This is my son, Parker.
He can be a handful and frustrate the hell out of me sometimes, but I love him as much as a father can love a son. He also happens to be responsible for what has become my biggest joy in recent years: watching him wrestle.
There's not much I've experienced in my life that compares to the feeling I get watching him compete in this special sport. I think most parents with wrestlers understand this sentiment. Wrestling doesn't get as much attention as more popular sports like football, baseball, soccer, and basketball. I've been around those sports, coached some of them and am a fan. But something about the sport of wrestling just hits differently.
My son's a pretty good wrestler too. Not great (yet), but pretty good, and getting better at a rapid rate.
He's surrounded himself with a solid group of hardworking peers who all work extremely hard to be the best versions of themselves in this sport. One thing I've learned over the last twelve months or so is that, with few exceptions, wrestling is definitely a sport that teaches a valuable life lesson. A wrestler's results are directly tied to the amount of work they are willing to put in.
Unfortunately, for those who want to put in extra work in the offseason, there aren't any local options that give them the training access they are looking for. HWC currently has practices a couple of days a week at our local high school most weeks, but many of these kids know that to compete with the best in the State it takes more than two days a week of training to be competitive at the higher levels. This means long drives outside of Cabarrus County to get in the extra work.
There also isn't a great local option for younger kids looking to be introduced to the sport.
Harrisburg Wrestling Club already has a solid, core group of high school-aged kids. I've long wondered why they didn't take their club to the next level and operate it out of their own space, giving them more autonomy and an ability to expand the program. In the Winter of 2026, I stopped wondering why and decided to do some of the leg work to make it happen.
I've gotten to know Tom Puckett a little better over the last several months and can confirm he coaches for all the right reasons. He loves the sport and wants to share his passion and knowledge with the next generation. However, he doesn't have the bandwidth or desire to handle all the other stuff that goes along with starting a small business. That's where I come in. I do like doing those things.
So here we are. Tom is going to continue doing what he does best: coaching his high school wrestlers and helping them achieve the goals they set for themselves. He will continue bringing in people to help him and we will be bringing in more coaches and establishing a more formal elementary and middle school-aged youth program in the coming months.
I'm going to help with the behind-the-scenes stuff to take the Harrisburg Wrestling Club to the next level. While we have obtained nonprofit status with the IRS, it is still a business and I am happy to take on the task of managing the business side of things.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't partially doing this for selfish reasons. I want Parker to reach his fullest potential. I want him to become a high school state champion because he wants to be a high school state champion. If he wants to wrestle at the next level in college, I want to help him get there too. I want the same thing for his teammates. Helping expand HWC is the best way I know how to do this.
I also want to help grow the sport. I've heard many wrestling coaches in the few years I've been around it say the same thing in their own ways. It teaches kids so many valuable life lessons in a way that I don't think any other youth sport does. I couldn't agree more and would like to play a small part in making youth wrestling more accessible in our community. I want to help build something I wish was available in Cabarrus County when I first looked for an option for my son several years ago.
With all this said, I can't do it alone. Tom can't do it alone. We need your help. We need money to get this "next chapter" going! I've fronted some money to secure the lease and am donating what I consider a substantial amount, but it is going to take a significant amount more. I am placing a good amount of faith in the community to help make this happen.
If my message resonates with you, you can help. If you are a current member, we are counting on you to help. If you are a past member or have been positively impacted by HWC or the local wrestling community in some way, you should help. Or, if you are family member, friend, community member, or someone who just wants to help grow the sport, we'd greatly appreciate your help.
Every little bit helps. We've made it a little easier to contribute too. We will be raffling off some nice prizes for those who choose to donate, including a wrestling gear pack, a brand new iPad, and some gift cards for a night out in Harrisburg. You can also just make a general donation.
You can learn more about our kickoff fundraising campaign and donate to the cause here. Or, for your convenience you can easily make a donation (click 'I'd just like to donate' at the bottom of the form below) or purchase some of the raffle tickets for the items we are raffling off below.
Tom and I appreciate any and all contributions and I am genuinely looking forward to helping the club take this next big step.
***A note of the fundraising platform. It defaults to adding fees and a 'tip' for the platform service. You can avoid both of these and it doesn't impact the amount we receive. Change the tip to Other and make it $0. Additionally, choose 'edit' where the processing fees are and uncheck the box that says 'I want to cover the fees' if you don't want to cover the fees.***