In October, the Up2Us Sports Training Team partnered with Wrestle Like A Girl to bring our training to two groups of international women’s wrestling groups with the goal of equipping them with strategies to build a healthy team culture, as well as reflect on the outcomes of a healthy team culture and the effects on the brain and behavior. 

On October 3rd in Chicago, National Trainers Sean and Alannah trained a group of 15 representing the Ukrainian National Women’s Wrestling Team. Coming from war-ridden Ukraine, the athletes and coaches have experienced trauma individually and as a team, and the training was intended to offer support mechanisms on how to further build up their team.

“This was an opportunity that Up2Us Sports leadership, board members, and training team were excited about supporting,” said Nate LeJeune, National Director, Training. “Our team was able to support the Ukrainian National Women’s Wrestling team with strategies to create deeper and more meaningful relationships with each other, in an effort to support their goals during competition, and their challenges which they face on a daily basis. It was an inspiring event to be a part of, and we were honored to support these women and their team culture.”

Two weeks later, on October 17th in Washington, DC, National Trainers Samantha and Alannah trained 15 girls wrestling coaches and program leaders from Mongolia. As part of a Mongolian Sports Diplomacy Delegation funded by the State Department, the Exchange was looking at how sport, specifically wrestling, is used to empower girls and women.

LeJeune continued, “Our team was able to teach strategies to support the work of these coaches as they aimed to change tradition and create more opportunities for young women athletics in sports. The time spent listening to the coaches stories and sharing techniques to support their work was the highlight of our year.”

The core session for both groups was:

Building Positive Program Culture [90-minutes]: Teams with a strong, positive culture help youth feel connected and safe. There are four things coaches can do to build this culture: follow a strict behavior code; practice positive traditions; provide opportunities to matter; and help kids make friends. This session explores how coaches can create a strong culture that supports their other programming efforts.

Wrestle Like A Girl is moving women’s wrestling forward. Their mission is to empower girls and women using the sport of wrestling to become leaders in life. Learn more at WrestleLikeAGirl.org.

Click here learn more about Up2Us Training. If you’re interested in bringing our SBYD training to your organization, fill out our interest form here. Please allow 6-8 weeks of planning time.