WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue wrestling relocated to the South End Zone of Ross-Ade Stadium for Practice on the Patio on Saturday. Fans were able to get up close as the Boilermakers practiced for nearly 90 minutes.
"With our sport, so much of the day-to-day grind happens behind closed doors," head assistant Purdue wrestling coach Tyrel Todd said. "To expose a snapshot of what it's like to be a Purdue wrestler was a cool thing. For fans, our wrestling alumni and even the casual fans that were at Practice at the Patio that had not seen wrestling before, they all thought it was awesome. It was a unique way to expose wrestling to casual fans.
"Having Coach Ersland mic'd up and music pumping, I thought there was great energy and the guys had a lot of fun with it," Todd said. "So much of our sport is event-oriented; you come in, you compete, you win or lose and you move on. With Practice on the Patio it was a different dynamic. We were able to come in, do what we do every day and then were able to interact with the crowd. It was really fun."
Practice on the Patio from start to finish. #AlwaysAggressive https://t.co/eQVcaZ7zt9
 Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) October 17, 2016
More from Practice on the Patio! #AlwaysAggressive https://t.co/q6ojyJDZ5u
 Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) October 17, 2016
This is awesome...and yes this is countable athletically related activities per NCAA rules. #AlwaysAgressive pic.twitter.com/YJaXvHnBRc
 Boiler Bylaws™ (@BoilerBylaws) October 15, 2016
An experience like this is something you remember forever #AlwaysAggressive pic.twitter.com/R7XDBFdoHr
 Kyle Todrank (@flawles_victory) October 15, 2016
Looking down on Practice on the Patio. What a great morning! #AlwaysAggressive #d1wrestle pic.twitter.com/TItsY1CNXy
 Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) October 15, 2016
LIVE on #Periscope: Live go from Practice on the Patio #AlwaysAggressive https://t.co/SPtJUwlmBM
 Purdue Wrestling (@PurdueWrestling) October 15, 2016
@purduewrestling This is so cool! #boilerup #alwaysaggressive #innovative #lovethisteam
A photo posted by Cathy Wright-Eger (@cweswim) on
Practice on the Patio was a great experience! Can't wait for my final ride to get underway.
A photo posted by @kyleayersman on