TAMPA, Fla. — Plant High School needed a wrestling coach to begin the season. Jay Powers volunteered.
Powers brings a unique experience in leadership.
“Being military, he definitely brings a lot of great skills like discipline, leadership and stuff like that,” Plant sophomore wrestler Parker Milling said.
Powers goes by coach now, but until recently, he was Army Special Forces Col. Jay Powers. He retired after a 26-year career in command of hundreds of soldiers.
From the battlefield to the wrestling mat, he wants to create an environment where people can be their best.
“I want to create wrestlers; I want to win,” Powers said. “But most important to me is to develop the kids for future success in life. Wrestling creates a great opportunity to train that because it is so hard.”
Powers wrestled on club teams at West Point. His career also included nearly a dozen deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. He brings a lifetime of experience to practice and a never-quit mentality.
“I try to make it hard enough every day where there is that little question, ‘Do I really want to do this?’ Every day there is a little bit of a gut check,” Powers said.
“Coach doesn’t want us to give up, and keep on trying no matter what,” freshman wrestler Max McKay added.
“It can be like when he was in the military, and he had no will to fight left,” Milling said. “He just used everything to fight back.”
He teaches overcoming challenges in the face of adversity while focusing on character, intensity and teamwork.
“That’s what we really focus on here,” Powers said. “In the process, we’ll win some wrestling matches.”
