SMSU wrestlers sub as busboys to help Women’s Advocacy group

Following a recent wrestling practice, Southwest Minnesota State University Brock Buysse and four teammates made their way to Pizza Ranch in Marshall as volunteer busboys for a fundraiser to benefit the Women’s Rural Advocacy Program (WRAP).

SMSU head coach Jesse Nelson, who lives in Minneota, was also on hand to volunteer his time, as was his wife Julie and their daughter Brooklyn. Julie Nelson is a social worker for WRAP based in Yellow Medicine County.

WRAP is dedicated to serving all those affected by domestic violence in the counties of Lyon, Lincoln, Redwood and Yellow Medicine and offers services such as 24-hour crisis line, safe housing, emergency transportation, legal and court advocacy.

The SMSU wrestling program is dedicated to community service.

“Jesse is a real good guy,” said Buysse, a 133-pound junior.

“He often has us go out into the community and do volunteer work.” Nelson is in his 12th season as SMSU wrestling coach.

Besides waiting tables at Pizza Ranch, the SMSU wrestling team has performed yard work in the fall for those in need, assisted with the Sounds of Summer event at the college, and packaged meals in the spring to be shipped to needy families in other countries.

“He isn’t just a coach trying to make his team better,” said Buysse. “He also tries to mold us into good young men.”

Buysse, along with teammates Zach Beaumaster, Cortez Arredondo, Kevin Boswick Jr., and Dru Kuchenbaker, waited tables for two hours at Pizza Ranch on Dec. 3.

“We cleaned off tables after (customers) were done eating and took the dirty dishes into the kitchen,” Buysse said.

“And we check with (customers) to see if they needed anything else. We had a lot of fun and it was all for a good cause.”

A portion of the proceeds at Pizza Ranch was given to WRAP. But there was one downfall about volunteering with the smell of pizza and fried chicken wafting through the air.

“We didn’t eat any of the food,” Buysse laughed, when asked. “We all have to kind of watch our weight for wrestling.”

Photo: This group participated with WRAP to raise funds for the Women’s Rural Advocacy Program. They included wrestler Cortez Arredondo (bottom left), and Brooklyn Nelson (bottom) holding a child along with others from WRAP. In the center row was Yvonne Sontag of WRAP, another WRAP worker, plus Southwest State University wrestler Zach Beaumaster, Coach Jesse Nelson (white in center) and wrestler Dru Kuchenbaker. In the back (center) were wrestler Kevin Boswick Jr., Julie Nelson and Brock Buysse plus another WRAP worker.