A 13-year-old Williams Lake wrestler has been upping her game by training in Las Vegas over the last four months.
“It just wasn’t enough training here for me so we decided I would go to Vegas and work with coach Bill Sullivan at Legends of Gold,” said Kai Pare who has been training year-round with Coast Wrestling Academy in Burnaby under head coach Frank Mensah and various assitants since she was about four-years-old.
She is also part of the Lake City Falcons team in her hometown of Williams Lake.
Recently she returned home for the North Central Zone Wrestling Championships held at Columneetza Secondary School on Friday, Feb. 10, where she won gold and top female athlete.
Her training in Las Vegas involves three practices a day.
She practices with a local high school but does not wrestle for the team because she is not a registered student there.
To keep up with her school she taking courses online through GROW (Graduation Routes Other Ways) in Williams Lake.
While in Vegas she is staying at coach Sullivan’s place and enjoying the weather.
“It’s a lot warmer than here,” she said.
Pare will now stay home in Williams Lake and prepare for provincials being held at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum, the weekend of Feb. 24-25. 2023.
After provincials she will head back to Las Vegas to train for nationals, also held in Vancouver this year.
Presently she is the defending U15 champion at the nationals, something she won in 2022 while training with Coast Wrestling Academy.
“Before that I was too young to compete at nationals,” she said.
Following provincials she plans to compete in Amsterdam and India.
Kai said wrestling is a way for her to relieve stress.
As for the toll on her body, she said it has adapted quite well over the years.
Ian Pare, her father, coaches the Lake City Falcons along with Gail Brommit.
He said women’s wrestling has been the fastest growing sport in North America during the last three years.
“I remember when Kai was younger - she was so little,” he said. “She used to wrestle in the 45-pound class.”
For the first three years she was only able to wrestle boys in the U.S., her dad recalled.
“Frank used to have to bribe her with candy when she was like five to stop hip tossing other kids. Coast Wrestling is family,” he said.
“Between athletes, coaches and parents it’s an amazing environment for athletes.”
Kai said she wanted to thank coaches Sullivan and Mensah.
monica.lamb-yorski@wltribune.com
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