and I'll get you the important information we talk about during the meeting.
 
I have also attached the permission form that needs to be turned in prior to weighins next week at 1000 islands. Please hand these into me at any workout prior to us leaving next week.
 
That's all for now.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling
908-319-3687
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July 15th Update

DV Wrestling Family,
 
Just a few reminders as we complete our clinic tonight.
 
1) DV Wrestling Picnic -  Saturday is our 2nd annual DV Wrestling picnic from 1-6 at Kingwood park. All DV wrestling families, supporters, alumni and friends are welcome. Each family is asked to bring a dish to the picnic. Last year was a great event and I'm looking forward to the day. Even if you are busy during the day, just stop by to say hi during the afternoon.
 
2) Rutgers - Registration for Rutgers is at 11:00 on Sunday for our team. They have asked us to be there 15 minutes early at 10:45.
***Do not mail anything in at this point if you owe any money. You should bring it with you next Sunday and they are only accepting cash or money orders at this point. They are not accepting personal checks.
***You will need to bring with you an $80 check (yes, can be a personal check) made out to Scarlet Knights Wrestling Camps as a deposit on the rooms. Once each camper's room key is returned and the room is cleared (undamaged), the $80 check will be returned to you.
***Location: Registration for Team Camp will be held at the Quads on the Livingston Campus.  The Quads are conveniently located across the street from the RAC (Louis Brown Athletic Center).  The RAC is located at Davidson Rd Piscataway, NJ 08854.

DV Wrestling Family,
 
What a great start to our summer program. We had packed rooms both nights this week and took 23 wrestlers with us to the Hunterdon Duals. Our team finished at 4-1, placing 3rd out of the 16 teams entered in the event. We wrestled a total of 90 bouts on Saturday, going 50 and 40 on the day. The lone 39-22 loss to PBurg (who won the event) was a good match and will benefit us in the long run.
 
This Saturday we have our 2nd of 4 summer dual meet events at Raritan high school. We have less flexibility at this event then we did this weekend, but we're going to try and get the guys as many matches as possible. After this weekend we have a break from our team events, although I know different groups of guys may be going to individual tournaments. Specifically, there is a nice round robin event on July 10th some wrestlers plan on attending. If you are traveling to any event, let us know and bring a friend. We are all in this together and the better everyone gets the better we will be as a team.
 
Finally, remember that this week is critical in the classrooms. Finals are next week and teachers will be reviewing for most or all of the week. Make sure you pay attention and ask questions. We want to finish the year strong in the classrooms.
 
Reminders for this week
1) Coach Scott Goodale from Rutgers University is coming in on Tuesday, June 15th. It should be a great workout and I'm hoping to pack the room. For those of you going to Rutgers for camp, let's try and give him as many payments as possible. We have until the end of the month if you need to wait though. Just keep me in the loop.
 
2) We are working on setting up our DV clinic. Thanks to those of you who have e-mailed me about sponsoring the event. For those who are still interested, there is still time if you want to get in. Just let me know. Also, we always have snacks/drinks at the end of each of the 4 nights for the campers. If there is a family who has the ability to donate these, please e-mail me.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling
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May 30th Update

DV Wrestling Family,
 
Well, I'm in the middle of a nice memorial day weekend and I trust you are enjoying yours as much as I am. There's nothing like a nice break in the routine and I'm taking advantage of the time for a little swimming/relaxing/grilling out. I got up early this morning to update you on a few things and then I'll go back to my relaxed mode.
 
The atmosphere at DV has been fun lately, ending with Field Day on Friday. Congrats to any Freshmen who were on the White Team, which won the event. It's time though with only 19 days left for our team to buckle down and finish strong in the classroom. Finals will be upon us soon so be proactive with your teachers and pay attention during the days of review. They are often very productive days and with lots of important information given out.
 
Here's the scoop on a few more items regarding our program.
 
1 - We have a DV Wrestling Foundation meeting on Tuesday, June 1st at DV. We are looking to fill the position of secretary for the upcoming year so if you are interested, please contact Joe Lucas (jlukas08825@yahoo.com) or myself for specifics on the position.
 
2 - The Hunterdon Duals are in need of parent volunteers to help out during the day. I don't think any one shift is too long and if your son is wrestling that day we could use the help to make the day run smoothly. If you have the ability to help on June 12th (concessions, tickets, etc..), let me know. The 4 schools from Hunterdon County are all chipping in to help the entire area get quality mat time. With 6 NJ place winners and 3 finalists from the county, I would say these duals are helping us get the job done. 
 
3 - We are in the process of purchasing summer team singlets for the 1st time. The intent is to look more like a team at these events and have fun with the sport. I worked with a company to design singlets to be used this summer in our events. We will have a set I will hand out for the summer events starting in July, but if you want to purchase one let me know. They are $70 (our cost, this is NOT a fundraiser) and I need to know by the end of the week (June 4th). The people who have seen them just love them and I attached the design to this message. Checks can be written to DVRHS for these singlets if you would like one to keep (I'll need your size also).

4 - All of the Rutgers payments are due at the end of June. With the Rutgers Coach coming in for a workout on June 15th, it would be easy to hand him as many final (or initial for new campers) payments as possible. We are hovering at about 30 guys attending the camp, which is just a tremendous number.
 
5 - We are in the process of getting our sponsors set for the DV Wrestling Clinic and Poster. If your business would like to be listed as a sponsor for the clinic or poster let me know.
 
That's all for now. Looking forward to a great summer and getting back in there starting on June 8th. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
DV Wrestling

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DV Wrestling Family,
 
Hope your spring is going well and you are getting outdoors as the weather warms up. I have enjoyed the spring myself and have taken on the role of "soccer dad", driving with my family to watch my daughter play travel soccer all over New Jersey. It seems with my daughter's team the most important thing is the post game hand clapping routine, but we are stepping up the level of competition and it has been great to watch.
 
I attached the day to day calendar for the 9 week summer program. Nothing has changed from the dates I gave in my last e-mail and we're ready to roll with this summer. I wanted to go over this schedule and the logic behind it.
 
1 - This is setup to allow for tremendous improvement heading into next year. The program is flexible and allows for the commitments everyone has. However, wrestling is a sport where you get out of it what you put into it. It is a fun and well thought out summer and this is where next year's team takes shape.
 
2 - The tournament lineups are always selected based upon several factors including expressed interest, time spent training in the summer, and seniority. You can let me know via e-mail, phone or just talking to me in the hallway what tournaments you will attend (lineups are being formed now!). We often have the ability to bring more than one wrestler at a weight and split bouts or get people on other teams during the day. Remember, we care about the NUMBER OF BOUTS WRESTLED, not wins and losses. With every bout wrestled the wrestlers are getting better.
 
3 - Those wrestlers who participate in 60% or more of the summer program are eligible to be in the 2010 promotional poster for next season (including incoming freshmen). You can ask about your status at any point during the summer. I'd love the entire team to be in the picture next year!
 
4 - Coach Goodale (Head coach of Rutgers Univ) is coming to run our workout on TUESDAY, JUNE 15th! Let's pack that wrestling room and show him how well things are going with DV wrestling.
 
5 - For the DV summer clinic, I have always asked for each wrestler to help with 2 nights during the week. You can pick the nights. Those wrestlers with the ability to give more will have bonus days credited towards the poster criteria. As always, the incoming freshmen are part of the camp as their last activity with the grade school team. Remember, Wednesday night is the night of the slip and slide!
 
6 - The Hunterdon Duals, our first event on June 12th, needs parent volunteers to help make it run. This an event which costs us NOTHING as the proceeds are put back into running the next event. John Johnson, who runs the event, is asking for parents to help with tickets, concessions, etc... during the day. Sounds like he has several shifts set up and it will not be the entire day. Please let me know if you are available to help out and I'll relay this to John.
 
7 - 1000 islands is the biggest event of the summer and the reward for all the wrestling we do as a team this summer. It is a great way to bond as a team and I can't wait to get back up there again. As always, the wrestlers in the event need to have been part of the summer program as we setup the lineups for the trip.
 
8 - Lastly, I feel great about where our program is at and the direction we are headed in. The guys are excited for the months to come and what we can accomplish next season. We have a large, talented eighth grade feeding into our program and with all the talent we have back we can accomplish many goals next year (think SECTIONAL TITLE). There is also an opportunity to hit 50 wrestlers on the team next year if we have just a few new wrestlers sign up. Keep talking to people and get them interested in our great sport. You are our best recruiters and together we can make this next season something special.
 
I'll be back in touch as the summer draws closer. Personally, I can't wait to get back in there starting June 8th and begin working towards that first event on June 12th. As always, please e-mail or call if you have any questions.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling

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DV Wrestling Family: Joe Lukas asked that I send out this e-mail for him in advance of the Tuesday night DV Foundation meeting. Hope all is well. Coach Fitz
 
Dear Parents:
   
    My name is Joe Lukas and I am the Vice President of the Delaware Valley Wrestling Foundation.  This e-mail is being sent out to explain the role of our foundation.  The foundation's purpose is to grow and support the sport of wrestling throughout the Delaware Valley community.  Through fundraising, event planning, and wrestling events we have been able to gain awareness for wrestling and thrive as an elite program throughout New Jersey.
    The Delaware Valley coaching staff is committed to providing a system of support that will aid you in the development of success for your child.  Our foundation will prosper with the aid of your help.  Every individual family that has a positive influence on our program will not only create momentum for the sport of wrestling but will also build a stronger community.  Furthermore, this will give your child an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy at Del Val by becoming a champion on and off the mat.
    In closing, I thank you for the time you have spent with the Del Val Wrestling program.  Your commitment has enabled the next generation of wrestlers to grow up in a positive environment.  These traits that you have shown are what the foundation needs so that the sport of wrestling can thrive within our community. Your presence at foundation meetings is deeply appreciated and I can guarantee 100% that the coaches for Del Val wrestling are committed to building your children into champions.  The foundation holds ten meetings throughout the year. You can find the dates of each meeting on the Internet via DelValWrestling.com.  Our next meeting is on May 4th where we will be taking nominations for our officers and voting for our scholarship recipient.  These positions include president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer.  Once we compile the nominations they will then be voted on during our meeting in June. Our scholarship recipient will be one of the senior wrestlers. 
 
"We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then is not an act but a habit." Aristotle
 
Sincerely,
 
Joe Lukas
Vice President - Delaware Valley Wrestling Foundation
joelukas@delvalwrestling.com

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DV Wrestling Family,
 
A huge thank you to everyone for participating in the raffle last weekend. For the first time as far as we can recall, all of the tickets were sold ahead of time and we did not have to sell any the night of the event. The dinner that night was a nice event and I am very thankful for all of your time and effort selling tickets. Thanks to all of you who helped sell or buy tickets for the Del Val Wrestling Foundation.
 
As always, the schedule slightly changes during the spring so I have some updates and reminders below.
 
1) RUTGERS - I am very pleased with the large turnout we have again going to this camp. The total number should be similar to the group we had last year. Again, this is the only event that the parents need to pay for during the summer. Anyone who pays in full by the end of April receives $20 store credit. In order to hit this date, I will be sending in the next round of applications on APRIL 26TH. If you choose to send it in directly, that is fine and just keep me in the loop. You can sign up or pay in full later than May 1st if you need to as this is not a deadline for the camp.
 
2) PEMBERTON - The 1 spring time event we annually enter is approaching on SUNDAY, MAY 9TH. As we always do, the program will select lineups based in part on participation in the off season program and wrestlers who have expressed interest in the event. We are looking forward to a good day and there are 6 dual meets waiting for us to wrestle. That's 84 bouts for those of you who are counting!
 
3) WORKOUTS - We will run workouts through the week of the Pemberton tournament and then we will take a 4 week break until Tuesday, JUNE 8TH. There are only 6 more workouts to go until the tournament. Again, spring workouts will end on MAY 6TH. 
 
I will send out my usual day to day finalized calendar for the summer within the next few weeks. For the summer, the 4 competition dates we are working on right now include those listed below. Again, the events below are sponsored by the Del Val Wrestling Foundation and are free (other than spending money) for the wrestlers. 
 
JUNE 12 @ Hunterdon Central for the Hunterdon Duals (16 TEAMS WILL BE THERE!)
JUNE 19 @ Raritan Duals
****June 26th has been cancelled due to the event moving to a bad date for us
JULY 24TH @ Raritan Duals #2
AUGUST 6-8 @ 1000 Islands Duals
 
As always, please e-mail me if you have any questions.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling

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DV Wrestling Family,
 
Hope all is well. Just a quick update for you in our final week before spring break.
 
1) RUTGERS CAMP - I am sending in the 1st round of applications to Rutgers at the end of the week. I will send in others towards the end of April when we get back from spring break, but I plan on sending in the nice group that I have already on Friday. Those of you paid in full by May 1st get $20 store credit at the camp. Once everyone who is going signs up, I'll go through and match up the guys for roommates.
 
2) RAFFLE TICKETS - Anyone with raffle tickets, sold or unsold, are asked to hand these in Thursday night, April 1st in the wrestling room during the workout. Foundation officers will be present to collect your tickets. The workout is from 6-7:30.
 
3) DINNER - All are welcome on April 10th from 7:00 to 9:30 at the Milford firehouse for our annual dinner and raffle. Come and join the DV wrestling community for a night of fun and with your purchase of a raffle ticket, you have the chance to win several prizes, including the grand prize of $5000.
 
4) BOUTS - We are already up to 60 bouts wrestled this offseason which is a great number to hit before the end of March. Lots of guys are either attending the tuesday-thursday workouts, hitting weekend events or playing a spring sport (and some are doing more than 1 of these!). It's good to see the guys being active and having fun during the spring season.
 
5) 3RD MARKING PERIOD - Just an FYI, the 3rd marking period has been extended due to the snow days to Friday April 16th. This gives everyone one last big week when we get back from Spring break to finish up strong.
 
That's all for now. I'll be back in touch towards the end of April to update you on our progress. In the meantime, please contact me if you have any questions.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling

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Del Val Wrestling Community,
 
We just wrapped up our season and completed a very successful campaign. At 22-6 we tied the school record for wins set in 1990 and earned many accomplishments along the way. As a team we accomplished the following:
 
1st Place JFK Invitational
1st Place Goles Tournament at Warren Hills
5th Place in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex (18 teams involved)
2nd place in District 17
2nd Seed in Central Jersey Group II
 
More importantly, this was just a great group of guys to work with. They did everything we asked of them, including organizing Sunday runs they did together without the coaches. We also did well in the classroom, with 16 guys earning honor roll status during the 2nd marking period. Just to put this in perspective, we had 14 guys in marking period 1 earn this status. We did better in season than out of season, in spite of all the action we got on the mats. 
 
Down in Atlantic City, we had our 14th NJ state finalist when Bobby Stevely finished in 2nd place at 125 lbs. His amazing run through the state tournament was well deserved for a great kid who had a remarkable career for us. Bobby now has finished up his career in 3rd place in wins at Del Val with 123 wins. You can read all about his experience, dedication and work ethic on our web site at www.delvalwrestling.com
 
Things are looking good with the program overall. Our depth in the room is nice and more kids are putting in lots of time in the off-season. Last summer alone our high school program wrestled 779 bouts which set the groundwork for our successful 2009-10 campaign. We also have lots of talent in our feeder programs with some good people putting in lots of time for the benefit of everyone. The 8th grade alone had nine place winners in the league tournament 3 weeks ago, a number reached with the past five 8th grade classes combined.
 
Lastly, we are selling our annual raffle tickets for the Del Val Wrestling Foundation. They are $25 each and the grand prize winner will receive $5000. All of you are invited to a dinner at the Milford firehouse on the evening of April 10th where we will draw this and other prizes with this raffle. The Foundation has done a wonderful job sponsoring our off season activities and supports the entire program. This is a chance to help the DV Foundation do all that they do. If you are interested in buying a ticket(s), e-mail me or Joe Lucas at jlukas08825@yahoo.com . Joe is the Vice president of our foundation.
 
We appreciate all the support you have given the program over the years and look forward to accomplishing great things together as we move forward. I will keep you all posted as we progress through next year.
 
As always, e-mail or call me anytime if you have any questions.
 
See you on the mats,
Andy Fitz
Head Coach
Del Val Wrestling