Volunteer kid's wrestling organizer and coach Wayne Terry has lived two different passions, a military career and a wrestling coaching calling.

After graduation from Medical Lake High School, Retired Chief Master Sargent Terry began his military career at age 19 when he enlisted in the Army National Guard as an infantry soldier in July of 1969. He spent three years in the infantry and the next 36 years in the Air National Guard.

In 1981 Wayne helped found the Mat Maulers Wrestling Club with 17 kids. The club currently has over 120 wrestlers. At the beginning of each practice he starts with an inspirational story of an American war hero who contributed to our freedom.

Terry also helped found the Washington Little Guy Wrestling League in 1986 with five teams and 150 wrestlers. In 2018, the league enrolled 97 teams with 4,086 registered wrestlers.

Terry, who was a chef in the service, has spent his military career giving back as a speaker and chef for military, community and school events. Each year, Wayne can be found speaking to schools and military groups for Veterans Day celebrations. He has provided food service and appreciation banquets for numerous military camps and events. Almost all of his involvement was as a volunteer and were done on his own time, not on military orders.

He is the only guardsman in the state of Washington to receive the Senior Master Sargent and Chief Master Sargent ranks by Exceptional Personnel Promotion. He was honored as the first Sargent of the Year for Washington State in 2002. In 2004, Terry received the Outstanding Senior N.C.O. of the Year for the 141st Air Refueling Wing and retired from his 39-plus years of military service in April of 2008.

Wayne has worked tirelessly to promote the sport of wrestling and under his leadership has provided wrestling opportunities for thousands of kids. He has hosted the Jason Crawford Memorial Tournament for 35 years which hosts 1600+ wrestlers. He was able to coach some of his kid wrestlers in national tournaments. Since 2013 he has hosted the "Winter Warrior Classic" in the Spokane Convention Center.

Whenever asked, Terry loans his wrestling mats and provides whatever is needed to run successful local tournaments and camps.

He was the venue chairman for the Olympic Wrestling Trials in Spokane in 1996 and the World Cup Wrestling Finals in 1999 and 2002.

For his dedication to kids, he was selected in 1999 as the "Volunteer of the Year" by the High School Coaches and was awarded the "Washington State Citation of Merit Award" by the State of Washington Parks and Recreation Department. This is an annual award and only one is given each year to the person the State Parks and Recreation department feel has done the most for the kids in the State of Washington.

For his work with youth wrestling, Wayne was selected to carry, in the Spokane-relay portion of the Olympic Torch for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics

In 2014, Terry was inducted into the Medical Lake High School Hall of Fame.

As a volunteer, he dedicates his efforts to the sport of wrestling, so that it would be affordable for all interested kids, and not be a sport that excludes a person due to economic status.

Wayne Terry currently resides in Medical Lake and owns and operates White Water Construction Inc.