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He’s not just teaching sports, he’s teaching lifetime skills

Local volunteer wrestling and softball coach, Carl J. Floor, who volunteers his time to help local athletes obtain sports scholarships, does so with a passion, and at this time he is making plans to bring Gannon University’s wrestling team to the territory for a week long wrestling camp. They will be teaching the fine art of the world’s oldest sport in July 2013.

 He is also volunteering his time with the American Samoa Baseball Association (ASBA) coaching a girls softball team by helping them to improve their skills. He is further working on his umpire certification in softball and baseball. His niece Kayla Floor, who earned a full scholarship to play softball for the University of Georgia as a pitcher, will also be here running a softball clinic in July 2013, according to Floor Sr..

“Feeder programs are essential to the development of athletes, regardless of the sport. Teaching the skills necessary to be competitive children athletes, where they learn the value of teamwork, discipline and commitment, are all important ingredients that enable them to be successful not only in sports, but in society as well,” he said.

Floor is splitting his time between coaching a girls softball team in this year’s ASBA Little League competition — where softball is being played at the same time — while teaching the fine art of wrestling, where he is receiving positive feedback from athletes of both sports.

“I do this for these young kids here in the territory. I am trying my best to help them out,” he stated.

He went on to say that the Gannon wrestling team that will be coming from Erie, Pennsylvania will be a community service for those college students, as well as an educational experience for the team about the Samoan culture.

Floor, Sr. explained that the purpose of these camps is not only to provide training for our athletes, but to open scholarship opportunities for them in East Coast universities.

Referring to the softball team he is coaching — which is the youngest team in the ASBA Little League competition — he said, “I believe in coaching and playing up a level, not down.”

“Children athletes as well as coaches learn more from losing than winning. Losing enables to us to focus on the fundamentals and skills needed to be competitive and being competitive is what we strive for. When we are competitive, we have an opportunity to win. It is this way on the ball field and wrestling mat, the work place and in life,” he explained.

“Taking a team of 7th and 8th graders who have never played organized softball before and competing against seasoned high school players, is the ultimate challenge, not only for the players, but for the coach as well. I would like to thank the ASBA for the opportunity to challenge myself and for the responsibility placed on me in not only developing our future athletes but our future citizens also.”

Floor’s son, Sean, who is a New York state runner up wrestler and a four time All-American wrestler, will be joining the Gannon University wrestling team, of which he is member, when they arrive next July. Floor’s other son, CJ, qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in wrestling, but was not able to attend due to differences between the wrestler and the American Samoa Wrestling Association.

Floor, Sr. also coaches his twin daughters, Stephanie and Danielle, on the softball team. He has offered his services to be the wrestling coach at Fa’asao Marist High School, which he says he is excited about, if he is accepted.

“Like I stated before, I do this for the kids here in the territory... to help them out as much as I can in obtaining scholarships and hopefully teaching them things they can use throughout life” he stated.