A steady mat presence

TRACY AREA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE CODY ARNOLD is pictured with Gopher and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Arnold is currently Director of Operations for the U of M wrestling team. Submitted photo

Catching up with…Cody Arnold, 2006 TAHS grad

By Per Peterson

While Cody Arnold might not go down in the annals of Panther wrestling history, his wrestling story isn’t about wins and losses.

Arnold, a 2006 graduate of Tracy Area High School, is now Wrestling Director of Operations for the University of Minnesota. But his wrestling journey started a long, long time ago.

“No decision in my life has impacted me as much as my decision to join youth wrestling in third grade,” Arnold said. “I take a lot of pride in my time with the Panther wrestling program, not because of my success on the mat, but because of the relationships I was able to build, the memories I was able to make and ultimately the person it helped make me. Some of my best friends to this day are from the Panther wrestling program. I would encourage every parent to get their kid involved in wrestling for the principles it teaches you and how it prepares you for life.”

Arnold, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2012, returned to Tracy after college to give back to a program that gave him so much.

“I viewed it as my opportunity to give back,” he said. “I put a lot of hours into the program and helped with a lot of things behind the scenes. So in many ways it prepared me for my current position today. “

Arnold said he has always prided himself on his ability to connect and build relationships with our athletes and keep the mood light.

“A quote that I believe in is that ‘People don’t remember what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.’ I really enjoyed working with the wrestlers, coaching staff and booster club,” he said. “Panther Wrestling has a lot of great people involved and that is necessary for success. Our program has been able to accomplish a lot of great things, and I am excited to see what the future holds for them.”

Arnold has carried his love for the sport, literally to the next level with the Gophers. As Wrestling Director of Operations, Arnold has oversight responsibilities in myriad areas of the program and covers a lot of administrative behind-the-scenes responsibilities, including coordinating team travel, team meals, scheduling recruiting trips, running staff meetings and recruiting meetings, attending meetings on behalf of the department, running summer camps, fundraising, developing and managing the program’s operating budget and “really just anything that can help make it easier for the wrestling coaches to spend their time in the room coaching and not behind the desk.”

See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.