Matt Myrvik – The Guillotine

By Brian Jerzak

When Joe and JoAnn Fier started a family in Minneota, they didn’t have much of a wrestling background. Despite the lack of wrestling background, the Joe and JoAnn family has provided the program with two generations of Vikings’ wrestlers, state entrants, and state place winners. Now, well into that second generation of Fier wrestlers, the family continues to put its stamp on the southwestern Minnesota wrestling program.

“My dad didn’t wrestle, but he liked wrestling,” former Vikings’ wrestler and current assistant wrestling coach Kris Fier said. “He married a girl from Canby who was a wrestling cheerleader for Canby. Back then, Canby was who you gauged everything in wrestling off.”

“Kris is an assistant coach, and Minneota’s first wrestling state champion,” Minneota head coach Matt Myrvik said. “He was part of our first state tournament team, with his brother Kurt. Kris has been a coach with us for almost three decades.”

Watching other programs – including the team JoAnn used to cheer for – helped hook their son, Kris.

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Minneota head wrestling coach Matt Myrvik has been involved in Minneota athletics his entire life. He grew up wrestling under long-time Minneota wrestling coach Joel Skillings. Before he graduated from high school, he started the transition into coaching. This year, he took on the task of replacing a Minnesota coaching legend – Skillings. How does Myrvik plan on keeping the Minneota Vikings’ wrestling legacy going? He will continue to make the program focus on team – from the highest levels of the program to the last wrestler in the youth program.

“I started wrestling around third grade,” Myrvik said. “I don’t know how I got into it, probably there just wasn’t much to do at the time. I don’t think basketball started until 4th grade, so I tried wrestling. My family didn’t have much to do with wrestling, I just kind of found it.”

“I wasn’t the greatest wrestler,” Myrvik admitted. “I liked the hard work and that it was up to you how good you were going to be. The coaches I grew up with – Coach Skillings and some of the youth coaches at the time – did an outstanding job helping the program grow. I was fortunate to make the state tournament as a senior. I always had a winning record, but our section was tough. A lot of it was team-related for us, and that was the reason I was involved with it.”

Myrvik was involved in coaching even before he made the state tournament.

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Putting the Fier in Minneota Vikings’ Wrestling

A Team From Top to Bottom – Minneota Wrestling