A week before the Journeymen Classic, over 80 wrestlers prepared at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC) in Ithaca at a two-day training camp featuring numerous New York State champions and placers as well as out of state standouts.

“The training camp we had in September was a huge success,” said FLWC’s Kris Harrington. “It was a great training situation for everyone and it was nice to see the kids have success afterwards at the Journeymen Classic. Now, it’s time to gear up for the Freak Show and the Super 32. We’re trying to make these training camps a monthly occurrence now.”

The next one, which will be held October 17-18, has already reached capacity. Attendance is set to include New York’s Yianni Diakomihalis, Theo Powers, Kelan McKenna, Evan Barczak and Jack Buell as well as nationally-ranked wrestlers from out of state such as Ohio’s Ben Darmstadt and David Carr as well as Pennsylvania’s Brian Courtney.

Members of the Big Red team will be there as counselors, while coaches like Kyle Dake, Enock Francois, Nate Carr Jr. and Kris Harrington will be among those leading the event.

And this time, there will be another addition in the mix. Team USA Assistant National Greco-Roman Coach and Iranian Olympian Ahad Javansalehi will be there to offer an international perspective and more high level training.

“I’m absolutely very, very excited to be coming up to Ithaca,” said Javansalehi, who will be making the move in December to establish a Greco Roman program. “I look forward to participating and to getting to know the area and meeting everyone.”

While the opportunity to work with these wrestlers and coaches in October is no longer available due to full registration, FLWC announced that a similar camp will be held on November 21 and 22.

“The October one sold out so fast, we are excited to be holding another one in November,” Harrington said. “There will be one session on Saturday (4-6 p.m.) and then two in the morning on Sunday. It’s a great opportunity right before the season starts to grind out some good practices with really tough guys."

It's one of many events taking place in Ithaca that weekend. At the youth level, there will be the FLWC Fall Kickoff, which already has 18 K-8 teams as well as four girls teams signed up, according to Harrington. In addition, Cornell will open the 2015-16 campaign with a dual against Drexel before all of the more than 20 New York State college programs descend upon Ithaca for the NYS Intercollegiate championships.

"There will be so much going on," Harrington said. "It'll be a great weekend of wrestling."

Hank Jr. said it best “Family Tradition”

And like country music singers GRECO Wrestlers have always been a real close family

Traditions are behaviors and actions that you engage in again and again – regular rituals that you perform at the same time and/or in the same way. Traditions can be big or small, but they differ from routines and habits in that they are done with a specific purpose in mind and require thought and intentionality.

Traditions are important for teams, when done right they lend a certain magic, spirit and texture to the team. Traditions offer numerous benefits to our families, including but not limited to the fact that they:

Traditions and rituals often tell a story or at least get the conversation started. Tradition can teach where we came from, give insight into the culture and history of the program. Traditions can serve as reminders of events and experiences that have shaped the program.

Traditions, and the stories they tell play an important role in shaping the teams identity. There’s something about understanding your past and knowing you belong to something bigger than yourself that instills confidence.

Researchers have consistently found that families that engage in frequent traditions report stronger connection and unity than families that haven’t established rituals together. Traditions provide an all-too-rare chance for face-to-face interaction, help family members get to know and trust each other more intimately, and create a bond that comes from feeling that one is part of something unique and special. I would argue that teams are no different than families in this sense. It’s comforting to have a few constants in your life.

As the coach I want this generation of Greco wrestlers to know who their predecessors are and to get to know them. I also want the previous generation of Greco wrestlers to know and support the current athletes.

Traditions are a great way to cultivate that valuable involvement from the former generation.