No more Mr. Nice Guy?The self-proclaimed mean guy talks about changes in wrestling over his 23 year career

Nearly a quarter century of coaching wrestling, all but one of those years at West Holmes, has taught Jeff Woods many things. He has witnessed miraculous pins out of nowhere, had State champions, earned accolades and seen countless wrestlers come through his program, only to return to the family years later to help the program.While Woods is still Woods, he has changed over the years, much as the sport of wrestling has.Rules and regulations change, and the names of the wrestlers are different from year to year. But 23 years as a head coach has created plenty of fond memories, lasting relationships and more than a handful of tense moments for Woods.So, the $64 million question is, how has the sport changed since he first began coaching back in 1989?“I miss coaching the way we used to,” said Woods, now in his 22nd season at the helm of the West Holmes Knights after coaching his first season at Fostoria High School.When asked to expound on that statement, Woods simply replied with a laugh, “We were mean back in the day. Ask any kid who used to wrestle for me years ago and they will tell you that.”Over the past 23 years, wrestling has changed dramatically, and Woods has been there to see it evolve, for good or bad.The one thing he has noticed that has changed the most has been that today’s kids as a whole are softer, and he believes that comes directly from society, where everyone gets a trophy and a “Good Job.”“We had tough kids years ago,” said Woods. “You don’t see that as much anymore. One, we are afraid to get kids hurt. Two, we are afraid parents will come in and complain.”That is not a slam at any Knights wrestler in particular, but rather a blanket statement including society as a whole.Woods said that former wrestlers like Trent White and Jimmy Dixon weren’t afraid to mix it up if they had to. They had an attitude that they were just tougher than everyone else.Woods said that in today’s world, kids are told that they are all equal, which may be true in life, but not necessarily in sports.A couple of brawls here and there were not a bad thing back in his earlier years as a coach, or even as a wrestler in high school and college.Woods starred at Triway High School, where he wrestled, before continuing his career at Ashland University.Wrestling has always been in his blood, and he has produced a dual meet record of 129-39 over his career at West Holmes.He has seen how the sport has evolved, and knows it will probably never return to the way it once was.“It’s a tough sport, and more and more kids don’t want to put in the time and effort it takes to become successful at it,” said Woods of wrestling. “It’s a sport where you get singled out, win or lose. You’re out there on an island, and that can be intimidating to kids, especially in a time where it seems like people want to take less and less responsibility for what happens.“It used to be that you learned to survive. You got knocked down or beat up, you learned from it, got better, and made yourself a winner. I don’t think we prepare kids like that anymore.”The numbers flesh that out. This year only 25 kids are vying for starting varsity spots. That number used to be at least twice that, and there were multiple wrestlers at every weight class competing for one spot.Woods said that today, rather than ride the pine and learn, more kids are simply stepping away from the sport, and he isn’t just talking West Holmes but most schools and kids in general.He said that in addition to that, the amount of red tape has increased dramatically over the years.Twenty-two years ago Woods came in to interview for a job at West Holmes with then superintendent Gary Gehm. Woods was told that he would have to take three coaching gigs if he wanted the job, a request which he gladly took on.Adapting and rolling with the punches was what he was used to doing.He had a “punch-you-in-the-mouth” kind of mentality as a wrestler. He was one of those kids who took a licking and kept on ticking, oftentimes simply outlasting and out-willing his opponents.He carries that same mentality over into the coaching ranks, where both he and his brother, Greg, have been at this together for the past 17 seasons.“I tell my kids every year, that if they make it through four years with me, they will be better off for it,” said Woods.The other thing that has changed for Woods has been the way he relates to his wrestlers.Back in his Triway days, Woods said that the Titans would come wrestle West Holmes, and then-Knights coach Lindy Rogers would sit around talking wrestling in the old days.Woods said that he never thought about having that kind of rapport with his players until Rogers, and had so much respect for Rogers’ style that he has implemented that into his coaching style.“At first, I wasn’t that guy,” said Woods of the relational aspect of coaching. “I was all about building State champions. I was gung-ho. But 23 years has taught me that if that kid can graduate from high school and become a productive member of society, that is worth more than any State title. That is what Lindy taught me.“I think that just comes with maturity. You change, you adapt, you find out what is truly important. And if we win titles along the way, that is a huge bonus.“Turning kids lives around and helping them to see that hard work and dedication to whatever you are doing is one of the greatest rewards of this job.”