Sachem Wrestling Camp Attracts the Best

For the last two weeks in the sweltering gym at Sachem High School North – and for the lucky little kids in the air conditioned wrestling room in the underbelly of the high school – youth wrestlers took part in the annual Sachem Wrestling Camp.

Spread between two five-day sessions, each camp offers hands-on technique and instruction from some of the best wrestlers in the country.

Learning from the best can only help. This year, wrestlers such as former Sachem grappler Dan Mayo, Dan Russell, Sammie Henson, Nate Carr, Andy Seras and Nick Gallo came by. 

"We're lucky we can keep getting them to come back year-in and year-out," said former legendary Sachem wrestling coach Jack Mahoney. "It's a compliment to our staff that they think it is a good enough camp that deserves the type of quality."

The all-star guest staff is accompanied by the regular faces around the Sachem mats: Sean O'Hara, Ray Pickersgill, Isaac Ramaswamy, Chris Meehan, John Aebly, Dave Cruz, Matt Golini, Dennis Seickel and Joe Scholz.

"The Sachem staff alone has a resume that can run any camp," Mahoney said. "We like to do both. If you run a baseball camp, you have pro baseball players. The guys we bring in are the equivalent."

"To see guys like this on this level is an enormous advantage," added Ray Pickersgill, the head wrestling coach at Sachem North.

Nate Carr, a three-time NCAA champion at Iowa State, said he tries not to over teach in the short amount of time he spends with the callow wrestlers.

"A lot of wrestling is from the neck up," he said. "You have to learn how to wrestle in the power of the present. I don't care about last year, I'm not worried about the future, but what can I do now? You have to love wrestling more than winning. To do these other activities at a wrestling camp, it makes you smile, it makes you happy, then you go work hard on a tough sport like wrestling."

Added Sachem High School East wrestling coach Sean O'Hara: "This camp is a great way for the wrestlers to improve in the off season. The more time they spend on the mat the better they'll be to reach their goals this season."

Here's a more in-depth look at the wrestling instructors:

Dan Mayo

• NYS Champion & The "Champion of Champions"
• USA Jr. National Freestyle Champion
• 2x NCAA All-American @ Penn State
• Team USA

Dan Russell

• 4x Oregon State H.S. Champ
• 4x NCAA Division II National Champ (Portland State)
• 4x NCAA Division I All-American
• 5x Team USA Nat'l Team
• Padubny (Russia) Greco Champion

Sammie Henson

• NCAA Champion
• 1999 World Champion
• 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist
• Outstanding Coaching Career @ Division 1 Universities
• Currently @ University of Oklahoma

Nate Carr

• 3x NCAA Champion – Iowa State
• 1988 Olympic Bronze Medalist
• Outstanding Motivator & Mentor

Andy Seras

• 2006 USA World Greco Roman Team Coach
• 1994 World Cup Gold Medalist
• 1988 Olympic Greco Roman Team
• Former Seton Hall Head Coach
• Binghamton University Ass't Coach

Nick Gallo

• NCAA Champion & Outstanding Wrestler
• Team USA – World Cup Silver Medalist