Gaylord Strand, nine former state champion wrestlers, host inaugural ‘Strand State Champ Camp’

Around 100 wrestlers gathered inside of the Yelm High School gymnasium on Sunday, Dec. 7, as the legendary hall of fame wrestling coach Gaylord Strand and nine of his state champion Tornados hosted the inaugural “Strand State Champ Camp.”

According to Strand and current YHS head wrestling coach Tim Beaudin, the event was a massive success. Beaudin told the Nisqually Valley News on Friday, Dec. 12, that due to the success of the clinic, it will be held again in 2026.

“It was exciting to see nine state champions in there acting as clinicians and helping out,” Beaudin said. “I think we prepared and had it run really well. Strand talked about the toughness mindset and preparation of a wrestler. We had 110 participants and half of them were high school kids.”

The nine state champion clinicians at the “Strand State Champ Camp” were Dylan Hyder, Marcus Turnquist, Marcus Crone, Derrick Platt, Jonah Smith, Darren Harris, Dillion Harris, Beaudin and Madisyn Erickson.

“I thought it was very instrumental that Madisyn Erickson showed up because girls wrestling in Washington and nationwide is being built into a powerhouse. It’s probably one of the strongest programs, growth wise, over the last five to 10 years,” Beaudin said. “Her being a two-time state champion brought out a good crowd of girls. I know the Olympia program brought 12 to 15 girls to listen to Maddie.”

Strand said he was “very pleased and surprised” to see so many athletes show up to the clinic ready to learn and grow. He added that it was great being reunited with many of his former state champion wrestlers. The National Wrestling Hall of Famer believed the clinic was a great opportunity for all stages of wrestlers — beginners and veterans — to grow and perfect their craft.

“My state champions took turns showing their bread and butter moves, the ones they were real successful at. It was well received,” Strand said. “The kids who came were really focused on learning some new stuff and doing the same thing they’ve already learned, but from a different perspective. Sometimes they can pick things up a little better coming from a different coach. It was very rewarding.”

Strand said he kicked off the clinic with a speech about focus, goal setting and practice attitudes. Following his message to the athletes, the wrestlers broke into two groups by age on separate mats and began learning.

“It felt good stepping on those mats again. I was a little worried about how my talk was going to go because coach Beaudin wanted me to talk for half an hour or 45 minutes, but as soon as I started talking it all came back,” Strand said. “I really enjoyed passing on what I’ve learned, some successful points in my life.”

While the clinic served as an opportunity for local athletes to learn from the best of the best to ever walk through YHS, it also served as a big fundraiser for the YHS wrestling program. According to Beaudin, the event raised nearly $4,000.

“Big shout out to Sheena Smith and Heather Duell. They’re our booster club and they put countless hours into that,” Beaudin said. “I want to give them a shoutout for all of the hard work they’ve done. Without them, none of this happens.”

Strand passed along a similar sentiment about Smith and Duell’s hard work behind the scenes with the booster club.

“I was really happy with the planning by the booster club, the Yelm wrestling booster club. They really did their job. They’ve been doing some fundraisers and it’s really helped out the program,” Strand said. “This year, I think, we’re pretty much covered. Next year is going to be a big if. Let’s see what the district is going to do.”

Additionally, the hall of famer also talked about the significance behind the fundraising at the “Strand State Champ Camp.”

“This was a fundraiser. Everything went directly to the Yelm boys wrestling program. With the school not passing their levies the last four times, we’re a little bit short handed,” Strand said. “Like most sports, you play your regular league schedule and that’s it. With wrestling, that’s not very many matches and where the kids get really good is by attending tournaments and getting anywhere between four to six matches in one day. That’s where they’re really tested. When they get to regionals or state, they’re going to have to do the same thing. The kids need as much mat time as they can get, especially, I can see from this year’s kids turning out, there’s a lot of youth out there.”

While athletics in Yelm remain an uncertainty, Strand was thankful for the opportunity to partake in the clinic — and was thrilled to catch up with his former athletes.

“It was like a class reunion — sharing our old times, the fun times we had through wrestling and the lessons we learned,” he said. “We got to catch up with what they’re doing in their lives now too. Some of them are coaching. Some of them have taken the long way around in their path but have a successful future.”