ASL Eagles Wrestling club is an independent club located in Charles Thompson Memorial Hall in St. Paul, Minnesota. The club has members from multiple cities and is not affiliated with any schools or districts. We welcome grades Pre-K – 10 grade (Pee-Wee to Junior): both boy and girl of Deaf, hard of hearing, hearing, and KODA (Kid of Deaf Adult). They attend both open and qualifying state tournaments held throughout the state. If the wrestlers are interested in attending one of these events, the HOST is expected to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act and provide qualified interpreters for their events to ensure accessibility is met. Qualified interpreters mean trained interpreters with knowledge of wrestling specific terminologies and how the sport works. See the page about interpreters to get information of recommended places to contact to arrange for an interpreter.
Charles Thompson Memorial Hall
The coaching staff is primarily Deaf and use ASL (American Sign Language) to communicate with the wrestlers during their practices and matches. Head Coach John Dolezal was an Olympic wrestler.
Description: Title screen- ASL Eagles Wrestling Club. Two short clips of boys in singlets wrestling in a match. Video of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and KODAs (total of 6 boys) practicing in Thompson Hall. Director/Coach David Nathanson, while male with goatee wearing a blue polo shirt, on it says Coach and has ASL Eagles club logo on the chest. Clips of him supporting the kids in practice and during wrestling matches. Coach John Dolezal, white male with goatee, also wearing the same coaching shirt. Clips of him supporting the kids in practice and during wrestling matches. Transitions to David and John talking.
Transcript: David: Hi, I’m David Nathanson, I’m the Director of ASL Eagles wrestling club. I have been here for four years. John: I’m John Dolezal, the head coach for ASL Eagles Wrestling Club, also my fourth year. David: To explain the history of the club, I have two sons that wanted to join wrestling. The school for the deaf’s wrestling program had closed and there were no alternatives. So we tried to do wrestling on our own. I talked with John about the idea of starting our own club for deaf/hard of hearing children to promote their skills, maybe even prepare them for the future in Deaflympics. The number of people competing for Deaflympics wrestling had been dwindling. So that is how we decided to go ahead and start the club four years ago. My role is to handle the registration. You can register through our website, all our information is there. Our practices are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. John: Our practices are at Charles Thompson Memorial Hall in St. Paul. Age range of participants are between 3 and 13 years old. It is for both boys and girls. All Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and KODAs are welcome. David: So, it is from preschool up to 8th graders. High School has their own rules.
Title screen: Why should you join ASL Eagle Wrestling Club?John: The reason we wanted to start this program was because we wanted to make sure Deaf/Hard of Hearing children have opportunities to participate in something where they can play from the beginning to the end. They will have a chance to earn individual awards and team awards. So, they won’t have to depend on the whole team to achieve on their own merits and feel good about themselves. David: Also, having Deaf coaches allow communication to be direct and there’s a shared culture. There’s support gained from having peers and adult role models that are like them and clear communication between them.
Closing Screen: Icon of Chub Baird’s image of an eagle’s head with a hand representing the hooked beak. Title: ASL Eagle Wrestling Club.
