Denise Coverly Paxton
Denise Coverly-Paxton and son Blake Boswell
Advice From A Wrestling Mom By Denise Coverley-Paxton
My journey is a bit unique as I grew up in a wrestling family.  My dad wrestled at the collegiate level and coached high school wrestling for 30 years.  I spent countless hours in the wrestling room rolling around on the mats and sitting in the stands on Wednesday nights cheering as a kid.  Friday and Saturdays from November to March were designated for wrestling tournaments.  I don’t remember falling in love with the sport of wrestling.  I have always loved wrestling
As a mom, my love of wrestling grew through watching my son and dad build a relationship with the strongest bond that no one could break.  Together they celebrated successes and worked through setbacks.  I remember the very first wrestling tournament my son participated in.  He was four years old wearing a t-shirt, cargo shorts, and tennis shoes.  We entered the season late and hadn’t had time to get any gear.  It was the day where my journey shifted from wrestling daughter to wrestling mom.  I now had to determine which type of wrestling mom I was going to be:  Introvert Mom, Spielberg Mom, Snack Mom, Proximity Mom, Mat Moms, Alexa Mom, Jungle Gym Mom, Jekyll & Hyde Mom.  I will let you use your imagination to define each.
With 54 years of experience entrenched in the world of wrestling, I have a few tips for wrestling moms:  Remember that every match your son or daughter competes in is 6 minutes.  Don’t let 6 minutes define successes and failures.  Their time on the mat is an opportunity to learn and improve.  It’s all about the journey. Don’t coach from the sidelines or after the match.  Your wrestler has a coach let the coach coach.  Your job as a mom is to support by cheering, celebrating, and wiping away tears and heart ache after a tough loss.  Speaking of cheering; Cheer from the stands for your wrestler just like you would cheer for their teammate.  There is nothing more embarrassing for an athlete or a team than an out of control parent in the stands.  Be sure that your son or daughter is proud to walk out of the gym side by side with you after the match is over.  Don’t sacrifice nutrition for the perfect weight class.  Your wrestler’s body will dictate the perfect weight class.  In order for wrestlers to compete at their best, their bodies must have proper nourishment.    With proper eating, hard work and discipline, the perfect weight class will find your wrestler.  Hungry wrestlers can’t perform well in the classroom or on the mat.  Hungry wrestlers are HANGRY humans.  Wrestling is the most difficult and demanding sport on the mind and body of an athlete.  It is important to find ways to allow for breaks for your wrestler.  Taking a weekend off during the youth wrestling season to do something fun as a family and encouraging off season training, but off the mat is important to support your wrestlers mental and physical health. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN.  Due to the close contact involved in the sport of wrestling brings the opportunity for staff infections, ringworm, and the usual colds and flues, having your wrestler shower after every meet or tournament, washing clothes, shoes, and disinfecting headgear and bags regularly is important to keeping not only your wrestler healthy but also their teammates and opponents.
The lessons learned while competing in the sport of wrestling cannot be learned anywhere else. The mental and physical demand, working through adversity, celebrating successes, teamwork and comradery, will help your wrestler build their character and carry that with them when facing the demands of adulthood. The biggest benefit from wrestling is belonging to the strongest community out there. The wrestling family supports wrestlers, families, and the community. Opponents on the mat, best friends off the mat. The best decision I made as a mom was supporting my son in the sport of wrestling from age 4 when he competed in his first tournament, to becoming a Nevada State Champion, and lastly earning All American as a collegiate wrestler. The accolades are celebrated, but the lessons are forever.