Laveen Wrestling is a youth club dedicated to improving the community and the sport of wrestling by building Strong Minds, Strong Bodies and Strong Leaders. The club is open to ages 4-18. Practices are held Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:15pm, with competition team practices held Fridays from 6:30-8:15pm.
Club Background: In 2008 Laveen residents Steve and Veronica Wene were looking for local activities for their 3 children and not finding much available in the South Phoenix area other than baseball and football. With one son an extreme asthmatic both those sports were out. After spending countless hours driving their boys to various wrestling clubs around Phoenix they decided to start their own wrestling club. 6 years ago the club started with 3 volunteer coaches and 6 kids. Today the club has over 111 registered wrestlers and is one of the largest clubs in Arizona. Not only is it one of the largest, it’s also one of the most successful, taking 3rd at 2013 State out of 60 teams and placing 1st at Girls State in grade and middle school. In addition the club has 21 individual state championships, 51 state placers in 2013 and took 8 Arizona Team regional qualifiers to Idaho to compete at regionals.
The club is a 501(c)3. All 17 of the club coaches are volunteers (with background checks) dedicated to making wrestling possible for the youth of South Phoenix and surrounding areas. The club has a great reputation valley wide for club organization, quality coaching and good sportsmanship. There are club members whose parents drive them more than an hour one way to attend practices. The club has members from Laveen, Tonopah, Maricopa, Goodyear, Buckeye, Avondale, Merryvale, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix, to name a few. The club practices out of Laveen Baptist Church located at 5036 W. Dobbins Road, Laveen Az.
Laveen Wrestling Club practices year round and strives to keep costs low for families. The club offers two semesters of wrestling. The semesters mimic school semesters and run from September to December and January to May. The cost of joining the club is $50 a semester. Wrestlers must register with USA Wrestling, which is an additional $40 and provides insurance in case of injury. There are no additional monthly fees. In an attempt to keep wrestling as affordable as possible Laveen Wrestling runs a used shoe program. Any wrestler wanting to borrow shoes may do so for the season (if the program has the size needed of course).
Head Coach Steve Wene’s dream has always been to have a club that can take any kid who walks in the door and make him or her a success. LWC is unique in that the coaches pay attention to all wrestlers on the mat, not just the superstars.
In addition to wrestling for ages 6-18 LWC also offers a Cub Wrestling program for ages 4-6, and an Elite Technique class for experienced wrestlers wanting to take their sport to the next level. This class is attracting high school wrestlers from around the Phoenix area.
Laveen Wrestling is excited to announce a new class for 4-6 year olds- Tumbling and Athletic Movement. This class will be offered twice a week starting March 4th, is $25 a month, and will be taught by Coach Todd Milhoan and Head Coach Steve Wene.
A discount has been offered for South Phoenix Macaroni Kid readers!! If you sign your child up for the entire 3 months of Tumbling and Athletic Movement class, you will receive a $5 discount. You must pay in advance for all 3 months, and your total class fee will be $70. This being a non-profit organization, is a very gracious discount. Let's show our appreciation!
More information can be found on the club website at www.laveenwrestling.com The club facebook page is www.facebook.com/laveenwrestling
To make inquires about the club please contact Veronica Wene at 602-677-1980.
