COEUR d'ALENE - Jon Parson wrestled well when he competed for North Idaho College in the 1990s.

And as much as he treasured the competition - he advanced to the 1993 national finals in the heavyweight division - some of his finest moments were working with youngsters who wanted to learn the sport.

It was, he said, a good time when the NIC grapplers shared their passion and drive with kids.

The enthusiasm of the children, he said, was contagious.

"It's amazing what you learn when you're coaching little kids," the Coeur d'Alene man said. "The more you coach, the more you get out of wrestling."

That's part of the reason Parson has had three children go through the program, including 11-year-old daughter Sierra when she was 6, and sons Logan, 9 and Marek, 4, who both participated in the most recent program that wrapped up last Friday.

It's offered through the city of Coeur d'Alene's recreation department, and remains just as popular with parents, coaches and of course, the big and little wrestlers.

Pat Whitcomb said the program has been around for at least as long as he has been NIC's head coach, the past 16 years.

Each year, about 50 boys and girls, ages 4-10, participate in the annual program that runs two days a week from early January through the end of the month. It's always after Christmas break.

It's an introduction to the basics of the sport known for its toughness and rigorous training, not to mention fierce matches on the mat.

But no worries. No one is going to be screaming in the face of a boy who gets pinned.

"We just let them have fun," he said.

Parents usually attend the one-hour training sessions in the wrestling room upstairs at Christiansen Gymnasium at North Idaho College.

Whitcomb handles the warm-ups and outlines the day's plans, then turns things over to his wrestlers. All 40 of them.

"It's great for my guys," Whitcomb said. "They do the coaching, I just step back."

Kids are split into groups, then hear about single- and double-leg takedowns, cradles and the stand up. They're introduced to a good wrestler's stance. They'll square off, too, in bouts. Guess what? No one wins.

In a final tournament, every wrestler receives a ribbon.

"We don't even keep score," Whitcomb said. "Both kids get their hands raised."

He has seen many young wrestlers come through. He knows who has the makings to excel, perhaps even become a champion.

"There's some good ones, but we can't sign them to a letter of intent," Whitcomb said, laughing.

Along with skill, comes attitude. Wrestlers are taught to show sportsmanship, to have grace, win or lose.

And they learn about doing for others, as well.

"My wrestlers have a sense of community service," he said.

What Whitcomb loves most about the program is it gets kids up and moving, learning, growing, developing healthy habits that will guide them through a lifetime.

"We need more exercise," he said. "If we can do our part in that, that's great."

Good wrestlers start young, generally by age 7.

"The sooner you're introduced to something, the better you're going to get the basics," Whitcomb said.

But starting a grappler too young, making them work too hard, putting too much pressure on them, can lead to burnout, and a talented figure walking away from the sport that for a select few, offers a shot a college scholarship and Olympic dreams.

Mental discipline is just as important as physical.

"You just can't be an all-star," Whitcomb said. "Everyone is going to lose in the sport of wresting."

That's when sportsmanship, the ability to get up and go back for more following a defeat, to keep going when you're just not feeling all that great - counts most.

Parson said he won't insist his children wrestle. He'll encourage them, he'll help, he'll guide. But he won't push. It will be each child's choice.

"If they want to. I'm not that parent that pushes them," he said.

It doesn't, Parson said, have anything to do with winning, or being sure sons follow in dad's footsteps.

"At this stage, if they have a smile on their face when they leave the mat, that's all that matters," he said.