Meet The Coaches
Charlie Strange
The heart and soul of Cypress Wrestling, Coach Strange is an experienced wrestler and coach with over 17 years of competitive and coaching experience. He was a two time Kansas state championship qualifier and the state runner up his junior year. Under Coach Strange, 90% of Cypress Wrestling Club competing athletes have improved their state placing year over year. Coach Strange was on the Texas National Team coaching staff for 2018 and was voted in as Texas USA Wrestling Chairman until 2022. Coach Strange is a Bronze level coach with USAW. Gladiators and parents alike rave about Coach Strange's ability to motivate, instruct, and positively connect with all levels of wrestlers. He truly is invested in all aspects of Cypress Wrestling Club!
Christopher Potter
Coach Christopher Potter is an experienced wrestler and coach with 38 years of competitive and coaching experience. His accolades are extensive and include NCAA Division III National Championships, Assistant Coach of Texas Women's National Team (2018), multiple Team State Championships in UIL 5A/6A, and numerous Girls' Coach of the Year awards. Like Coach Strange, Gladiators love when Coach Potter shares his tremendous expertise with them. Coach Potter is a Silver level Coach with USAW and is the head coach at Cypress Ranch. However, he is extraordinarily invested in the development of CWC Gladiators!
Alec Strange
Coach Alec is a favorite with the younger Gladiators! Although he is off wrestling at college right now, he invested numerous hours helping with practices at Cypress Wrestling Club and also providing many, many private sessions with our athletes throughout the competition season. He has experience well beyond his years and natural talent (and patience) working with young athletes. Prior to heading off to North Iowa Area Community College where he is currently redshirting, Alec wrestled on the varsity team for Cy-Fair High School every year of his HS career. He's traveled to compete with Team Texas and also spent a month training with Olympic-level athletes in Cuba (you'll even see some of these renowned Cubans right here at CWC!). While we seriously wish Coach Alec was back here in Cypress, we wish him well as he works toward his degree in Economics. And we are sure he will make an appearance back at the club on his school breaks.
Bill Durning
Coach Durning joined the Cypress Wrestling community in 2022 as a coach on Wednesdays and Sundays. Originally from the wrestling-dominant state of Pennsylvania, Durning has competed with Team USA, trained at the Olympic Training Center, and received numerous awards including The Hal Selvey Memorial Award for Dedicated Leadership. Additionally, he was a four-year varsity letter winner for the King's College Wrestling Team, was a member of the All-MAC Wrestling Team, and attained a top twenty NCAA national ranking. Phew! And that's just his athletic career! He soon began continuing a legacy through coaching at the high school level, leading numerous teams to state victories. He has been the head coach for freestyle and folkstyle Team Texas, leading them to win the National Dual Team Championship for the state of Texas. He's also been deemed the District, Regional, and State Assistant Coach of the Year for both boy's and girl's wrestling by the UIL. It's clear that Durning has what it takes to train Gladiators! And they sure do LOVE working with him! It's obvious by the way they interact with him on and off the mat. He's an invaluable asset to the CWC family!
Henry Rodriguez
Coach Henry comes to Cypress Wrestling from the highly acclaimed wrestling state of California! Coach Henry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the club and has been a part of the Gladiator family since DAY ONE! While you may not see him as frequently throughout the week, he is committed to working with and developing the youth to inspire a new generation of wrestlers. Typically, Henry can be seen working with the youth classes on Sunday afternoons.
Justin Powell
Coach Justin is another wonderful addition to Cypress Wrestling Club and offers tremendous support and encouragement to the Gladiators. He can frequently be seen helping with all ages and skill levels, and is a staple at many of the local and national tournaments, ensuring that every Gladiator has a coach in their corner!