While most high school wrestlers see their connection to the sport end with graduation, Steven Rider has used coaching and officiating as a way to share his passion for the sport with the next generation of wrestlers. 

Born Nov. 11, 1982, Rider began his wrestling career in middle school and was a dual-sport athlete with wrestling and football at Sumner High School, where he was a 2001 state participant at the Mat Classic. He continued to wrestle at Highline Community College, earning NJCAA Academic All-America honors in 2002. Brief coaching stints at Sumner and Puyallup High Schools followed. 

Rider joined the Western Washington Wrestling Officials Association during the 2008-09 season, and he has been a member ever since. During that stretch, he has worked his way through the ranks with hard work and a dedication to ensuring today’s student-athletes have an opportunity to enjoy their wrestling experience. That work brought Rider to his first assignment in the Mat Classic for the state championship at the Tacoma Dome this past season, recognizing his status as an excellent and devoted wrestling official.