Every morning, before the first bell, wrestling coach Ross Spaulding stands in the quad holding a small, printed sign that reads “Join Wrestling.” Most students walk past. Some laugh. A few stops.
A wrestling coach for 28 years, Spaulding arrived here three years ago to find a program with as few as four athletes. The sign was part of a daily recruiting push that has since grown the roster to 18.
Spaulding said the sign isn’t just about filling up the roster. It’s about visibility.
“I’m out there every day recruiting or trying to talk about it,” he said. “Trying to get kids interested, because I want them to see that there are people committed to them.”
For some students, the pitch worked.
Freshman Heidi Duarte, a first year on the wrestling team, said she joined this year after a speech she received in middle school.
“The coaches came to my middle school, and they were promoting, so I just joined and I just showed up during summer,” Duarte said. “Wanting to get better makes me want to show up, because I really suck, so I want to get better and learn more from it. He makes it fun and he’s really motivational.”
Not everyone joins, but the sign gets attention. Senior Juan Hernandez said it nearly worked on him.
“I think it’s smart,” Hernandez said. “I mean I’ve considered joining wrestling at one point because of it. At first, I thought it was funny and it definitely caught my eye, but then I realized that that’s kind of the whole point. If you see somebody on the quad with a big sign, you’re obviously gonna take the time to stop and read it.”
But according to Spaulding, his colleagues aren’t always supportive.
“If you talk to any other coach or teacher, they think I’m silly,” he said. “Most people think I’m protesting or going on strike. They make jokes. But when I do it, I think it makes a difference to some kids.”
Even with the sign and daily pitch, wrestling faces barriers that recruiting alone can’t fix.
“The answers that I’ve heard for why people don’t want to join are the uniforms and how difficult wrestling is,” Spaulding said. “Also, most of the time people think that they’re gonna get hurt since we’re the only full contact sport on campus. Not everybody’s okay with putting hands on another person.”
The wrestlers he has are committed, Spaulding said.
“They definitely have a good heart for it and care for it,” he said. “They have a growth mindset towards it where they want to improve, do better or work hard.”
The sign isn’t his only tool, Spaulding has been trying to bring his recruiting online.
“I am trying my hardest, my darndest, to catch up with the times,” he said. “I’m using Instagram and I’m trying to make videos and create posts to create buzz about the sport.”
While he wants the program to keep growing, Spaulding isn’t chasing a number.
“We have a saying: ‘You may not be where you want to be, but you are where you need to be’,” he said. “I want more. But I have what I have and I need to focus on them.”
This article originally appeared in the Early Spring 2026 print edition.
