Illinois Girls Wrestling Podcast

Episode 23: Stop Losing the Same Way - 10 Practice Mistakes Sabotaging Your Matches + Lily Garret (freshman at Minot University)t

New episode every other Wednesday in the off-season and weekly episodes during Folkstyle season! Host Lena Burkut breaks down the top 10 practice mistakes that make matches harder—like skipping stance, going live too hard, not drilling finishes, and failing to simulate match situations—and gives clear, actionable fixes you can try today. Minot University's Freshman Lily Garrett shares how correcting habits, improving footwork, and navigating the college recruiting process improved her performance, plus practical tips for athletes, coaches, and families. -------------------------------------- We are a baby podcast with a huge mission, and we would love your help - share the success of Girls' wrestling in the State of Illinois. If you like what you see, leave us a review (we heard that it really helps),  subscribe,  and share our podcast with other wrestling families ---------- Want to be our guest? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7. We are looking for insights from club and team coaches, expertise from industry experts, and inspiring stories from girls-wrestlers. You can also email us at ilgirlswrestling@gmail.com ---------- Looking for a club to join? Start your search at https://www.ikwf.org/clubs Ready to learn more about USA Wrestling? https://www.themat.com/ Join the discussion in the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw/ Follow us on Instagram and TikTok See girls wrestling grow Flow Wrestling 2024-25 commitment list    [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13022681-2024-25-womens-college-commitment-list] Flow Wrestling 2025-26 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14752559-2025-26-womens-college-commitment-list] --------------------------------------------

Episode 22: Train Smarter, Not Harder: Off-Season Guide for Girls Wrestling

New episode every other Wednesday in the off-season and weekly episodes during Folkstyle season! In this episode, Coach Liam Cummins and the host discuss how wrestlers can use the off-season to build strength, technique, and confidence without burning out. They cover practical strategies like targeted drilling, strength training, smart competition schedules, recovery, and camps. Listeners will learn how to set realistic technical and personal goals, recognize signs of burnout, balance other sports and recovery, and how parents and coaches can support athletes to return healthier, sharper, and still excited to wrestle. Our guest is  Liam Cummins, the girls wrestling head coach at Lane Tech, where the program recently captured their first state sectionals title. -------------------------------------- We are a baby podcast with a huge mission, and we would love your help - share the success of Girls' wrestling in the State of Illinois. If you like what you see, leave us a review (we heard that it really helps),  subscribe,  and share our podcast with other wrestling families ---------- Want to be our guest? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7 [https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7]. We are looking for insights from club and team coaches, expertise from industry experts, and inspiring stories from girls-wrestlers. You can also email us at ilgirlswrestling@gmail.com ---------- Looking for a club to join? Start your search at https://www.ikwf.org/clubs [https://www.ikwf.org/clubs] Ready to learn more about USA Wrestling? https://www.themat.com/ [https://www.themat.com/] Join the discussion in the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ilgirlswrestling/]and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ilgirlswrestling] See girls wrestling grow * Flow Wrestling 2024-25 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13022681-2024-25-womens-college-commitment-list]    * Flow Wrestling 2025-26 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14752559-2025-26-womens-college-commitment-list] --------------------------------------------

Episode 21: Freestyle State Isn’t the Finish Line: What Comes Next for Illinois Girls Wrestling

New episode every other Wednesday in the off-seasn and weekly episodes during Folkstyle season! This episode breaks down practical next steps after Illinois Freestyle State for athletes, coaches, and families — whether you qualified for Fargo or didn’t. Liz Short and the host explain qualification rules, regional and second‑chance options, summer camps and team travel, weigh‑in strategy, and how Greco and the National Duels fit into development. Listeners will get simple, actionable guidance: take a brief reset, plan steady training, review film, choose the right competitions (regionals, second chance, duels), manage weight and recovery, and how parents can best support athletes emotionally and practically. Our guest is Liz Short, Current Coach at Andrew High School, 2023 - IWCOA Girls Coach of the Year, Team USA - 2024 U17 Pan-American Coach, 2025 U15 Pan-American Coach, 2026 U15 Pan-American Coach  As a wrestler: Collegiate Wrestler- United States Education Center (USOEC)  Northern Michigan University  U23 - World Bronze Medalist, U20 World- 5th Place  3x Senior All American  -------------------------------------- We are a baby podcast with a huge mission, and we would love your help - share the success of Girls' wrestling in the State of Illinois. If you like what you see, leave us a review (we heard that it really helps),  subscribe,  and share our podcast with other wrestling families ---------- Want to be our guest? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7 [https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7]. We are looking for insights from club and team coaches, expertise from industry experts, and inspiring stories from girls-wrestlers. You can also email us at ilgirlswrestling@gmail.com ---------- Looking for a club to join? Start your search at https://www.ikwf.org/clubs [https://www.ikwf.org/clubs] Ready to learn more about USA Wrestling? https://www.themat.com/ [https://www.themat.com/] Join the discussion in the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ilgirlswrestling/]and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ilgirlswrestling] See girls wrestling grow * Flow Wrestling 2024-25 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13022681-2024-25-womens-college-commitment-list]    * Flow Wrestling 2025-26 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14752559-2025-26-womens-college-commitment-list] --------------------------------------------

Episode 20: Winning the Mental Match - 10-Second Resets for Wrestlers + Coach Russell Silverstein

New episode every other Wednesday in the off-season and weekly episodes during Folkstyle season! In this episode Coach Russell Silverstein breaks down the mental side of wrestling — why athletes perform great in practice but freeze under pressure, and how the mental game can be trained. He explains common mindset "red flags" (hesitation, over-respect, fear of mistakes) and shares quick, practical tools like 10-second mental resets, visualization, and focusing on what’s in your control. This conversation gives concrete, usable advice for athletes, coaches, and parents — including how to communicate after a loss, how parents can support first-year wrestlers, and where to find additional mindset coaching resources.   Russell Silverstein is a sports performance and mindset coach, wrestling coach, educator, and father with 26 years of coaching experience across youth, high school, and collegiate wrestling. Since 2018, he has served as a Sports Performance Mental Coach and Mindset Coach with Z Winning Mindset/Wrestling Mindset, helping athletes build confidence, mental toughness, and peak performance. He currently serves as Head Coach and Director of Wrestling Operations for the men’s and women’s programs at Executive Education Academy Charter School. His previous coaching roles include Assistant Coach at Alvernia University Women’s Wrestling and Muhlenberg College Men’s Wrestling, as well as Head Coach positions at Valley Forge Military College and Williamson Trade School. Throughout his career, Russell has mentored more than 70 state medalists and state champions through Wrestling Mindset programs, helped coach over seven collegiate All-Americans and numerous conference champions, and contributed to two state championship teams along with multiple league titles. He is passionate about helping athletes unlock their mindset, develop resilience and discipline, and turn potential into achievement both on the mat and in life. Learn more about Wrestling Mindset [https://www.wrestlingmindset.com/] and follow Coach Silverstein on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/coachrsilverstein/]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- We are a baby podcast with a huge mission, and we would love your help - share the success of Girls' wrestling in the State of Illinois. If you like what you see, leave us a review (we heard that it really helps),  subscribe,  and share our podcast with other wrestling families ---------- Want to be our guest? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7 [https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7]. We are looking for insights from club and team coaches, expertise from industry experts, and inspiring stories from girls-wrestlers. You can also email us at ilgirlswrestling@gmail.com ---------- Looking for a club to join? Start your search at https://www.ikwf.org/clubs [https://www.ikwf.org/clubs] Ready to learn more about USA Wrestling? https://www.themat.com/ [https://www.themat.com/] Join the discussion in the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ilgirlswrestling/]and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ilgirlswrestling] See girls wrestling grow * Flow Wrestling 2024-25 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13022681-2024-25-womens-college-commitment-list]    * Flow Wrestling 2025-26 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14752559-2025-26-womens-college-commitment-list] --------------------------------------------

Episode 19: Freestyle Shortcut for Folk-Style Wrestlers: Scoring, Edge & Parterre

New episode every other Wednesday in the off-seasn and weekly episodes during Folkstyle season! Today's episode is a shortcut for folk-style wrestlers and families learning freestyle: what changes, how scoring works, what the edge means, and where to focus first so your first freestyle tournament feels exciting, not confusing. Guest Kylie Bair breaks down the essentials — step-out = 1 point, takedown = 2 points, exposure/turns score heavily (2 points, with bigger throws worth 4–5), and a 10-point lead ends the match — plus parterre basics, edge awareness, and practice priorities like takedowns that lead to exposure, leg-lace offense, and flat tight defense on bottom. Kyley Bair began her wrestling journey at the age of 12 with the Peoria Wizards Wrestling Club in the IKWF. She went on to wrestle all four years at Richwoods High School, where she was a four-year varsity starter. In addition, she represented her state as a former member of Team Illinois at Fargo. Currently, Kyley wrestles at Eureka College. She grey-shirted this year and plans to compete for the team over the next two seasons. Outside of her collegiate career, Kyley gives back to the sport by coaching girls in her community during the freestyle season.  -------------------------------------- New episode every Wednesday (this is a plan)! ---------- We are a baby podcast with a huge mission, and we would love your help - share the success of Girls' wrestling in the State of Illinois. If you like what you see, leave us a review (we heard that it really helps),  subscribe,  and share our podcast with other wrestling families ---------- Want to be our guest? Fill out this form: https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7 [https://forms.gle/3CAjj1b6XcrgJA1v7]. We are looking for insights from club and team coaches, expertise from industry experts, and inspiring stories from girls-wrestlers. You can also email us at ilgirlswrestling@gmail.com ---------- Looking for a club to join? Start your search at https://www.ikwf.org/clubs [https://www.ikwf.org/clubs] Ready to learn more about USA Wrestling? https://www.themat.com/ [https://www.themat.com/] Join the discussion in the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw/ [https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17hayuBGgw] Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/ilgirlswrestling/]and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ilgirlswrestling] See girls wrestling grow * Flow Wrestling 2024-25 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/13022681-2024-25-womens-college-commitment-list]    * Flow Wrestling 2025-26 commitment list [https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/14752559-2025-26-womens-college-commitment-list] -------------------------------------------- Start simple: circle in, be explosive, drill edge scenarios, ask your coach, and use developmental events to learn. Freestyle rewards action and exposure, and confidence comes fast when you understand what earns points.