SIOUX FALLS – During this past weekend’s State Wrestling Championships in Sioux Falls, Hot Springs head wrestling coach Ray Ringstmeyer was presented a 25-year Coach Award from the South Dakota High School Activities Association.
Ringstmeyer graduated from Winner High School in 1990 and wrestled for South Dakota State University while earning Academic All-American Honors studying Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Geography Education.
He served as a student assisting the Jackrabbits during the 1995-96 season, followed by a volunteer assistant at Sioux Valley High School the following year.
Ringstmeyer’s professional coaching career began during the 1997-98 season at Bon Homme High School, where he coached middle school football and served as an assistant coach. The following year, he became head coach of the Cavaliers.
During the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, United South Central in Wells, MN, was his next stop on his coaching tour. From there, he returned to Winner and served as an assistant coach in football and wrestling for the next five seasons, helping the Warriors to a Class A Dual State Championship in 2003 and the Individual tournament State Championship in 2004.
His final stop on his coaching tour as of late is Hot Springs. Since the 200607 season, Ringstmeyer has been an assistant coach and is currently the head coach of the Bison. During his tenure here, he guided the Bison to its highest state tourney finish with a runner-up trophy in 2011.
Ringstmeyer has had the pleasure of coaching 10 individual state champions (three of which went on to be USA Wrestling Folkstyle All-Americans), six runnersup, and numerous other state placers throughout his career. Even with all of the accolades his wrestlers have achieved, he values the longlasting relationships this sport has provided. He is also very excited to see the growth of girls’ wrestling in South Dakota and is an active proponent of girls’ wrestling in South Dakota.
Since 2005, Coach Ringstmeyer has been the State Director for South DakotaUSAWrestling,taking State teams to Northern Plains Regionals, National Dual Championships, and Fargo Nationals. For his nearly year-round wrestling habit, he thanks his wife, Nina, for all the sacrifices she makes so that he can continue to help wrestlers chase their dreams and achieve them. Together, they have two children: Layton, who is a 12-year-old wrestler, football and baseball player, and drummer, and Willa, who is a 9-year-old gymnast, artist, and aspiring American Idol singer.