Wrestling Camp Showcases All Iowa Central Has to Offer

Emilie Jenson, Public Information Office
6/12/2024

Iowa Central has had the opportunity to showcase all that it has to offer this week as the campus is the host site for the Iron Sharpens Iron Wrestling Camp June 10-13.

More than 1,500 K-12 wrestlers, coaches and chaperones descended upon Iowa Central and Fort Dodge for the camp, in its second year being held on the campus, making campus apartments their home for four days, dining in the Triton Café and occupying gymnasiums in Hodges Fieldhouse and the Career Education Building.

“It is a privilege for us to host this outstanding event,” said Iowa Central Athletic Director Kevin Twait. “To be able to get over 1,300 youth wrestlers (male and female) to view our outstanding athletic facilities, stay in our first class on-campus housing, and have the opportunity to dine in our top-notch cafeteria makes us a viable option down the road for many of these student-athletes that attend the camp.”

The camp has close ties to Fort Dodge. Iron Sharpens Iron co-owner and founder Joel Allen is a native of the Fort Dodge area and graduate of Saint Edmond High School. As his camps grew in popularity, Allen was looking for a venue that could accommodate and house hundreds of young athletes.

“I’ve been running camps for 14 years now and what we were looking for was a place that could meet our needs to house around 1000 people with multiple gyms for us to use,” said Allen. “I’m from Fort Dodge; graduated in 2005 and Iowa Central may not have been on our radar then, but the facilities they have today, it really is a diamond in the rough. When we came on a site visit, I knew that this could be the ‘perfect marriage’ for us. You don’t see many community colleges out there like Iowa Central.”

The camp first came to Iowa Central in 2023 with around 700 attendees, Allen said. Word of the outstanding experience that was offered traveled fast, and attendance nearly doubled in 2024.

“This campus is great,” said Allen. “The housing and food are excellent; the experience was so good for everyone last year that 700 kids became 1,250 kids this year with about 1,500 people here from around the country this week. I get nothing but positive feedback."

Allen said he hopes to see the camp continue a partnership with Iowa Central and Fort Dodge in the future.

“I have no doubt we will grow again if we come back,” he said. “Making Iowa Central home is absolutely perfect for us. They have a great wrestling program, great coaches, it is a win for us and a win for Iowa Central.”

Twait credited Iowa Central staff for making the experience a memorable one for camp participants and coaches alike.

“The coaches of these student-athletes and the athletes themselves experience our ‘Triton Nice’ as no one does a better job of rolling out the red carpet and making our guests feel at home than our Iowa Central staff," he said. "It is a win for everyone involved. These students are getting a firsthand look at the finest men’s and women’s community college wrestling programs in the country and may very well be wearing our navy and white in the years to come.”