April 4, 2018 at 1:29 p.m.
Ellenbecker to step down as RHS wrestling coach
Ellenbecker to step down as RHS wrestling coach
Paul Ellenbecker announced this week he intends to step down from the program he has led for the past seven seasons. He informed RHS activities director Brian Paulson of his decision on Monday and relayed the news to the team through a post on the RHS wrestling Facebook page.
"I knew it was the right time and the right call," Ellenbecker told the River News. "I want to move forward. I've got other things in life I'm working on now and I'm very happy with the decision."
Ellenbecker said the day-to-day grind of being a head coach weighed into his decision.
"There's more work every year," he said. "When it comes to running a program, a lot of people see the mat-time stuff and going to the tournaments. They don't see the phone calls. They don't see talking to other coaches. They don't see the (data that needs to be entered into) TrackWrestling. They don't see the fundraising. It kind of took its toll on me. It made it not as much fun."
Under Ellenbecker, the wrestling team has had one of its most successful runs ever. While the Hodags did not have a state champion during his tenure, the team did have six state place winners, 14 state qualifiers, eight sectional champions, 15 regional champions and 25 individual conference champions.
When the Hodags won the Great Northern Conference title in the 2013-14 season, it was the first team conference championship in program history.
The Hodags would go on to win four conference championships in a five-year span and never finished lower than third in the GNC in Ellenbecker's seven seasons. He amassed a 96-35-2 dual meet record at Rhinelander, including a 29-6 mark in the GNC.
"I know I feel good about what was accomplished and what was done," he said. "I know we are in a better place now than we were seven years ago and I feel good about that."
Paulson thanked Ellenbecker for his service to the district.
"Paul has done a nice job of incorporating everybody from the youth to the high school level, making it one big program and making people excited about wrestling in Rhinelander," he said.
More than the wins and the losses, Ellenbecker said he is proud of the atmosphere the program has created.
"I think the majority of the kids that graduated through our program are very happy and want their kids to wrestle. That, to me as a coach, means I've done a good job. I'm proud of that. I'm really, really proud of that," he said. "People are proud to be a part of the wrestling program. A lot of people put a lot of time into the program and it's well deserved for those people to have this program and I was happy to be part of it."
Ellenbecker admitted that he almost called it quits prior to this past season, but decided to stick around for one more year and the Hodags enjoyed a wildly successful campaign. Not only did the team regain the Great Northern Conference title, the team had five wrestlers earn the trifecta of being conference champions, regional champions and state tournament qualifiers. Of those five, Jacob DeMeyer, Alec Kurtz and Reuben Guzik all placed in the top five of their weight classes at state - the first time Rhinelander has had three place winners in a single state tournament.
"I'm glad that I stuck around and got through the year. We had a memorable year, a good way to go out with great group of seniors," he said.
Paulson said the coaching vacancy will posted on the Wisconsin Education Career Access Network (WECAN) as well as the School District of Rhinelander's website. Both Paulson and Ellenbecker said the next head wrestling coach will need to bring an individual style to the program instead of emulating how Ellenbecker ran things.
"I don't think there's another Paul Ellenbecker out there," Paulson said. "There's definitely different philosophies to have and still be successful. I think to run the program, overall, (the next coach) needs to be organized, work with their booster club - which had a huge impact on our wrestling program in general."
Added Ellenbecker: "I think the most important thing for the next guy is to be the next guy. They're going to have to be themselves and connect with these underclassmen we have coming back."
Ellenbecker said he looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family, though he still plans to be involved in the Rhinelander community.
Currently the driver's education instructor for the district, Ellenbecker said his plans include returning to the RHS football program as a freshman-level coach along with other community work.
To that end, Ellenbecker said he recently joined the Rhinelander Lions Club and looks forward to actively serving that organization as a tribute to his friend and mentor Tom Handrick, who passed away unexpectedly last month.
"He was a big member of the Lions (Club in Minocqua) and I joined the Rhinelander Lions," Ellenbecker said, noting the Lions are always looking for new members. "It hasn't been a month yet, but I already feel like I'm involved and am going to be very active."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.