Sooners Aim to Take Down Bullying

OU wrestlers may be mean on the mat, but they're changing the norm in their community off it.

This season, Sooner head coach Mark Cody and his team have traveled to local elementary schools to talk to young students about the problems with bullying. Several wrestlers, with the help of Cody and his staff, set up a program to inform students about what bullying looks like and what steps they can take to end bullying in their schools.

Mark Cody

“I felt like I was always hearing about how bullying had become a big problem in schools today,” Coach Cody said. “This summer I started talking with our director of operations (Amanda Boyd) about how we could create this type of program and she's been a huge part of it. This type of program is so important because we want these kids to be kind and considerate citizens, and I think my guys have this platform they can use so these young kids will listen to what they're saying and really try to change what's going on in their schools.”

OU wrestling redshirt senior Cody Brewer has accompanied Coach Cody to many of the anti-bullying assemblies and said he is grateful that his coach pushes him and his teammates to make a difference for younger kids.

“This is big because Coach Cody is so passionate about it and my teammates and I have really gotten behind him,” Brewer said. “This is an important issue and we need to promote it. I'm proud of him that he's my coach because not many head coaches are probably out there addressing problems outside of wrestling. He has little kids in school so he knows how it is and he wants to let people know there is more than wrestling. We just want these kids to be the best they can be outside of sports.”

OU Wrestling

Coach Cody typically addresses the students to start the assembly and then passes off the microphone to a few of the wrestlers who accompany him. The wrestlers discuss what bullying is, how students can help their classmates who are being bullied and how they can stop bullying all together. The assemblies are interactive and students are called on to answer questions about what they learned from the presentation. At the end of the assembly, the team gets the students into action by teaching common wrestling moves.

Cody Brewer

“It's one of those things where I feel like it's good for us to get out and talk to these kids, but it's even better for them and the community to hear it,” Brewer said. “We're always just pushing for kindness because that's what makes school fun and what makes kids want to go to school. It's been really fun for us guys."

Coach Cody echoed Brewer's comments and said he is proud of the types of men he coaches.

“I think this program is fun for my guys to get into schools and talk to these kids,” Coach Cody said. “They've seemed to really buy in to this program and what it's all about. It's exciting to see them have fun and talk about these issues and I think it's important that they make a difference. We've gotten a lot of great feedback from schools about how good the presentation is, and we're excited to hopefully keep them going.”

If you are interested in Coach Cody and the Sooners presenting at your school, please contact Amanda Boyd at 405-325-7899 or by email at Amanda.M.Leonard-1@ou.edu.

Players Mentioned

Cody Brewer

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics