Virginia Beach Convention Center Hosts 25th Annual NHSCA National High School Wrestling Championship

More than 3300 athletes will train with U.S. Olympians and top college coaches

 (Virginia Beach, Va. March 26, 2014) – Beginning Thursday, the Virginia Beach Convention Center (VBCC) will be the epicenter of one of the largest wrestling championships in the country. A record 3,368 wrestlers are registered to compete during the 25^th anniversary of the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) 2014 High School Wrestling Championships. For the four-day event, 2500 room nights have been booked and the expected economic impact is estimated at more than $1 million in direct spending.  

Along with their families and friends, these athletes will travel from across the United States to compete in five divisions of competition. They will also train during top-notch clinics led by some of the best coaches in America. The action-packed weekend ends off the mat with a College Recruiting Fair from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit http://www.nhsca.com/?page=2014Events.  

Training Clinics to be Hosted by World Champions, Olympians and College Coaches The clinics get started Thursday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m. with 2012 USA Olympic Team member Jake Herbert, a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champ and four-time All-American at Northwestern. Herbert, who finished runner-up in 2003 at the NHSCA Senior Nationals, won a silver medal at the 2009 World Championship. Cliff Keen sponsors the Herbert clinic which is free to participants.  

Three clinics will be held on Friday, March 28 – two with college coaches Teague Moore, head coach at American University, and Kevin Dresser, head coach at Virginia Tech. Moore, who was a 1996 NHSCA Senior National Champ, was a two-time NCAA national champ at Oklahoma State. Dresser was a NCAA champ and two-time All-American during his career at Iowa. The third clinic will feature Damion Logan, Michigan’s two-time NCAA champ, who is the founder of the Apex Wrestling School. On Saturday, three-time World Champ Gene Mills will host a clinic. Mills, the head coach at Pin 2 Win, won two NCAA titles at Syracuse. Later, 2014 NHSCA Coach of the Year Dave Dean of Lowell High School in Michigan will host a final clinic. Dean was a two-time NCAA All-American at Minnesota that included a national runner-up finish.  

Sports  marketing is a key player in helping to drive Virginia Beach’s tourism industry, and positioning the coastal Virginia city as a year-round destination. Each year for the past  nine  years, the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau Sports Marketing team has generated an average of 94,000+ hotel room night bookings, most of which occur between October and May.