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Four days until the Vikings push off and embark on Viking Voyage II. 14 high school wrestlers and 2 adults, heading North in two Suburbans. I am sure the sights, sounds, and yes, smells that will be experienced on the trip up will only be overmatched by the trip home on 8 July. And parents, please make sure you are home on 8 July to pick up your son(s). ;)

The boys are in for an exciting trip, one I am sure they will remember for their lifetime. These types of team building experiences are crucial. They instill the trust and resiliency it takes to overcome the adversity and challenges we will face in our upcoming and future season(s) as we continue working to improve our level of performance as we seek a team state title. I thank the parents on behalf of the entire staff and the wrestlers for investing in their children's development as wrestlers and young men through this experience.

Our first stop will be at Jeff Jordan's State Champ Camp. It is so named for the legendary list of high school state champions that have come through that camp system. Over 600 names are included on their Wall of Fame. Our wrestlers are walking into an eat, sleep, wrestle environment where there will be no distraction from hard work other than those voices that come from within, challenging them to look for an easy way out. But have no doubt that they are armed with the tools to silence those voices and they will. And come away from the experience stronger young men and a stronger team.

From Urbana, we will load up and head to Cleveland to join Coach Vondruska who is preparing to lead his camp. A different environment for sure, but no less challenging and demanding, and certainly an equal opportunity for growth. In Cleveland the men face a different type of challenge, one that will undoubtedly come into play during our upcoming season. Here they will have the opportunity to rest, recover, and play in between sessions of intensity. The challenge they will face is being disciplined enough to work as hard as possible when it is time to work and not let distractions affect their performance. This experience can pay off during the season, particularly during the holidays when distractions are abundant. Additionally, the team will get a unique opportunity to learn from some collegiate and international wrestling legends, past and present, all of whom are exceptional clinicians. J. Jaggers, Mike Pucillo, Logan and Hunter Stieber, and Taadaki Hatti are included on that list. I am also very excited that our newest staff member, Coach Josh Malave, will join us at camp in Cleveland. This is an excellent opportunity for Josh to take a look at the team from a different perspective as they will be outside our home wrestling room.

If you need some specific information on the trip, please check our latest newsletter as it has the packing list and more information in it. Our next post in the Viking Voyage II blog will be Sunday night; look for senior Ryan Hall to pen that entry. The plan is to allow several different wrestlers to post in order to share different perspectives. You may see an occasional post from the coaching staff as well. This post is on our front page but the remainder of the posts will be on the Viking Voyage II blog. And of course you can follow links to the post through our Facebook page and Twitter accounts.

Two more open mat sessions, load up on Saturday, and depart early Sunday morning; I am truly looking forward to this and thank you all for providing the opportunity for the team.

"Gjor det skje"