Promoting Our Wrestlers

Last year, in an effort to recognize and promote the hard work and accomplishments of the Bullet Wrestling team, a Bullet Wrestling facebook and this blog were started.  We are continuing those efforts and expanding into some new areas.

As a member of the Bullet Wrestling community, you also play a significant role in promoting our Bullet Wrestling team and the sport of wrestling.  Here is how you can help:

• Check the blog for frequent updates.  http://thematslap.blogspot.com/ .  The blog generally contains more in-depth information and/or analysis. Mark it as a favorite in your Internet Browser.   Information about our schedule, sponsors and rosters also get posted here.  Please share the link with friends and family.  Guest writers are welcome.

• Follow Bullet Wrestling on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/BrandywineHeightsWrestling Like and Share the facebook posts with your friends.  Encourage your friends to Like the Bullet Wrestling Facebook page.   Facebook posts are generally short in nature and we try to include video and photographs here. 

• Follow @BulletWrestling on Twitter. https://twitter.com/bulletwrestling  Encourage your friends to follow us.  Retweet Bullet Wrestling tweets.   Twitter is popular with high school and college students.  It is also an easy way to provide live scoring updates if you can’t make a match.

• Our Instagram account is probably the least developed but it is very popular with high school kids.  http://instagram.com/bulletwrestling

The ultimate goal is to pack the gym at home tournaments and matches and attract youth wrestlers to the sport.  Wrestlers work hard!  Wrestlers are performers! They deserve this recognition in the school and in the community.

Thanks for your help.

Rippey's Challenge

Besides looking forward to the Bullet Invitational, you know it is wrestling season when you look forward to Brian Rippey's predictions in the Reading Eagle.  Just like rules, predictions by Rippey are made to be broken.  This year Rippey comments on how the power in Berks wrestling is shifting to the big schools.  Since 2011 it seems that either Governor Mifflin or Wilson has won the Berks title.  These large schools definitely have opportunities that a smaller school wouldn't have, mainly a lot of kids to fill the 14 weight class slots and a football program to help feed the upper weights. However, this might be considered an excuse by some since the five years prior to 2011, the Berks title was shared by either the Bullets of BHHS or the Panthers of Schuylkill Valley. And in reality, you only need 14 wrestlers, not entire offensive and defensive lines.

Did Rippey just openly challenge the smaller schools in Berks county?

Early this week, Coach Sam Lovello indicated we might have two forfeits in the line-up.  Even Sam admitted that this will hurt the Bullet's chances, especially against a "Wilson" who has 4 returning Berks champions and took 4th place at the District 3 tournament last year.  How does a program fight off their back in this situation?  Unfortunately, there are no quick answers to two open weight classes.  

This kind of problem requires a "system" approach.  It requires all levels (elementary, middle school and high school) to be working together to address the needs of the wrestlers.  It needs the support and understanding from school administrators, the community and the alumni wrestlers. The good news is that our Bullet Wrestling program understands this and are already working on solutions to keep at least 14 wrestlers on the mat every season.   

Anyone who knows a good wrestler, knows that he is an extremely competitive person.  They are scrappers and rarely back down from a challenge.  They find ways to win.  Good wrestling programs, just like that wrestler, are competitive too. I guarantee Bullet Wrestling will not be backing down from Rippey's challenge to take back the wrestling power in Berks.     

Click here for the full preview <<<< Rippey's Preview - Berks Wrestling

The Bullet Invitational

On Saturday, December 7, the Bullets will be hosting 11 other teams at the Bullet Invitational.  Wrestling is slated to begin at 9:30 am and it is guaranteed there will be some hard fought matches.  After all, there is only one chance to have a perfect record and it all starts at these early season tournaments.  Over the years, many Bullet Wrestlers have found themselves standing on the top podium.  Our own Coach Adam was a 3X champion himself.  Last year seven of our wrestlers earned medals.

In an interview with Coach Adam this week, he remembered back to when he wrestled in this tournament.  His memories and comments help describe what makes the sport of wrestling and this program so special.  21 years later, Coach Adam is still remembering how his team made it possible for another team to compete at the tournament by hosting them at their homes.  More than likely, some of those wrestlers might have had to compete against each other the following day.  It is not like a wrestlers to take the easy way out of things.  They would rather compete than take a bye.  

Come out on Saturday and help support another generation of wrestlers.  We are hoping that a few of them come away undefeated, more come away with medals and all of them come away with a memory that will last at least 21 years.

Lovello's Encore

Last year Coach Lovello reached 500 career wins, coached a PIAA State Champion and was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.  Watch the video to learn how the team is shaping up this season and how he is planning to top last year! Go Bullets Go.

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Is It Too Soon to Be Excited?

When is it too soon to get started thinking about the 2013-2014 High School Wrestling Season?  Do we have to wait until Halloween?  Not this blogger.  College wrestling has already started their official practices and they are counting down the days to the first competition in November.  High school wrestling starts up almost a month later but thinking about how the Bullet Wrestlers will fair this year is top of mind...especially after seeing this YouTube video by our strength trainer extraordinaire, Dane Miller.  The video features Bullet Wrestler Dan Schmeck.  Dan has been working hard on summer, lifting consistently at "the Garage".  I think when you watch the video, you will agree that his hard work is paying off.  Most Sundays, Dan can also be found in the Lehigh University wrestling room.  He has also been wrestling some pre-season tournaments with Steel Mat Club and went 4-1 a few weeks ago.  This Bullet Wrestler is not afraid of hard work.

See the YouTube video here>>> Schmeck Doing Work 

Does Clothing Make the Wrestler?

Considering the long history of wrestling, dating back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, the singlet is a relatively modern invention.  Statues and drawings from ancient times show the wrestlers only scantily clad, if that.  Thankfully, somewhere between the ancient times and the 1920 wrestlers started to wear clothes.  By the 30’s most amateur wrestlers sported full length tights and something called an outside supporter called a "black tom".

The next evolution took place between the mid 30’s through WWII.  The outside supporter was replaced with trunks.  Shirts were still optional, mostly depending upon where you were wrestling.  Most east coast teams, donned the shirt while the mid-west teams like Oklahoma State, went shirtless.  For dual meets where an east coast team would be wrestling against a mid-west team, it was the home team who got to determine if it was skins or shirts.  It wasn’t until 1966 that the NCAA actually required the 3 piece uniform which included the trunk, tights and shirts.  No more shirt-less dual meets.  (Is this when our attendance started to drop?  And we blame Title IX.)

US amateur wrestlers were introduced to the one-piece wrestling singlet at the Rome Olympics in 1960 however the singlet didn’t hit collegiate and high school wrestling rooms until the 70’s.  Bullet wrestlers first started wearing the one-piece singlet over tights in the 1974 yearbook.  It wasn’t until the 1986 yearbook that the tights totally disappeared from the pictures and we were left with the current look. 

While singlet styles change slightly from year to year, there have not been any big changes for almost 30 years.  Is there a need for a change and what would we change it to?  Are there any advantages to changing the singlet from the fan or the wrestlers’ perspective?  Would it help us grow wrestling?

Take our poll.  Leave a comment.  Looking to hear some comments on this one.

What Are You Going to Do?

The beauty of wrestling and one of the reasons some find it a bit tough to consider participating in is that each match is an extremely intense one-on-one battle. It’s a, sometimes brutal, relentless, back and forth, physically demanding, seemingly life or death struggle. While lasting only minutes it demands all you have. One wrong decision or faltering might lead to disaster. Pinned…counting ceiling tiles! No points for your team, SIX for theirs! Total devastation! Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! Hours of practice culminating in failure. There is no one to point the finger at. No one dropped your perfectly thrown pass or made the error on the throw to home plate. It was you…score or scored on, won or lost. What are you going to do? Blame your coach? (He should have taken Top!) Blame the ref? (That was 2!!) Call your mom? Complain about needing better partners in the wrestling room? In the end it’s all on YOU! So, what are you gonna do? Cry about it or get to work?

The smart wrestler who has learned to take the right lessons from each practice, drill, match, coach’s or parent’s sermon always should come to the conclusion that there is no one to blame…even himself. Blame is beside the point. Blame has nothing to do with it. The answer must be found though. The question is what needs to be changed and how will I do it? Figure that out, get to work and improve. Very simple. This is what can be learned from wrestling, incremental improvement through practice. The smart wrestler, win or lose, walks off the mat wiser and better for the experience. Continuous improvement…there’s always more to learn.

A focused and coachable wrestler will also learn that a coach, parent, teammate or even a videotape can be the key objective view needed to help analyze and find that next area to work on. The thing about wrestling is there will always be something more to improve, some aspect of the sport to understand better, a strategy or tactic to master. One thing for sure is there will be plenty of people to help but at the match when you hit the mat, it is all on you.

So, what are you going to do?

What Can We Learn From Wrestling?

Is it possible that a sport with armbars, cradles and double legs can teach us anything about life? Is there anything to be learned counting down the seconds in a neck bridge while your opponent is trying to capture the pin in the last seconds? Some might use the thought of a neck bridge as a reason to avoid the sport of wrestling, others know that there are valuable life lessons to be learned on the mat.

Mike Riordan, an ex-college wrestler, HS coach and sports writer for the Bloody Elbow and Intermat, recently wrote about how wrestling teaches us perseverance. Here is an excerpt:

The beauty of wrestling lies in the precious lessons it teaches us about life. In wrestling we learn to deal with extreme pain and heartbreak, and to keep on going. When I was coaching, I remember a conversation I had with an athlete I coached after he quit at the end of a match to get eliminated at a big tournament. I asked him why he gave up.  He said, "I didn't want to give up Coach, but he kept punching me in the nuts, you and the ref couldn't see."

I responded, "I understand, and he shouldn't have done that, but remember, one day life is going to punch you in the nuts a million times harder than that kid, and you won't have the option of lying there on the mat."

Using this moment to impart one of wrestling’s greatest lessons was pure coaching genius!

While no one likes to see their favorite wrestler loose a match, everyone wants them to succeed off the mat, where it really counts. Surviving a cradle or holding off a pin in the final seconds can help prepare us for real life trials and challenges.

Why Wrestle? Part 1

When the sport of wrestling was put in “wrestling purgatory” last February, many former and current wrestlers and coaches attempted to articulate why the sport should be saved by the International Olympic Committee. Some of these posts were humorous, others more introspective. All of them have been thought provoking. Regardless of your own experience with the sport, these pieces provide a good framework to introduce our sport to others, including the parents of potential wrestlers.

There is a piece on the FILA website written by Alexander Karelin. The name was not a familiar one but his picture next to his piece showed that he must have been one beast of a wrestler. Some of you might know Alexander better by his nickname “the Russian Bear.” Come to find out, the Russian Bear does have a few credentials…he went undefeated in international competitions for thirteen years, winning twelve European, nine World Championships, and three Olympic Games. The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles named Karelin the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of the 20th century. Pretty tough guy, right?

Looking at this monumental 6-feet-4-inches tall man, one might think he’s always been a wrestler, though he took up the sport relatively late – at the age of 13 – and didn’t enjoy it at first. At 15, when Alexander competed in a junior tournament in his native city of Novosibirsk, his right leg snapped. “My mother cried,” Karelin recalled. “She burned my wrestling uniform and insisted I quit. But as I recovered, I felt that I couldn’t leave the sport to which I’d ‘given’ my leg. Wrestling made me self-sufficient,” he said.

Wrestlers sometimes have unfairly gotten the reputation of being a bunch of thugs or knuckleheads, of being more brawn than brains.  Looking at Karelin’s profile picture the same might be said about him. But reading his piece, you definitely see another side of Karelin. He references classic literature and poetry. He is eloquent and articulate, albeit, brief. He talks about how wrestling give purpose and confidence to teen-agers, how it helps them set goals, teaches them to respect others and demand more of themselves. Character traits all parents hope their children will develop to carry them happily through life.

Mostly though, Karelin shows us that the wrestler cannot be gauged by his outward appearance. It’s what is in his heart and mind that make a true wrestling champion.

Please read his entire piece on the FILA website.

http://www.fila-official.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1059%3Aa-rhetorical-question--why-wrestling&catid=60%3Aactualite&Itemid=100235&lang=en

Note: This will be an on-going series. Email bulletmatclub@gmail.com if you would like to be a guest blogger and write a piece about the benefits of wrestling.

Ready To Go

The Bullet Mat Slap has awakened and is ready to go for the 2013-2014 Season.

Bullet Wrestling has had a lot to celebrate since the last post on March 6, 2013. Three days later Bullet Wrestling had its second state champ, Peter Renda and Adam Mackie, having lost a close semi-final match, brought home 3rd. These achievements had both the school and community beaming with pride. Following up his 500th win earlier in the season, Coach Sam Lovello was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April, 2013. Bullet Wrestling, having added several more entries to its fine history, appears to have no interest in living on its laurels. As we head toward the start of the 2013-14 season we look forward to the accomplishments of present and future Bullet wrestlers.

On September 8, 2013 the wrestling community celebrated the IOC’s vote to keep wrestling in the Olympics through 2024. It was a bitter sweet victory but there is a bigger lesson here that the Bullet Wrestling community should reflect upon.

Much has been written about the arrogance of FILA and how it may have led to the February decision to eliminate wrestling as a core sport. The new FILA president, Nenad Lalovic said, “I don't blame the IOC. The guilt is only ours.” The Serb said it became clear that FILA had failed to modernize the sport and had fallen out of touch with the IOC. "That was the best shock therapy,'' Lalovic said. “When you fall into such a crisis, you either die or you recover. We recovered.''

In the end, wrestling not only recovered but is stronger than before. FILA revamped its structure, giving women and athletes a role in decision making. It added two weight classes for women. It adopted rule changes to make the sport easier to understand and more fun to watch, and to reward more aggressive wrestling. During this campaign FILA made a monumental effort to promote their sport through social media (Save Olympic Wrestling and Take A Stance campaigns). Join 100,000 FILA facebook fans and follow the newly created World Wrestling Rankings. You’ll be beaming with USA pride when you see Jordan Borroughs at the top.

Today, with only 64 days until the first day of high school wrestling, it is hard to imagine the Bullet Wrestling tradition not continuing. I am sure FILA thought the same prior to February. In an age of dwindling high school funds, let’s not assume all is well. We need constant and increased support for our high school wrestlers. More fans and more funds are needed to sustain our storied history. Everyone can help. Mark this website as a favorite. Be a guest sports writer here to help define what makes wrestling different than other sports. Like the Bullet Wrestling fan page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Come to Bullet Wrestling matches. Tell our school board how wrestling has made a difference in your life. Most of all, when you see a Bullet Wrestler, whether young or old, welcome them into the Bullet Wrestling Community.

Re-Match Possibility?

Adam Mackie had a memorable pin in the Regional tournament final against Steve Loiseau.  We were lucky that team photographer, Shawn Sterner caught it on record!  He is definitely pinned!  Any re-match between the pair will be in the finals at the State Tournament since they are seeded in opposite sides of the bracket.  Loiseau will have to get past undefeated Dakota DesLauriers before he can have his chance at Mackie again.

Let's all try to figure out how to pronounce these names before the Tournament starts.  Why can't everyone have easy names to pronounce like Renda and Mackie?

The Beginning of the End

Today Mackie and Renda drilled with the Johnson's duo (Marcus and Jan) at Governor Mifflin.  Bullet Wrestlers are heading out to Hershey tonight to avoid any snow-related issues.  They will get a chance to drill tomorrow at the Giant Center and then the tournament begins at 9am on Thursday.  If you can't make it out to Hershey, there are a few sites you might be able to get updates.  If you have a twitter account, try following @BulletAthletics.  This is the twitter account for the school and hopefully our AD will be providing updates along the way.  Another possibility is PennLive (http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com). They were updating brackets last week fairly quickly.  Flowrestling may have live video coverage but  you will probably have to pay to watch.  Best idea is to come out to Hershey and see it live!  Let's enjoy the last of Pete and Adam's high school matches.

Best of Luck to both wrestlers!

Bullets Get Some Good Press

Congrats to Adam and Pete.  Getting a lot of well-deserved press this week.

From the Reading Eagle

From the Patriot News

From the Kutztown Patriot

From Channel 69

Did They Tie the Record?

According to the unofficial history of Bullet Wrestling, the most Regional Champions we ever crowned was two, back when Joey Lovello and Anthony Corpora were both champs. The Regional Tournament was started in 1999.  Prior to that wrestlers went straight from Districts to States.

So Pete and Adam make it into the history books by tying the record.  Looking for them to create more Bullet history this week.  Good Luck men.

Gotta Love These Bullets

Bullet Wrestlers after the tournament and ready to head home. Great grit, determination and sportsmanship shown by all this weekend. Bullets move forward no matter win or loose. Go Bullets Go.

Sectional Pictures

Some intense expressions in these pictures. We need Bullet Wrestlers to bring this same drive, intensity and motivation to the three weekends of wrestling.  Looking forward to it all.

It's Not About Where You Have Been

A video for and about our 7 District Qualifiers.  Hope it gets everyone excited for great possibilities this weekend.  Enjoy.

Wrestle 'til the End

Sectional Results

 Seven Bullet Wrestlers will be competing at the District 3 Tournament next weekend in Hershey.  There were three Bullet champions today, all right in a row.  Cole Swackhamer at 160 lbs started it off, Pete Renda, at 170 lbs, kept it going and Adam Mackie, at 182 lbs, made it 3 in a row.  Dan Schmeck and Hunter Gimbor took 3rd place and both Lucas Reichard and Collin Conrad took 6th.  Adam Mackie earns Outstanding Wrestler after defeating another undefeated wrestler in finals.  Congratulations to all wrestlers.  There were some close hard fought matches today.

Sectional Champs!

Heading to Districts

Renda Heading to NC State - Take 2

Pete Renda and fellow BHHS senior Nina Klein were recognized today by Channel 69 for their intentions to play Division 1 athletics.  Nina Klein will head to the University of Connecticut to play field hockey.  As for Renda, he will be a Wolfpack member at North Carolina State University wrestling for Coach Popolizio.  Nice representation at the signing by fellow teammates, Coach Lovello, Athletic Director Bobby Kurzweg and Superindendent Handler.  Gotta love the support for Bullet Wrestling.  GBG.

The Man in the Arena

Great quote from Teddy Roosevelt (seen on the Garage Strength facebook page)...

 "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."

 Bullet wrestlers shall not be among the cold and timid souls! GBG

Jr High Wilson Tourney

Some of Our Future State Champs

Wrestling: the art of war

Mark Rappo is a senior wrestling for the University of Penn.  He is currently ranked 20th in the nation at 125 lbs.  His article, Wrestling: the art of War, was published last week in The Daily Pennsylvanian.  Rappo does a great job of describing what motivates him on a daily basis to compete in a grueling and demanding sport he was been doing since he was 5.  Whether or not it portrays the motives of all wrestlers, you can be the judge of that.

Enjoy.

Wrestling: the art of war by Mark Rappo

Thank You Sterners

New photos are available from our match against Governor Mifflin in the County Team Tournament and against Columbia in the last dual of the season. Thanks goes out to Shawn and Kim Sterner. Shawn is an ex-wrestler from Hamburg who now coaches for the Bullet Mat Club where his young sons are now wrestling. Both must have a great eye for a great wrestling pictures. The Bullet fans always like pictures that depict the strength, determination and spirit of our wrestlers. GBG.

Future Film Makers Document Bullet Wrestling

Alli Sterner and Olivia Schmeck have produced their first documentary highlighting a few of our Bullet Wrestlers and their aspirations for the post season wrestling.  Alli and Olivia are no strangers to wrestling, both coming from  "wrestling-centric" families.  Bullet Wrestling has some great fans and we are grateful that these two chose Bullet Wrestling as the subject of their documentary.  Keep up the good work.  We look forward to their next edition.

Laudation for Lovello

Nice article in the Reading Eagle recognizing our very own Coach Lovello!  Please check it out.

Sam Lovello: More than a Coach

The Mat Slap for a Reason

Well, this isn't called The Bullet Mat Slap for nothing!  According to the statistics kept at NWCAONLINE.com, our Bullet wrestlers earned a total of 118 pins during the dual meet season.  Given we only have 14 wrestlers on the team, that is very pretty impressive.  The pack is lead by Renda (21 falls), Schmeck (20 falls) and Mackie (18).  Second-year wrestler Chris Langston and freshman Hunter Gimbor also had an impressive 10 pins each.  Keep it going slappers!

Langston gets the pin.

Show Your Support!

Anybody want to add to their Bullet Wrestling spirit wear?  We have a few sweatshirts for sale for $25.  Please email locoparentis1225@aol.com and let them know you want to be dressed for success at the State tournament!  Go Bullets Go.

Road to Hershey

Now that the Bullet dual season is over, the wrestlers’ focus shifts to the pursuit for an individual state title in Hershey. For our fans new to wrestling, here is a summary of how wrestlers move on at each step.

PA is divided into 4 regions.  We are in the South East region which is comprised of District 1, 3, and 11.  We are in District 3. District 1 is close to Philly and District 11 is the Lehigh Valley area.   Geographically speaking, District 3 covers Berks County west toward Harrisburg and south toward the Maryland border.  There are 26 AA schools in District 3.  District 3 is split into 2 Sections, 13 schools in each.

This year the Sectional Tournament will be held at Hamburg High School on February 16.  BHHS will be joined by Hamburg, Kutztown, SV, Tulpy, Wyo, Annville-Cleona, Columbia. ELCO, Lancaster Catholic, Northern Lebanon, Pequa Valley and Bishop McDevitt high schools.  It’s a one day tournament and session 1 starts at 10:30am.  The top 6 wrestlers in each weight class advance to the District 3 tourney.

The District 3 tournament is always held in Hershey at the Old Arena.  Wrestling will start at 10am on Friday, February 22 and the champions are crowned on day 2, February 23.  All 16 District 3 schools that had wrestlers qualify will be represented.  It is a two day tournament with the top 5 wrestlers moving to the Regional Tournament. 

The Regional Tournament will be held at Wilson High School in Reading on March 1 and 2nd.  All qualifying wrestlers from District 1, 3 and 11 will be represented at the tournament.  The top 5 wrestlers from each weight class get to move on to the State Tournament in Hershey.  The size and the number of schools in the region determines how many wrestlers get to advance to the State tournament.  The South East Region gets to send the top 5 wrestlers from each weight class.

What a road but well worth the time to travel it.  GBG.

Thank You Alumni

Just a quick thanks to all the Alumni who came out for today's match against Columbia.  It looks like we had 52 Wrestling Alumni and Coaches attend the event.  We had 3 former wrestlers, Tom Weller, Nevin Behm and Jack Koehler, who all wrestled on the first team, before it was sanctioned by PIAA.  All decades were well represented however, the decades with the most wrestlers present was 1960 and 2000, each with 10 wrestlers present.  Given that nearly 400 wrestlers have come through the program, everyone needs to bring at least one more alumni wrestler to the festivities next year!  

Get connected.  Stay connected.  Cheers to 50 more years of Bullet Wrestling.

50 Years of Wrestling and Friendships

Today the Bullet Wrestling community celebrated 50 years of wrestling.  Back in 1962, wrestling was sanctioned by the PIAA as an official varsity sport.  The coach of the 1962 team, Carmine Panella, along with 50 Alumni and coaches were present for today's match against Columbia.  As the alumni were escorted in by some of of our youngest wrestlers from the BMC, each alumni's name was read.  Later on during the reception, individuals were recognized for being in the Hall of Fame, winning a State medal or being in the 100 wins club.  Brandywine holds the record with 31 former wrestlers with 100 plus wins!  Great friendships  were celebrated today.  Many victories were re-lived.

Coach Sam Lovello's 500th win earlier this year was recognized at the match when Athletic Director, Bobby Kurzweg awarded Coach Lovello a beautiful plaque commemorating the milestone.  Coach Lovello's son, also an Alumni, made a special award to his father.  The fans, including the Alumni, gave Coach a standing ovation.

The Bullets easily beat today's opponent ending the season with a 12-7 record.  (Wednesday's match against Governor Mifflin was cancelled.)  The team will now start preparing for the long road to the State Tournament in Hershey on March 7, 8, and 9th.  Starting Saturday, February 16, the Bullets will be wrestling every Saturday until the State Championships.  Check back often for updates.

Betty Gerlach was instrumental in bringing wrestling to
BHHS in 1960.

Hall of Famers
George Cherrie '78, Rick Hillegass '67, Robert Van Syckle '64, Sam Lovello, and Bruce Herman '80.

Previous State Medalists

Are Wrestler's Just Like Everbody Else?

Are wrestler's just like everybody else?  What makes them different from other athletes?  Jake Herbert, 2012 Olympian, gives his short explanation on what sets the wrestler apart from others.  Watch the video and feel free to comment.  Regardless of what you think, the video does a great job show casing the effort that a wrestler puts out.  Something every sports fan should appreciate.  

  

It's Good to Do Good

50 Years of Wrestling Celebration

Calling all  Brandywine Heights Bullet Wrestling Alumni and Coaches,

50 years of wrestling deserves celebrating!  Please be our honored guest and help us celebrate 50 Years of Bullet Wrestling on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 11:30am at the Brandywine Heights High School gym.

In 1962 the PIAA officially recognized Bullet wrestling as a varsity sport.  In the last 50 years, over 400 athletes have competed as a Bullet wrestler.  Throughout the past seasons, many pins have been scored, many opponents have been defeated, many conferences championships have been won and many medals have been awarded.  These victories have built a long and storied wrestling tradition that still stands strong today.  But our tradition has also been built by the discipline and courage that each athlete displayed no matter the win-loss record.   This is the tradition that was built by 400 tough, spirited, and disciplined wrestlers.  Wrestlers like yourself.  Bullet Wrestlers.

The goal is to have at least one member from every team from each of the last 50 years.  All alumni wrestlers attending will be recognized during a special ceremony prior to the wrestling match against Columbia.  There will be a reception in the cafeteria after the match.  Bring pictures, your medals and of course, any good Coach Lovello stories.

If possible, RSVP by:

Finding us on Facebook and joining the Alumni Match Event on Bullet Wrestling Facebook

Sending an email to locoparentis1225@aol.com

Calling 610-682-9923 and leave a message.

Outstanding Sponsor Award

Much thanks to Fenstermacher Construction for a very generous donation to the Bullet Mat Club.   Their donation has earned them the Outstanding Sponsor Award for the the 2013 season.  Fenstermacher Construction's donation along with our other sponsors' donations has made it possible to purchase new singlets, new sweatshirts, strength training and LVAC clinics.  Please check out our sponsor page.  Stop by one of their businesses and thank them.

Team sporting new sweatshirts compliments of our Sponsors!

Catchin' Up with Coach A

Coach A talks about the team's improvements,  the upcoming Oley match and head Coach Lovello.

District 3 Standings

The Bullets moved up in the District 3 Rankings after last weekend performance.  Bullets are now ranked 10th coming up 6 spots after last weekends performance.  Congratulations Bullets.  In order to advance in the District playoffs, the Bullets need to be in the top 8.  As of Jan 20th, both Schuylkill Valley and Hamburg were in the top 8 teams, while Wyomissing was listed at 12th.  For the entire list, click on the link below.  

 PIAA District 3 Team Rankings

FYI - Schedule Change

Just wanted to make sure everyone knows about the schedule change. The Oley match will be on Thursday, January 24 at 6:30pm at Oley Valley!

Weekend of Wrestling

500 Wins for Coach Lovello

Congratulations to Coach Sam Lovello on achieving an amazing 500 career wins yesterday at the Twin Valley Raider Duals.  He becomes only the 6th PA coach to have accomplished this.  Thanks to Coach for all the years of dedication and service to our high school team.  Imagine the number of  "teaching moments" in 37 years!

The Twin Valley Wrestling community did a great job of acknowledging this milestone, stopping the tournament to recognize Coach Lovello and award him a certificate and team picture.

The Bullets went 4-1 for the day losing only to James Coughlin High School in the final dual of the day 39-31.  Probably the most exciting match of the day was when the Bullets beat Twin Valley by 1 point, coming down to the last match.  Again, the Bullets showed a lot of heart during this match, especially junior wrestler Zach Sessions.

We went old school for Coach 500th win and dug out a photo from a SV match.   It shows the enthusiasm he still has for this sport, even after 500 wins and 37 years.

Bullets over Spartans by 1 Point

Bullets had a great night tonight with a BIG victory over Wyomissing.  After giving up a forfeit at 220 lbs, the Bullets trailed the entire dual match but pulled out the victory with 3 pins in the last 3 matches.  There were some herculean efforts made throughout the line-up.  Safe to say, everyone did what they needed to.   Coach Lovello got his 498th win tonight.  The fans loved it.

Lucas Reichard gets a quick pin to start the turn around.

Dan Schmeck working for the pin

Brandon Langston fighting for hand control

Chris Langston with the final pin of the night
that put the Bullets ahead by 1 pt to win the dual.

Senior Night Frivolity

We are going to miss these senior Managers and Wrestlers next year.

Senior Night Pomp

Last night the Past, Present and Future of Bullet Wrestling were honored in a short ceremony before the match.  

Our seniors, Chris Langston, Adam Mackie and Pete Renda  will too soon become part of our past as they move beyond their high school years as Bullet wrestlers.  Collectively they represent 26 years of dedication and hard work for our wrestling teams.  From the Bullet Mat Club to PIAA State Championship competition they have honored our school with their dedication, relentless striving and success.

Our high school team is our present.  Together they continue 50 years of Brandywine wrestling.  Whether working hard in the wrestling room or in competition they proudly continue our legacy of outstanding wrestling. At a school known to support and hold high this great sport they are our connection to our storied past and our hopes for a bright future.  

Similarly, the youth wrestlers of our Bullet Mat Club are our future.  They aspire to walk in the footsteps of our former wrestling greats and to go even further when their time comes.  For the oldest among them that is only three years away.  For the youngest it may be nine years.  When their time comes we will be here to cheer them on as well.  50 years of Bullet wrestling…are you kidding?  We’ve just begun!

GBG

Sam Lovello Earns National Hall of Fame Honor

Sam Lovello has earned the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award.  Congratulations Sam.  This is well-deserved!  Fans are looking forward to celebrating his 500th win in the upcoming days.  Read the full article in today's Reading Eagle.

Lovello Earns Hall of Fame Service Award

Sam's Corner - Number 3

Sam took some time to talk about the upcoming matches this week, in particular, the Schulykill Valley  matchup.  It should be a fun match.  Come on out!

Poll Results - Dan Gable

Almost 75% of our pollsters agreed!

Get the Word Out

If anybody reading this blog knows a Bullet Wrestling Alumni please let them know that we are celebrating 50 yrs of Bullet Wrestling and would like them to attend the wrestling match schedule for February 2, 2013 at Noon. Our hope is to have one wrestler from each of the fifty years that Bullet Wrestling has been recognized by the PIAA.  There will be a reception after the match and plenty of time to re-live the 'ol days.

Alumni should RSVP to the facebook event at Face Book Alumni Match

OR

send an email to locoparentis1225@aol.com, with the subject line as Alumni Match

It would be great to get all alumni out to celebrate 50 years!

Go Bullets Go.  GBG.

Our Champions

Hunter Gimbor - 106 lbs

Adam Mackie at 182 lbs

Pete Renda at 170 lbs

Senior Night

Hope to see everyone come out for Wednesday's match against Schuylkill Valley.  Our 3 seniors wrestlers will be recognized before the match.  The future of Bullet Wrestling will also be recognized.  Our elementary wrestlers will also be recognized!  Our senior wrestlers include Pete Renda, Chris Langston and Adam Mackie.

Go Bullets Go.  GBG.

Bullets Earn 6 Medals

The Bullet's hard work is only beginning to pay-off earning them 6 medals in this weekend's BCIAA Individual Tournament and 5th place in the team standings.  Freshman wrestler at 106 and fourth seed earned his first place medal pinning his opponent in the finals match.  Pete Renda scored a tech fall (16-0) against Schulykill Valley's Joey Waack in the finals match.  Adam Mackie easily controlled Marcus Johnson in his final's match (7-0) and also earned a first place medal for the Bullets.  Dan Schmeck lost a very close match in the semi-finals but dominated in the consolation bracket and took 3rd place.  Langston thrilled the fans with his close matches throughout the entire bracket and earned 5th place with a take down in the last seconds of the match.  Austin Weller earned his sixth place medal loosing in OT but showing tremendous fight and improvement.

All wrestlers are showing great improvement.  None of them are afraid of hard work.  Tough week ahead with matches against Schuylkill Valley on Wednesday and Wyomissing on Friday.

Enjoy the picture of the team and coaching staff celebrating after the tournament.  The person standing behind Coach Lovello is Kevin Oswald who will be helping the team out in the second half of the season.

Rippey's Believe It or Not - County Preview

Sorry this wasn't posted sooner.  Brian Rippey gives his preview of what to expect at this weekend's County Tournament.  Bullets have been working hard in the wrestling room and in the weight room this week.  Their work is going to start paying off.  

Wrestling starts at 5:30pm on Friday night at Reading High School.  

Click here for >> Rippey's Preview

Sam's Corner - Take 2

Another installment of Sam's Corner where he looked back at the Conrad Weiser match and looks forward to the Kutztown match on Wednesday.  It is always entertaining and insightful to hear directly from Coach Lovello so check out the video.

 

Recap Rap

Scouts, Bouts and Shouts

It had me nervous at the start,
We gave 18 for free.
To beat these guys will be an art,
Bonus points will be key.

The first Scout out was pretty stout,
Had 50 extra pounds.
Collin Conrad to Conrad Weiser,
First one's a Bullet bout.

That first pin just got us rollin
Our crowd got pretty loud
The Scout coach got obnoxious
Our fans just drowned him out.

Had some pins from likely suspects,
One win I really liked.
Kyle Caskie put the hammer down,
He teched and our score spiked.

Things got a little rowdy
Over a certain call.
Weiser got a big gift,
Luke wasn't pinned at all.

It started a commotion
A pow-wow there ensued.
It sparked a strong emotion,
As far as fans? We booed!

In the fray they said, "Dan stay!"
Just let us work this out first.
Once it had blown over
A few of us had cursed.

They had three wins and forfeits- two,

...that "pin" that wasn't real.

And when the dust had settled,

The winner was revealed.

It wasn't smooth, it wasn't pretty,

The 'zebra' stole the show.

But when it all was over,

twas really nice to know,

We had some points and they had fewer,

The side shows didn't kill it,

In the end the Bullets won,

The others had to chill it.

G-B-G  Go-Bullets-Go! 

Bullets Beat Scouts

Great match by all Bullet wrestlers last night against the Conrad Weiser Scouts.  Bullets won the match 38-34. The wrestling started at 285 lbs.  Collin Conrad wrestles up against the CW heavyweight who weighed in at 270 lbs.  A take down by Conrad got the crowd charged up and he pins his opponent in the first period.  Kyle Caskie stepped up tonight, wrestling in his first varsity match of the season and ended his match with a HUGE tech fall for the Bullets.  Check out the short highlight video of both matches.

Both teams had to endure some questionable calls.  Glad to see that it didn't interfere with quality wrestling or with the outcome of the match.

  

Shout Out to Kirby Heagy

Meet Bullet Manager Kirby Heagy.  Kirby has been a fan of Bullet wrestling since she was 10, attending matches to watch her cousins.  Her knowledge and interest in the sport is a HUGE asset to the team.  She can be seen at the scorer's table, taking video on the sidelines or  making sure the team is hydrated.  Organization is a key skill of Kirby's and both the coaches benefit from this attribute!  Thanks for all you do Kirby.  Read on to learn more about Kirby.

Q.  How many years have you been managing the Bullet Wrestling team?

A.  2 years!

Q.  What made you want to be a manager for the team?

A. I have been watching wrestling since I was little.  I figured if I was going to be at the matches, I might as well help out.

Q.  Did anyone in your family wrestle?

A.  Yes, my cousins Kyle and Mark Moser. 

Q.  What do you like most about being a manager for the team?

A.  I don't mind getting the guys anything they need, but my favorite would be just going along to all the matches and seeing the guys' hard work pay off.

Q.  What do you like most about the sport of wrestling?

A.  I like how it test your self control and how only certain people are cut out for the sport.

Q.  Do you play any sport?  

A.  Yes, I play soccer and field hockey.

Q.  Any good "coach" stories you want to share?

A.  I asked Coach Adam what I should write for this question and he said I should say that he is perfect and his name should be The Rock God.

Q.  If you were the coach, would the wrestlers be running more sprints or fewer sprints?

A.  Depends if they are nice to me or not. 

Q.  What is the best word or phrase to describe Bullet Wrestling?

A.  "Keeps you on your toes."

Bullet Boast - Adam Mackie

Meet senior wrestler Adam Mackie.  Adam has been wrestling since he could walk...well, probably even before that. Bullet fans love to watch Adam's explosive style of wrestling.  He goes BIG.  Fans are always entertained by his matches.  Picture below is Adam pinning his opponent, as usual.  Read on to learn more about Adam.

GBG.

Q.  How many years have you been wrestling? 

A.  12 yrs 

Q.  How did you get started in wrestling? 

A. My Siblings

Q.  What is your favorite wrestling memory or highlight? 

A.  Winning a State Medal.

Q.  What is your favorite food in-season? 

A.  Anything I want.

Q.  What is your favorite food out of season?

A.  Anything I want. 

Q.  What advice would you give an elementary school wrestler? 

A. Get out now....Just kidding.  Stay with it!

Q.  Why do you wrestle? What do you like about wrestling? 

A.  I like to win.

Q.  Do you have a goal for the season? 

A.  State Champ!

Q.  Best word or phrase to describe Bullet Wrestling? 

A.  Never surrender.

Rippey's Rankings - Jan 15

Congratulations to the Bullet Wrestlers who showed up today in the Berk's Wrestling Rankings.  Renda and Mackie both took the #1 spots at 170 lbs and 182 lbs, respectively.  Freshman wrestler, Hunter Gimbor is currently ranked #2 at 106 lbs behind Lucas Miller of Boyertown.

Looking forward to head-to-head competition of all the Berks wrestlers at the BCIAA Individual Tournament on January 11 and 12th.

GBG.  Go Bullets Go.

Where Have All the Fans Gone?

Twenty years ago in 1993, the Bullets wrestled the Oley Valley Lynx in front of a crowd of 2,900 enthusiastic fans at Kutztown University.  Not surprisingly, the Bullets overcame and conquered the Lynx in an awesome 36-24 victory.  That year the Bullet wrestlers went undefeated until they met Wilson and Cocalico in the final matches of the season.  Their overall record was 18-2.  Even considering the impressive stats for the team, this blogger  would not have believed the size of the crowd had I not read it in the 1993 BHHS yearbook and confirmed it with one of the wrestlers on the team, our own Coach A.

In 2013, our wrestlers are working just as hard as the wrestlers did in 1993.  What can be done to bring more fans out to our matches?


 

Bullet Boast - Coach A

Meet Assistant Coach Steve Adam.  A former Bullet wrestler himself, Coach A has been assisting Coach Lovello for 16 years!  Coach Adam is known for his latest gadgets, Call of Duty skills and putting together killer wrestling practices.  Read more below to learn what makes this coach tick.

Q.  How many years have you been wrestling?

A.  Since I could tie my own shoes.

Q.  How did you get started in wrestling?

A.  My father.  He got tired of me beating on him.

Q.  How long have you been coaching the Bullets?

A.  16 years.

Q.  What do you like about coaching high school wrestling?

A.  Seeing wrestlers get progressively better.

Q.  Do you have a favorite wrestling memory or moment?

A.  Having 3 wrestlers in the State Finals in one year and one of them being the first Bullet State Champion.

Q.  What is your favorite sport to watch besides wrestling?

A.  College Football

Q.  What is your favorite sports team?

A.  Philadelphia Flyers

Q.  What is your favorite food or restaurant?

A.  P. F. Changs

 

Conrad Weiser Scouting Report

Conrad Weiser is currently sporting a 7-5 record, loosing to Annville Cleona, Pine Grove, Dover, Hershey and Exeter.  Brian Rippey's earlier report this year said that "The Scouts will be solid in the upper weights but will need help in the middle to keep pace with the top teams."  In his scouting report, he mentions the following upper weights as contenders:

Dylan Dalton @160 lbs has 10-1 record this year,
Michael Picard @170 lbs with a 5-2 record,
Colby Aumon @195 lbs with a 13-2 record
Brandon Naverion @220 lbs with a 14-2 record this year.

Bullets will be training hard this week to take on the Scouts on Friday night at 6:30pm at BHHS.

Go Bullets Go (GBG)

 

Inspiration for 2013