Have you felt the need to want to contribute? Is there a passion inside you to support the kids in our community, and do so without the pressure of outside expectation?

If you feel these two simple attributes fit you, Wawasee’s POW WOW organization is the place for you to make an impact and serve our kids at the same time.

POW WOW is our parent organization that serves Wawasee Wrestling at its core. Not just a concession stand at dual meets, POW WOW really is the backbone that helps keep our operations running smoothly.

Led by Starr Senter, POW WOW does oversee hospitality at home matches, but does so much more people don’t, and sometimes won’t, see.

“There is certainly a benefit to helping with POW WOW, especially if your child is wrestling,” Senter said, taking a break from setup at the home match against Goshen. “A lot of our warm-ups and singlets are purchased by us. So it directly goes back to the kids. But we also have a lot of kids in the middle school programs, club programs and families that have had kids graduate who want to help as well.

“We really are like a family in this program. You can feel that. It’s a tight-knit group and the people seem to keep coming back. You don’t see that everywhere. It’s a support system.”

POW WOW does quite a bit for our wrestling program on the outside. All concessions are run by the organization as the school does not provide food for home matches. The group also helps purchase senior banners, provides financial assistance for families that need it, and purchases senior gifts and Christmas gifts for coaches.

While Senter and a bulk of the current POW WOW group are parents of wrestlers, Senter made sure to point out that it’s not a parent-only group. Anyone can help in any capacity, and the generosity of time, materials or support goes a long way.

“Our biggest hole we always have is help with concessions,” Senter said. “I’m not asking you to shop it, stock it, set it up and tear it down. I’m just asking for help with people working in shifts. Two hours. We also make sure that you won’t be at the table if you have a child who is on the mat. We have TVs out here that broadcast the matches so we keep an eye on things.”

Senter added that there are text threads, Band app threads and online sign-ups that help keep things organized, and she oversees all of them. She also helps facilitate the POW WOW Facebook page that lists nearly all of the goings-on in the Wawasee wrestling program.

There are three major home events left on the calendar, but they all are huge productions:

* Dec. 16 is the Wawasee December Duals, a six-team round robin invitational. Help is needed both in concession work as well as the hospitality room.

* Jan. 4 is the final home match of the high school season in hosting NorthWood

* Jan. 28 is the club tournament, an all-hands-on-deck all-day tournament featuring clubs from around the area.

For more information, contact Senter at starrsenter@outlook.com