Five Point Wrestling Camp Going Big
Limestone’s Leidaly Rivera hits a move against Colorado Mesa opponent during the 2020-2021 college season. Photo courtesy of Limestone Athletics.
by Derek Levendusky, AWW staff writer
Twitter: @AWWderek
SPARTANBURG, SC – Summer sweat equals winter gold. As far as wrestling camps go for girls, Five Point Wrestling Camp is one of a kind. The fourth year event is the only all-girls 10-day intensive camp in the country, to be held this summer from July 26th-August 4th at the Marriott Hotel in Spartanburg, SC. Only 90 camp spots are available for the unique event.
This year’s all-star coaching staff includes camp founder Brandy Green, a two-time Senior National Team member and current head coach at Limestone University; 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Randi Miller; and Paulina Biega, the women’s assistant coach at Campbellsville, the 2021 NAIA national champions. The camp will also have twelve college wrestlers as support staff during the event.
The vision has always been to provide a high level experience for girls who have big goals in the sport of wrestling, all under the tutelage of elite women’s coaches. In the past, the camp coaching staff has included the likes of Life University coaches Ashley Sword and Christian Flavin, National Women’s USAW Developmental Coach Jessica Medina, 2015 World bronze medalist Leigh Jaynes, and D1 Presbyterian College Coach Dany DeAnda.
“As a female wrestler I always wanted to go to camps,” says founder Brandy Green, “but there were not many options for females and my parents we not comfortable sending me to a camp with only boys. Now, this was years back and I know now that there are more opportunities for girls-only camps and boys camps can be more accommodating for girls. With that, I still felt that there is a need for a camp that is designed to push these girls in an environment where they can be more themselves.”
The camp has a focus on both folkstyle and freestyle, and for good reason. “Our focus for camp is to teach both folkstyle and freestyle as well as show how easy it is to make the transition to freestyle,” says Green. “We practice at an intense and high pace for the entire camp. This year’s camp we will focus on throws and top-bottom for technique.”
The name of the camp gives away their annual plan—to teach young women how to hit the big moves. “We do a camp challenge each year called ‘Clip the Shirt,’” tells Green. “Each wrestler that gets checked off on their 5-point back arch earn their clip. If the entire camp gets their clip they get to pick something I have to do. Year one I had to dye my hair crazy colors. The next year I got a tattoo of ‘Bubble Gum’—she is a female wrestling penguin. Excited to see what will happen this year as we work hard as a staff to be sure all wrestlers leave with a back arch!”
The mission of Five Point Wrestling Camp is to provide a high level intensive and technical camp for wrestlers. Green adds that they’ve designed a camp “that truly allows wrestlers to explore their limits and overcome mental barriers.”
Limestone University freshman wrestler Caroline Schmitt said, “Five Point Camp packs just enough intensity in while still being fun and allowing you to meet female wrestlers from across the states.”
Coach Green always has an eye on the future trajectory of the athletes who attend the camp. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Never start next season where you ended your last season.’ Five Point Camp will give wrestlers a way to get prepared for the coming middle school, high school, or college season. It allows for growth and development at a time when some are at home doing the minimum. Great people don’t do the minimum and hope for success. They are up at 5:00 a.m. and working on their goals. This camp gives that structure!”
The camp has seen many girls go into the college scene. “It prepares those for college as we train at a high level and pace,” explains Coach Green. “We offer Q & A’s for high school girls and college-bound girls. We offer a class on building their athlete portfolio and how to navigate the recruitment process. For the college-bound we also focus on how to keep a journal.”
The experience is not for the faint of heart. “This camp is going to challenge the highest level high school wrestler,” admits Green. “I have been told by many that Day 7 is the day they choose to stay or go home. This is the day that starts to challenge your mental abilities.”
The camp also builds lifelong friendships in an environment with plenty of fun as the participants connect at the pool for rest and recovery, the fitness room for any extra work, and a local park for outdoor workouts, not to mention pool tables, board games, video games, and outdoor fire-pit areas. Each wrestler will stay in a hotel room with four others that includes a fridge, TV, and microwave.
Days begin at 6:00 a.m. and end around 6:00 p.m. Over the course of the camp, wrestlers receive over 15 hours of live wrestling, over 15 hours of technique, and more than 50 hours of training. Daily sessions include live wrestling, technique, and conditioning. A few days into the camp, the training will feature a one-hour “grind match”—a favorite of Coach Green. There are also classes on nutrition, college recruitment prep, mental prep and more. The end of camp includes a dual organized by camp staff to allow for challenging matches.
One interesting note to this year’s event is that it falls right within the time frame of the Olympic Games, and because of that, the camp will provide live streaming of the event.
"Five Point Wrestling Camp is a truly unique experience,” said South Carolina’s Dasia Yearby, ranked #3 in high school by USA Wrestling. “The length of the camp allows true growth to happen in repetition over time, and closer relationships to be made. My roommate from last time and I are still really close, and I still talk to the girls I counseled as well.”
Link to register: Five Point Wrestling Camp Registration