Virginia Special Agent Michael Walter, along with his wife Jamie and Richard FitzSimmons, founded Powhatan Youth Wrestling and Community Development Corporation as a non-profit in 2008. To the Blackhawk Gym members and wrestlers he was known as “Coach Mike”. Coach Mike founded the club for the purpose of molding and shaping our youth to become our future leaders. 

Wrestling throughout his school career taught Mike a great deal. The mental and physical toughness learned through wrestling helped prepare him for the U.S. Marines. Mike served our country as a Marine for 5 years. He was with the Capitol Police in Richmond, VA for 2 years. Always on the move; Mike shifted gears and attended the Virginia State Police Academy. While with the the VSP, he became a dog handler in the K9 unit. Looking to do more for the community, Mike became a Special Agent with the VSP. Alongside his fellow officers, Mike dedicated his career to making our communities a better, safer place. Mike was an example of a driven man with a mission of making his community and state a better and safer place.

While his career is extraordinary in itself, it was only a part of his service to the area. He was well known, not just around Central Virginia, but through wrestling communities in other states. Coach Mike changed the lives of all he met. Many of those being the young wrestlers he coached and mentored. He only asked for one thing, and that was to give everything you do your best effort. Coach Mike had a way of motivating the wrestlers and people around him to become more. He was passionate about wrestling, but even more so about giving kids a chance, challenging them to be a better version of themselves. Mike spent time with every child; athletic or not. He even built relationships with siblings of the wrestlers. Mike wanted to set up everyone he met with the ability to succeed. Character was one of the most spoken words out of Coach Mike’s mouth. “Without character, we have nothing.” 

Videos curtesy of WRIC
1 2