Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the perennial powerhouse in high school wrestling — and to this day a monster on the mats — was Ledyard, coached by a legend: the incomparable Rod Leyland.

The strength of that program, other than its redoubtable founder and coach, was in its developmental youth wrestling curriculum.

Fast forward now through decades of Olympic games, U.S. presidents, technological advances, Super Bowl classics, just name it, and the formula for hatching scholastic athletes right from the egg has caught on and continues to thrive. Recently it has surfaced with mounting zeal in New London.

A onetime Ledyard High wrestling champion is driven to replicate the same kind of formula that produced the stunning results he experienced in his time there.

“We not only want to build in New London the kind of success Ledyard has always enjoyed,” said CJ Satti, proud resident of New London and primary coach for the whaling city’s wrestling youth. “We want the work we’re doing with these young people to help make better human beings of them too.”

With three past individual and team state titles from his days as a Ledyard grappler during the early years of this millennium, and having also wrestled for Colby College in Kansas, Satti is a product of the very kind of system he is striving to build in New London.

“Youth wrestling barely existed in New London a few years ago,” he said. “Then a program initiated by Rashib Robledo and Kent Ward began under their guidance and things took off.”

Whaling City Wrestling

That program was Whaling City Wrestling and functioned successfully out of the First Church of New London on State Street. But with the recent expansion of the former New London CrossFit facility on 436 Broad St. into a wider range of activities that now includes boxing, jiu jitsu and adult gymnastics, Ward’s and Robledo’s wrestling program relocated into the more spacious facility there.

CJ Satti accepted their offer to continue running the relocated program as head coach. A New London native himself, he had attended Ledyard High School as an agricultural and science student (specialized academic curriculum offered only at Ledyard) and wrestled there under Coach Steve Bilheimer. The influence of the Ledyard wrestling community during Satti’s formative athletic years would stay with the now full-time manager of his own business, Satti Landscaping, and funneled his passion as a youth development advocate.

Bearing more the rugged look of an old-time classical Viking warrior, CJ Satti nonetheless is willfully open about his affinity for youth-at-risk, as well as those who are involved purely in the name of athletic achievement.

“There was a time when the New London wrestling uniforms didn’t even match and only a paltry number of participants came out for the program,” Satti said. “But from there we were bound and determined to build something meaningful here.”

Growing quickly

He points proudly to the Whaling City Wrestling Club’s growth over a relatively short time frame, and the elements that have made it both unique and appealing.

“Our club might be the most diverse wrestling program in Connecticut. We draw children between the ages of 5 and 13 from every social and cultural background, including those with special needs like autism, high energy, behavioral issues, size extremes, blind, amputees ... and, yes, it also includes both genders. No discrimination here at all,” Satti said. “We work very hard at making Whaling City Wrestling into a place where character is developed, open to everyone, and where there’s a place for you if you want to step out onto the mats with us. Wrestling is a world where you learn ultimately to function on your own ... a world where prejudice and favoritism are non-factors.”

He also explained how training sessions during the competitive offseason all take place at the New London Athletics Center facility, and how the competitive season is conducted at the Benny Dover Middle School, via New London Recreation Department, from November through mid-March.

“Parents (and others) who want to be involved, either in administrative ways, serving on our board of directors, fund raising for participants dealing with financial hardship, or even assisting in the instructional phase, are welcome,” he said. “They must undergo an official certification process like our coaches do. And all play a vital role in our program’s efficiency.”

Satti said tournaments and other events wouldn’t run so smoothly without help.

More to come

Forthcoming events still being determined include a prospective Take-Down Tournament at New London High School, conducted by Olympic level wrestler Rich Perry of Middletown, on Dec. 3; while another event being considered, also at New London High, is a proposed All-Girls State Tournament, the only one of its kind in the state.

Is it feasible for the Whaling City Wrestling Club, which welcomes participants from towns outside of New London as well, to foster young athletes to the point where, one day, they might even stand on a par with those of other towns harboring more storied pasts? Based on the rapid rise of young people learning the fundamentals and values of athletic development, it appears the answer is a resounding “yes!”

Whaling City Wrestling Club and New London Rec appear en route to transcending the premise of “possibility” and attaining the inevitable.

For more information, contact CJ Satti at nlwrestlingclubs@gmail.com.