GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Wrestling may be an individual sport, but at Green Bay United, it has become something much bigger. It’s a family built on leadership, belief, and shared purpose.
At the center of that growth is 132-pound senior captain Tai VanRemortel. He’s a two-time team MVP and two-year captain whose impact extends well beyond the win-loss column.
VanRemortel joined the Green Bay United co-op program as a freshman when the team was still finding its footing. At the time, practices drew roughly 20 wrestlers. This season, that number has swelled due to commitment, consistency, and leadership.
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“I remember as a freshman we had maybe 20 kids,” VanRemortel said. “The first day of practice this year, we had around 50 to 60.”
Coaches and teammates credit VanRemortel for helping set the tone early in his career, establishing a standard that others followed. Head coach Luke Ortscheid said VanRemortel’s work ethic helped reset expectations for the entire program.
“Why so many kids are great is because he really led the way his sophomore year,” Ortscheid said. “That work ethic sets the standard and the tone for the entire team.”
VanRemortel’s leadership style is not rooted in volume, but in example. Teammate Luke Rissling described him as a steady presence.
“On the large scale, he’s a leader on the team,” Rissling said. “On the small scale, he’s my best friend, pushing me every day.”
Known among his teammates by the nickname “Little Muskrat,” VanRemortel has earned respect through persistence and humility.
“He doesn’t always look the feistiest,” Rissling said. “But he definitely gets down. He’s earned the respect of everyone.”
For VanRemortel, wrestling has been as much about personal growth as competition. He credits the sport for teaching discipline, grit, and accountability.
“It shows you a lot about yourself,” VanRemortel said. “It teaches me hard work, how to show up every day and be consistent.”
That mindset carries beyond the mat. VanRemortel volunteers as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters, giving back to the same community that shaped him.
“My mentors had a big effect on me,” he said. “I want to have that same effect on the younger generation.”
Green Bay United brings athletes together from multiple schools, but VanRemortel has helped ensure every wrestler feels included.
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“Even though it’s an individual sport, we’re always cheering for each other,” he said. “I know my teammates will always pick me up.”
As VanRemortel and the senior class prepare to move on, their legacy is clear: a program rebuilt on unity and accountability.
“When you leave somewhere, you’ve got to leave it better than you found it,” Ortscheid said. “Tai and this senior class reset the floor for everyone underneath them.”
VanRemortel knows the real victory isn’t just getting his hand raised at the end of a match, it’s lifting everyone around him with it.
