Home Local Sports Raider wrestling to host inaugural co-ed summer camp

Raider wrestling to host inaugural co-ed summer camp

ROSports File Photo: Richmond head coach Andre Ellerbe will host the program's first summer camp this month.

HAMLET — The inaugural Richmond Senior High School summer wrestling camp is set for later this month.

Andre Ellerbe, who concluded his first season as the Raiders’ head coach this past winter, announced the development camp this week.

Open to local wrestlers who are rising kindergarteners through eighth graders, the Raider Elite wrestling camp will be held from June 20-24 at Richmond County Ninth Grade Academy.

The cost is $65 per camper and the five-day camp will run from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium.

Geared toward growing the community’s youth, middle school and high school wrestling programs, Ellerbe said the camp is available for beginners and experienced wrestlers, both male and female.

“I’m excited to be hosting our first wrestling camp,” Ellerbe said. “Wrestling is a sport that I love and I want to share it with this community. 

“I want to offer this camp to future student-athletes across the county. This camp will be a way to look at the future of this sport and what we want it to be from this point on.”

Ellerbe said campers can expect to learn about and work on proper offensive and defensive techniques from the three positions in wrestling (top, bottom and neutral). 

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Participants will also learn how to be attack and defensive wrestlers, and Ellerbe said the coaches will encourage them to continue working and training when the camp is over.

“I want this camp to inspire boys and girls to take a chance on wrestling,” Ellerbe noted. “Women’s wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the world right now and I don’t want Richmond County to miss out on that wave. 

“The goal is to have an inclusive camp where everybody can come learn the basics of wrestling, and partner with current and past wrestlers to build a support system moving forward,” he continued. “I was always taught that you can be great by yourself, but you can be even better with the right team.” 

Believing that Richmond can contend with any school in any sport, Ellerbe said he’s proud of how the school “shows up and shows out” in everything it does.

The key for continuing to grow the Raider wrestling program and keep it competitive at the conference and state level is to continue to build the next generation of student-athletes.

“Wrestling is one of the sports that the more time you spend on the mat, the better you become,” Ellerbe said. “Getting athletes interested through our camp can lead to better wrestlers at the middle school and high school levels. 

“I believe that if we can get the right amount of interest, we can have some very successful boys and girls in this sport,” he closed.

To sign up, contact Coach Ellerbe at andrecellerbe@richmond.k12.nc.us or at 910-318-3309.



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.