Title Page & Abstract
An Interview with Peter Alber
Part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Oral History project
Interview # SIH-A-L-2017-059
Peter Alber, the highly successful high school wrestling coach for Dakota High School, was interviewed on the date listed below as part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s Sports Stories - IHSA Oral History project.
Interview dates & location:
Date: June 1, 2017 Location: Freeport, Illinois
Interview Format: Digital audio
Interviewer: Philip Pogue, ALPL volunteer
Interview being processed.
Transcription by: _________________________
Edited by: _______________________________
Total Pages: ______ Total Time: 1:17 / 1.28 hrs.
Accessioned into the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Archives on September13, 2017.
The interview is archived at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois.
© 2017 Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Abstract
Peter Alber, Sports Stories – IHSA, SIH-A-L-2017-059
Biographical Information Overview of Interview: Peter Alber was born in Freeport, Illinois in July, 1964. He grew up in Dakota, Illinois where he graduated from high school in 1982. In high school, Pete participated in football and wrestling, including an individual state championship. After high school, he worked in a plastic factory and in a metal sharpener factory. In 1991, he formed his own company, Proto-Cutter Inc, located in Freeport. He also helped at his former high school, first as a volunteer wrestling coach and then as an assistant coach for two or three years. In 1996, he became the head wrestling coach at Dakota High School (CUSD 201). The wrestling program is quite strong, with numerous state team and individual championships.
This interview covers the experiences of a successful small school wrestling coach located in northwest Illinois. Alber talks about the rules of wrestling, the scoring for both individual matches and team meets, the number of weight classes (14), body fat testing, and practice drills. He also discusses the IHSA by-laws for wrestling, the IHSA coaches training requirements, sports medicine and safety items, state tournament seeding, and the Grand March. In addition, Alber talks about wrestling cooperative teams, challenges facing smaller schools in fielding a full wrestling program, and the popularity of high school wrestling. He also talks about the difficulty of the sport and what wrestlers learn, including hard work, dedication, discipline, respect, and appreciation for nutrition.
Subject Headings/Key Words: Dakota, Illinois High School (CUSD 201) wrestling; Illinois High School Association (IHSA) high school wrestling rules; scoring high school wrestling matches; wrestling weight classes; body fat testing; Illinois high school wrestling tournament; wrestling’s Grand March;
Note to the Reader: Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that the interviewer, interviewee and editor sought to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for the views expressed therein. We leave these for the reader to judge.
COPYRIGHT
The following material can be used for educational and other non-commercial purposes without the written permission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. “Fair use” criteria of Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 must be followed. These materials are not to be deposited in other repositories, nor used for resale or commercial purposes without the authorization from the Audio-Visual Curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, 112 N. 6th Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Telephone (217) 785-7955