Wrestlers and coaches from the northeast and across the nation are getting ready for the new wrestling season.  In Burlington County, N.J., the New Jersey USA Wrestling state association had a special opportunity for its wrestling constituents. Coaches and wrestlers converged on Burlington County, about fifty minutes east of Philadelphia, for the USA Wrestling Fall Silver Level Coaches College and Developmental Camp.      On Wednesday night, Nov. 6th, area coaches from across the state, as well as coaches from Columbia University in New York City, participated in the National Coaches Education Program Bronze Certification course.  The course was extremely well attended with over 50 coaches discussing wrestling specific topics and completing the coursework to achieve the Bronze Certification, the second step in the coaches education system.      Thursday morning, wrestlers as young as six years old, all the way to seniors in high school, registered for the Developmental Camp.  New Jersey's school system's has a uniformly timed fall break for teachers to attend classes, so schools across the state were closed on Thursday and Friday.      The benefit for the 85 wrestlers that attended the four-day wrestling clinic was top-notch mat time that started out with New Jersey native amd Olympian Gene Mills. A lively and talented clinician, Mills entertained the wrestlers with his aggressive moves that earned him the name the "Pinning Machine."  Mills expanded the seven basic skills of wrestling by telling the wrestlers that there are actually eight basic skills.  "You know what the eighth basic skill is don't you?" Mills asked quizzically, "It's the half-nelson."    Mills' technique was certainly a hit with the kids, and that was just the beginning of the weekend.      Along with the Developmental Camp for kids, over 20 coaches registered to begin the Silver Certification process.  Coaches from the northeast were joined with southern-based coaches from Florida and Georgia.  Also among the American coaches attending was Kevan McLaughlan, National Coach and Director of New Zealand Wrestling.    McLaughlan, a long-time friend of Lehigh Coach Greg Strobel, came to the United States to learn more about America's wrestling program.      McLaughlan started his two-week U.S. wrestling observation in California by participating in the Monterey Clinic of Champions.  Then, he joined the Bronze and Silver Courses in New Jersey prior to flying to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Spring for more observation of the elite levels of USA Wrestling.      McLaughlan noted the many differences in wrestling between the U.S. and the much smaller country of New Zealand.  "Every sport in New Zealand is club based.  We are trying to learn ways that we can get more kids involved with the sport of wrestling.  My trip is really intended to help me learn how we can improve wrestling in New Zealand."        An enthusiastic wrestling couple, Brian and Eileen Bowker ,spearheaded the massive undertaking for the grassroots wrestling community.  Both of the Bowkers have a continual passion for the sport of wrestling and wanted to bring the elite level of wrestling to the kids in coaches in New Jersey.      Brian Bowker works as a teacher and coach in New Jersey, while his wife Eileen serves as an Athletic Trainer in Burlington County.  "It was a lot of hours to get this put together, one of the big things was getting the word out so people would sign up.  We want to turn this into a yearly tradition," stated Eileen Bowker.    "The clinicians that we had were awesome," said Brian Bowker. "The kids in this area really appreciated seeing such top quality wrestlers."      The lineup was completed with National Champions and World Class wrestling stars including two-time NCAA Champion Jeff Prescott of Penn State, and  NCAA Champion Dean Morrison of West Virginia.  The international elite stars included Olympic Champion Brandon Slay and World Champion Terry Brands.      Throughout the weekend, coaches and wrestlers were thrilled with the quality of the wrestling event.  Many were already checking their calendars for next year's dates.  The commitment to the sport of wrestling demonstrated by the Bowker family and the many volunteers that made the weekend a success were greatly appreciated.  Certainly many more people will want to be involved next year.