Working toward victories on the mat

Nine hours doesn’t sound like an enormous amount of time, but Clarkston wrestling coach Joe DeGain, assistant Derek Moscovic and program volunteers made the most of it in last week’s Clarkston Wrestling camp at Clarkston High School.
The three-day, K-12 camp taught prospective wrestlers many maneuvers in the top, bottom and neutral positions. DeGain has been running the camp for all nine years since its inception, the first four while his father Mike DeGain was Clarkston’s coach.
The camp was designed ‘to give kids a place to wrestle in the summer,? DeGain said.
‘There was a demand for it. It’s hard to get them on the mats without a commitment. When it’s set in stone, they like to come.
‘For only nine hours, I feel like we covered a lot of information,? he said.
DeGain estimated about 100 kids were enrolled in the camp, up from near 70.
Teaching students proper positioning was a big part of the lesson plan, DeGain said.
‘No matter what move you show them, it doesn’t matter without positioning.?
The camp is pivotal to Clarkston’s program, helping kids get familiar with the high school stage.