After a strong first season, Director of the Wrestling Program Mr. Chris Kober is looking to pick up right where he left off. A 2017 Haverford graduate and former Division-I wrestler at Campbell University, Kober returned to his alma mater last year after coaching D-I athletes. His experience and intensity quickly reshaped the program’s culture.
“The team is bought in now. They have learned the different coaching philosophy and style of wrestling that I showed them last year, and now we are using it,” Coach Kober said. “I talk to the boys about attitude. There are three parts for me: discipline, commitment, and accountability. My goal is to have a group full of men who have a workman’s style of accountability. Strap your boots on and get to work.”
Sixth Former wrestling captain Ian Thomas explained Coach Kober’s impact.
“[Mr.] Kober is a great coach. He always does everything with a purpose. He competed at the highest level, so he’s a great example. Some of us have had lots of contact with him—I’ve known him forever. He loves all the wrestlers, and everyone loves him. He does a great job of making sure everyone is connected and accomplished.”
Several other upperclassmen remember Coach Kober from when he was a Sixth Former and helped out at a summer camp they attended.
“I want them to go out there and grind, even if the guy is better than you on paper.” – Coach Chris Kober
Building on last season, Coach Kober sees clear signs of progress.
“I want them to go out there and grind, even if the guy is better than you on paper,” Coach Kober said. “The attitude has definitely improved from last year. I strive to have lots of healthy competition at practice. Once it hits 3:30, and you enter the wrestling room, your friend is not your friend. They are your training partner and can get you better. Don’t let them down.”
As a first-year high school coach last season, Coach Kober had to adjust his approach.
“I coached very high-level D1 wrestling where all of the kids were extremely experienced,” Coach Kober said. “Now in high school, there are still some kids who have been doing it for a very long time, even since the age of five, but others who have just put on wrestling boots freshman year.”
With more experience under his belt, Coach Kober has refined his approach.
“Last year, I […] ran every little detail of practice. This year, with many seniors returning and the upperclassmen familiar with my and the other coaches’ style, I don’t need to run through every detail. I can focus on creating the workout and helping people with some technique errors,” Coach Kober said. “Additionally, I’ve been working on taking feedback to see how I can improve the team.”
Coach Kober is also pushing for more competition this season.
“I want the kids to do a lot of matches. It’s not about the wins and losses but the experience. We have 45 matches scheduled for each athlete this year, hopefully. There is a good balance of high-level tournaments and lower-level JV meets. Lots of dual meets as well,” Coach Kober said. “Wrestling is not a sport that is fun if you just practice all year, so we are going to do five to eight matches per week to keep everyone enjoying the season and improving.”
The team itself is smaller this year, which Thomas believes is an advantage.
“The biggest weakness last year was everyone figuring out their role,” Thomas said. “The biggest improvement is the type of community that we have this year. It’s a smaller group of guys—just roughly 25 of us. We are closer together.”
With the season approaching, Coach Kober is optimistic.
“I think we will be good,” Coach Kober said. “There are a couple of injuries coming over from football, but we have every class filled besides 113. Lots of guys, including Finn Thomas, Max Lu, Jerry Collins, Ahmad Harris, and Adris Harris [ ’30], are all standing out. I’m excited for the season and to see how we perform.”