Leadworthy teacher Armani Mansouri sits at his computer. However, the new year has brought changes in technology, as Frisco ISD has decided to remove teacher monitors and distribute Chromebooks and other mobile devices to educators across the district.
Arman Mansouri
September 16, 2021
After his college academic and wrestling career, Arman Mansouri is now head assistant coach of the wrestling team and teaches Leadworthy, a leadership development class at the school. Wrestling at Lyon College and practicing jiu jitsu, Mansouri is coming to campus with a fresh set of eyes in hopes to further benefit the wrestling team.
Wingspan: Is this your first coaching or teaching experience?
Mansouri: “I taught biology and environmental science at New Waverly High School. I was a volunteer assistant. There was 300 kids at the school so there wasn’t an official assistant coaching position.”
Wingspan: How long have you been wrestling for? What college and high school did you wrestle for?
Mansouri: “I started my freshman year of high school, wrestled all through high school, and then I wrestled five years in college. I went to high school at Wylie High, and then I went to college at Lyon College in Batesville, AR.”
Wingspan: What weight class did you wrestle in college?
Mansouri: “I wrestled high school 145. College I grew a lot so I went 157 for one year, 165 for two, and 174 my last year. I was 195 my senior year and had to cut to 174.”
Wingspan: What were your motivations during the season as a college or high school athlete?
Mansouri: “What got me through it was knowing that I had to put in time to be successful. It’s a choice. If I didn’t want to put in time I would’ve sucked and if I wanted to put in time then I would have been successful. So I chose that I wanted to be successful.”
Wingspan: Do you still actively compete in wrestling? Who do you wrestle for?
Mansouri: “I compete in jiu jitsu. When you sign up for a tournament it is for a team. It would be Apex and Rockwall. It is an individual sport when you go out there.”
Wingspan: In your wrestling career, what are two achievements you are most proud of?
Mansouri: “Academic All-Conference and I was a match away from being in a national tournament my senior year in college. Lost in overtime in the semi’s.”
Wingspan: What is a general overview of your responsibilities as a head assistant coach?
Mansouri: “Coach Bridwell is in charge of making the schedule and stuff like that, I’ll do things like order buses. Recently he’s been having me run practices as far as technique, working on set ups, and stuff like that.”
Wingspan: What are any goals you have for the wrestling team?
Mansouri: “I think as a team we should definitely improve upon what we had last year. So yeah, goals would be having a state qualifier and placer this year on both sides. Not just one qualifier. I think multiple qualifiers. I can think off the top of my head I think there were like four guys who can make it to state and maybe two or three girls.”
Wingspan: What is something you feel could have benefited from your coaches during your wrestling career?
Mansouri: “I would say the big thing that most coaches don’t even talk about is just confidence. It’s about making sure they’ve got their head right, they’re confident in what they can do, they have an idea of what happens so they don’t get flustered. Because with confidence it can make a great wrestler just useless.”