Cary Coach Wrestles His Way into the Record Books

Cary High School Wrestling Coach Jerry Winterton's wrestling career started in 1961 in Verona, NY when, as a fifth grader, he joined an intramural program at his elementary school. He learned that he was competitive in the sport, and in the ninth grade found himself starting on his high school wrestling team in the smallest weight class, 95 pounds. He went on to wrestle at a New York junior college, and finishing up at Brockport State in New York in 1973. He started his coaching career at VVS High School, where he went to high school, then followed one of his college coaches, Bob Guzzo, to NC State University as an assistant coach. Eventually he landed at Cary High School, where he has been coaching for more than 27 years, and making his Cary High School wrestlers among the best in the state. Racking up 10 state championships and seven dual championships, he completed his 2007-08 season by leading his team to victories in the dual and individual tournaments. The team scored 174 points, ranking second in Class 4-A history. Over the last four years, his teams have remained mostly undefeated, with a record of 139-1. Last year, the National High School Coaches Association named Winterton the 2007 Coach of the Year, and he was also named coach of the 2006 Wrestling USA/Cliff Keen Dream Team Classic in New Jersey. Winterton's extraordinary record between 1981 and 2007 was 517-15. In Coaches Corner, he shares a few secrets of his success. Did you wrestle when you were in high school? Yes, and in college at a junior college, then Brockport State from 69-73. Did you play other sports? Yes, Football, Cross-Country and Soccer What sparked your interest in coaching? My former coaches and a need to stay in touch with wrestling. What goes into developing a solid wrestler? Just what is takes to raise a kid. Teaching them dedication, sticking to it and a work ethic that will attain success. How do you feel knowing that you played a major role in some of the great wrestlers that have come through Cary High School? I feel a real sense of accomplishment when all my wrestlers stop me wherever I see them and no matter how much success they have had in wrestling they tell me that wrestling was what made them get through tough times in their careers. How hard is it to fill out your roster each season? If you are talking about getting the kids out of the halls to wrestle, it's tough but once they get started most of them love it. I keep everyone who can make it through the workouts. Then the cream rises to the top as we give them what it takes to be a success. How do you counsel a young wrestler who has given it his all, but went down in defeat? You point out their mistakes, ask them to dedicate themselves to correcting them and work harder in practice. What makes wrestling different from any other sport? There is no hiding in wrestling. You learn there is always somebody better out there who is working harder than you and the only way to get to the next level is by hard work and doing the extras. And I feel we know what to do to get there. What's great about wrestling is that you can basically be as good as you want by applying yourself more than you think your capable of. To what do you attribute your career success as a coach? Having been through it all myself. Taking the good things that coaches taught me and the bad also. If I had been a star at all levels I don't think I would've been as good of a coach. I had to work through my own confidence levels and being torn down a lot to become a better wrestler. If you have one piece of advice for wrestling coaches, what is that? Get as many out for the team as possible. Let them know you are going to be tough on them but that you love them and are doing it for their own good. You push the starters and hope that the reserves learn what it takes and are willing to do what the stars are doing to get to someday apply yourself at that level.