By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Part of being an athlete at Barton Community College is giving back to the community. Wrestling coach Nathan Broeckelman has revitalized that program. The more wrestlers competing at Barton, the more the community benefits. This year's squad has nearly doubled the output of last year's team.
"That's an expectation we set at the beginning of the year," Broeckelman said. "Last year, I think we did about 1,600 hours. This year, our goal is 2,400 hours. I basically set it at 100 hours per athlete."
With a semester to go, Barton wrestlers have turned in nearly 1,500 hours. Even as the team enters the busy portion of its athletic schedule, Broeckelman said there are still opportunities to give back.
"People can definitely contact me if they have something they need done, even if it's something little," he said. "All we had to do was move an elliptical for some guy who couldn't get it to his basement. It was perfectly fine that we ran over there, moved it for him real quick, and got it taken care of for him. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big, long project that lasts all day. It can be something simple. We just want to be able to help the community, and not just Great Bend but Hoisington and the rest of Barton County."
The wrestlers have been active in the farm community, helped residents move, and helped put up and take down Christmas decorations. Wrestlers also step in as volunteer coaches for the Kids Club and provided nearly 500 hours of service during Great Bend High School's Christmas Clash, a 2-day tournament and one of the premiere girls' wrestling tournaments in the state.
Contact Broeckelman at (785) 871-7981 for more details.