Great Coaches in Dade
1. Balmaceda: without him the Bucks would be nothing. The Bucs embody his arrogance and attitude. He believes he is the best coach out there and his kids perform because they want to prove it. His kids may not have the best technique but they are tough, strong, smart, and experience. Balmaceda always prepares them for the big tournaments and they win. His kids hang around him as if he is a god. Other coaches hate him. He is South Dade and they will only last as long as he stays. In order to create a great program you need charisma and personality and he has and annoying abundance of both. How many people and coaches help his program is a testament to his ability to bring in people and have them like and follow him. That is the true measure of a great coach. Knowing how to use people and use them to develop a great program (look at Cozart).
2. Tejada: I firmly believe that if not for South Dade he would have won at least two team state titles. His kids love him and would die for him if needed. He may not be as animated as other coaches out there but he does not need to be with his little spark plug next to him yelling and screaming like a pissed off Chihuahua. Very soft spoken and polite I can only imagine that behind closed doors he puts all of this stuff as bulleting board material. I believe that he also is a madman in practice. You cannot accuse him of being soft when his kids always perform and run to him and hug him after each and every state title. Like Balmaceda, remove Tejada from Braddock and what do they become?
3. Husk: He makes chicken soup out of chickens. The kids that he has now are not as naturally tough as his Southridge kids were but they still win. How can you argue with his results. He has a lot of help and knows how to use them. Talk to one of his kids and they will tell you that he has a mystique and an aura unparallel by anyone. His raspy voice is a testament to his love and passion for the sport. He has given everything and anything for this sport and has been rewarded with many state titles and accolades. Even though I believe that coaches get worse with age, in this case I think he will buck the trend. He still has the passion and desire to win and I have a feeling he wants to beat Balmaceda one more time before he calls it a career.
4. Mendez: This man says nothing to anyone. Sits with his kids and does great. He never tries to make himself bigger than the team. His technique is better than most and his kids always step up in big tournaments. I can actually see him wrestling his kids on a daily basis. This is one of those coaches that gets little to no credit because he takes his kids all over the state to compete and train. Everyone should realize that you can take your kids to the best camps and competitions but if you suck as a coach your kids will still suck. He takes what they have learned in those competitions and camps and reinforces them in practice and gets them ready to step up in Regionals and State.
5. Soderholm: Looking back at his career there are few coaches that are as vilified as he is. He always produces great tough aggressive wrestlers who never back down. They may not be what they were in years past but look at the regional results and they will always be in the top 5. Great coach who is able to develop talent. He is hated by everyone and he doesn’t care. He like and loves to do things by the book and sees everyone who cuts corners as cheaters. I think Spidey may have something to say about Soderholms glass house.
6. Tie between Turner and Osorio:Turner: He has great individuals because all he does is wrestle his kids. He makes them tough aggressive and heartless. They never show pity or compassion for their opponent. They come after you over and over and over and over. Well you get the idea. Their technique is not great but when they are in your face it really doesn’t need to be. He can make you college ready and a state title contender fast but you have to get through him to do so. He will not tolerate soft or apathetic kids. If you walk into the HML wrestling program and want to make it they you better be ready to be pushed beyond your limits.
Osorio: He can create a great team in seconds. His TEAMS have beaten almost all other teams in Dade and they have given South Dade a scare every now and then. In the big tournaments his kids disappear like the invisible girl. He has had multiple state champs but most of his kids come up short. Any coach who has half his team quit the week of districts must be doing something wrong. Only time will tell if he will fix what ever ails his team at the end of the season. I can only imagine that his interest is in winning head to head team match-ups and not in winning GMAC, Regional, or State titles. I would love to see him and Turner get together and see if by combining their talents they can give the north a true power school that can contend with the south.
7. Rivera: He does great with his kids. I love the fact that he sits there and takes notes during a match. I can actually picture him sitting by a TV and dissecting the video looking for opportunities and mistakes. Although you rarely see him animated in the sidelines he does know how to throw a temper tantrum. I find it amazing that he has a great heavyweight this year. He has always been known for his light to middle weights. Be warned if you beat his kids once, he will fix the problem and you will not catch him making the same mistakes again. He is a great coach but there is not much to say about him. I am sure Doom, Spidey, KW, PWD, and Darkie may have some names and points to add so lets have 'em guys.
10 comments:
WOW!!! Things got hot there pretty quickly, I come back from lunch and it was all I could do to keep up. Lets keep it going Moonie, what else you got?
I tell you, I love me some Doom, the guy just brings it.
Good appraisal.I have always liked Rivera.I also agree that Balmeceda is #1.He has developed a cult of personality much like Kim Jong Il.(same height too)When his eyes stare out of that Easter Island head ,that hypnotic glare makes his acolytes want to follow him to the gates of Hell.
Anonymous,
Are you the same anonymous as the other one before or are you the other one before that? Because I must tell you, you are all over the place.
In any case, I loved your synopsis; it was eloquent, well thought out and in fact brilliant. I am going to see what I can do about submitting your short but descriptive piece to the Pulitzer review board to see if you qualify for consideration of that most esteemed prize. Good luck; and I look forward to your next exciting narrative. Hey where did you receive your Doctorate degree from, I want to send my kids there?
Welcome Galactus!
Nice to have you here, and thank you very much for that early morning laugh.
I MISS PHILLIPS. HE PUTS ALL YOU TO SHAME.
Doc Doom,
You said that it was CJ from Coral Reef that forced Pardo to retire? I was unaware that Pardo also did SUMO wrestling. No wonder he's had some pretty good big guys.
Galactus,
When you said "easter island head" I started thinking of how true that is. Have you seen night at the museum? LOL. Looks just like Balmaceda.
Anonymous,
I loved your list. How about you add some details to it. Give us some insight as to what you are thinking. Why was Tejada the only one that was given a nice name? Makes you wonder where you are from.
Moonie,
I have to admit that Easter Island crack really did it for me this morning, it put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Forget about where anyone is from, that's not important, the important thing is that they bring it. And although anonymous's post was mostly juvenile and stupid, it has already created a couple of funny responses.
BTW, Pardo is also Bald.
Anonymous,
Phillips was a great coach, and the rest of us miss him as well.
Well likely not his opposing coaches as much, but us true fans of wrestling sure do.
Spider,
Now that Phillips is gone and Osorio has moved, does that mean that Severed head (NMB) is the new northern powehouse. Maybe it is Turner? I was looking at everyones rankings and the top five to seven teams are all from the south. That sucks for the northern part of the county.
Moonie,
It's no secret that most of the formidable wrestling has always been in the South. Back in that Day North Miami had some great teams, as well as NMB, and Edison on occasion, but the concentration has always been in the south, for every power from the north, there were always three from the South.
Anyway, Turner is and has always been a fine coach, he has had some great individuals, but he is pretty much the only guy that stays put. No other coach in the North seems to stick around for more than a few years. Osorio is the latest to move, and just when it seemed like he had all cylinders running at Hialeah. Lets see how long he can stay at American. Ryan has been at Miami Springs forever, and though they have had some good teams, they have never been considered a power. McDonald bounced around Edison, NMB, then Central, and then headed South himself so... Phillips flew the coop after 6 or 7 years, and Jacoby Left NM for NMB and it wasn't long before he gave it up for good. We'll see what Severe can bring to the table, he has to prove himself without Phillips, and if he does he will get props from me, but I will not anoint him until he does something
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