US Army hosting wrestling clinic for area high school athletes

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — It’s a wrestling clinic formed from a partnership between the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and local schools around the High Plains, with a multi-city event upcoming for May 6-8.

“We’re going to Palo Duro [High School], and then we’re going up to Dumas,” said Captain Enrique Martinez, a 17-year Army veteran. “Locally, we have Tascosa, Amarillo High, we’ve invited Randall, Caprock, Hereford, and West Plains.”

Capt. Martinez told MyHighPlains.com that while there’s no age limit to the clinic, it’s set for high school boys and girls wrestling.

“Everything that you can do in the Olympics, you’re doing powerlifting, you’re gonna do wrestling, it’s all there. You’re gonna do track and field,” he said.

It’s all going down Monday, May 6 in Lubbock; Tuesday, May 7 in Amarillo at the Palo Duro High School Activity Center; and Wednesday, May 8 in Dumas. All of them will be at 4:15 p.m. daily.

Capt. Martinez told myhighplains.com that this is more than just a way to sell the Army to local students, it’s a unique opportunity to form relationships with local athletes and offer mentorship.

“We wanna give not just specific skills similar to wrestling, We wanna give leadership attributes and characteristics and pass those on to the students in these high schools. Not everyone’s qualified to join the Army, but we wanna invest in our youth because that is our future,” he emphasized.

Martinez expressed that sports offer many important leaders lessons that translate to the Army lifestyle and life overall.

“Right place, right time, right uniform, those are the three basic rules as a soldier. Secondly, you have to learn how to win and lose. You can show up every single day, 4 o’clock, you can do the weight lifting, you can do the proper diet, you can do everything and still lose on on that Friday game, that Friday night in front of everyone. So being able to be humbled and look back and self reflect, that is huge,” he acknowledged.

Palo Duro High School Assistant Wrestling Coach Heath Dodgen agreed.

“I think through the mentorship that they have with the Army, I think through different programs that we have that we offer through AISD, it allows these kids to find their avenue that they like for their purpose so that they can find exactly where they wanna go in in life,” Dodgen said.

During the conversation, Dodgen highlighted many of the parallels between sports and the military.

“Anytime you’re in a sport, you have to show up, be on time, you’ve got to listen to the coach, you’ve got to make the grades, you’ve got to perform. So it causes you to really look within yourself, like, ‘how hard am I working? How are my grades? How am I treating people?

“Wrestlers are tough, we’re bred from a different kind. We’re taught to diet, to watch our weight, to show up. Practices are hard, super hard. You’re sweating, you lose weight constantly in practice and you gotta go eat and you gotta make the grade,” Dodgen emphasized.

Leadership, humility, and discipline: three things that will take you far on the wrestling mat, and in life.

For the latest Amarillo news and regional updates, check with MyHighPlains.com and tune in to KAMR Local 4 News at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 p.m. and Fox 14 News at 9:00 p.m. CST.