It was labeled as a media night, but it was much more than that. The intent of the evening was to invite youth wrestlers, parents, media and anyone who might be interested in learning about wrestling to come out and see what the club is all about.

Dennis Johnson, a longtime wrestling coach with over 20 years experience at Sheffield and Eisenhower combined, who now serves as the secretary of the club and currently is a board member, organized the evening’s activities.

“The event was put together to highlight the wrestling teams from Eisenhower and Warren and use those wrestlers to create an informative evening for youth wrestlers, parents and anyone who may be new to the sport to understand the basics of wrestling,” Johnson said.

The Kinzua Wrestling Club does things a little differently from your typical wrestling practice.

Warren’s and Eisenhower’s wrestling teams watch as the Knights Tucker Lindell and the Dragons’ Damien Sanchez square off at the Kinzua Wrestling Club earlier this week. Times Observer photo by Steve Younger

“We are striving to alter the competitive landscape in viewing an opponent as an enemy to one where the opponent is a partner in achieving excellence,” Johnson said. “For example, Warren and Eisenhower are focusing on their best efforts to make each other the best they can be by practicing together, even though they may meet against each other several times during the season.”

Johnson has studied youth sports and coaching development for the last 30 years and brings a wealth of experience to the club. He currently works as a consultant for the National Wrestling Coaches Association teaching CEO leadership skills to high school and college coaches and has conducted workshops in over 30 states. He wrestled collegiately at NCAA Division I Marshall University, served as the head cross country coach at Wingate University and holds a doctorate in exercise and sport science.

“One of the goals we have here is to not only introduce the sport of wrestling to as many young people as possible, but more importantly we want to use the club as a mentoring opportunity to teach the personal and social responsibility tenants of respect, best efforts, being self-directed and helping others,” Johnson said.

The evening began with wrestlers from both Warren and Eisenhower introducing themselves to the 20-25 youth wrestlers and parents who gathered. The student-athletes told the crowd their names and how long they had wrestled. Both schools had many first- or second-year wrestlers to go along with those who had 10-plus years of experience.

After the introductions, Johnson used wrestlers from both schools to demonstrate the very basics of wrestling holds and explained how points were earned in an actual match. The youth wrestlers had a brief meet-and-greet and an opportunity to have a picture with their favorite wrestler. After that, the high school teams left the mat and the youth wrestlers had their own practice.

“During the summer, the club has a high-school-age travel team and during the winter the club is open for anyone to train and learn more about the sport,” Johnson said. “We also provide an opportunity for an advanced workout one night a week for all county youth wrestlers. We usually have 30-35 wrestlers for that workout alone.”

The Kinzua Wrestling Club is open to anyone interested in wrestling or who would like to learn more about the sport. It is located at 200 Struthers St., in Warren.