Nebraska summer camps are a great Midwest training option for teams and wrestlers

By Craig Sesker

During his program’s run of five consecutive state championships, Coach Mike Schadwinkel knew exactly where his wrestlers would be headed every summer.

The University of Nebraska wrestling camps.

When Schadwinkel’s Grand Island High School teams ruled Class A in Nebraska, they benefited from their annual trips to Lincoln for camps with Husker coach Mark Manning and his team.

“Coach Manning and his staff were always so accommodating to my teams and I,” Schadwinkel said. “The camps were a great opportunity for us to wrestle against a lot of good teams from outside Nebraska at a fraction of the cost of other major Div. I camps. 

“Coach Manning, his staff and the post-collegiate stars deliver the technique and that means a lot. I always felt like they gave more access to their staff and superstars when at other camps the head coach might just make an appearance one day of the camp.”

That group of superstars at the Nebraska camps included Olympic gold medalist and four-time World champion Jordan Burroughs along with two-time World medalist James Green.

The Nebraska wrestling camps continue to provide excellent opportunities to help coaches and young wrestlers improve.

The Husker coaching staff will host three team camps in 2019 in addition to two specialized individual camps in June and July.

The 2019 team camps are scheduled to be held from June 10-14, June 17-21 and July 8-12.

Prep programs from Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Texas and Oklahoma have taken part in the team camps at the University of Nebraska.

Four high school teams ranked in the top 25 nationally attended the 2018 camp.

Burroughs, who has made eight straight World and Olympic teams since 2011, is scheduled to deliver a motivational talk to wrestlers at the team camps.

Nebraska is scheduled to hold a pair of individual camps for young wrestlers in June.

The takedown camp, open to wrestlers in seventh through 12th grade, will run from June 21-23. The takedown camp will help wrestlers better understand positioning, set-ups, counter offense and multiple attacks. Wrestlers will also drill and wrestle live while learning to compete at a high level.

Nebraska’s intensive camp, open to wrestlers 14-18 years old, is scheduled from June 10-21. That camp will give athletes a first-hand look and feel for what it takes to train at a championship level. Wrestlers will be pushed physically while learning how to develop the self-discipline and mental toughness it takes to be successful.

Manning has been hosting summer wrestling camps at Nebraska for nearly two decades since he was hired as the Husker head coach in 2000.

“Teams that have come to our camps for the last 20 years have enjoyed a great learning experience from our staff and the Nebraska wrestlers,” Manning said. “Plus, the competition they get from many different states around the Midwest is a tremendous opportunity to gain a half a season of competitive matches.”

Manning is regarded as one of the best coaches in the country at the collegiate level.

He is the winningest coach in Husker history. He has coached 49 of Nebraska’s 108 All-Americans and led NU to six top-eight finishes at the NCAA Championships.

Manning is also one of the world’s premier freestyle coaches while coaching Burroughs and Green to a combined nine World and Olympic medals at the Senior level.

The Husker head man has twice been named USA Wrestling’s freestyle coach of the year. Manning’s top assistant coach, Bryan Snyder, also has excelled as a coach at the college and international levels.

Snyder was a two-time NCAA runner-up for the Huskers who has trained extensively with Burroughs over the years.

The Nebraska coaches bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Husker wrestling camps in the summer.

“We pride ourselves on serving the needs of our high school coaches and the wrestlers,” Manning said. “The dorms and the food are top-notch and the atmosphere is fun and can boost young wrestlers onto great success the next season. We’re a well-organized camp with affordable costs for teams that travel a long distance.”

Schadwinkel recalled a technique session where Manning, Burroughs, Snyder, NCAA champion Jason Powell and All-American Robert Kokesh were all teaching technique at the same time.

“I had never seen anything like that at any other camps,” Schadwinkel said. “It was awesome they did that. I would highly recommend the Nebraska wrestling camps to any coach who is looking for a great opportunity to make his team better in the summer.”