The Williams Lake Wrestling Club sent four athletes to the B.C. School Sport Provincial Championships in Penticton from Feb. 24-25.
There were more than 700 athletes from across the province competing. Those who placed in the top three were guaranteed a spot to compete at nationals this coming April in New Brunswick.
As B.C. is known for producing some of the best wrestlers in Canada, this was an incredible opportunity for our younger athletes to participate at and wrestle the best of the best in the province. We are the highest ranked province at nationals; therefore, our provincial competitions are among the toughest tournaments in the country.
For the boys, Grade 8 student Braden Conrod represented the black and blue in the 54-kilogram weight class. Despite not making the top six, he fought hard and learned a lot from the experience.
Teammate Kerry Normand, Grade 11, battled his way to a 12th-place finish in the 90-kilogram weight class, doing extremely well. The competition was intense in both categories.
For the girls, Grade 10 wrestler Kara Pare did exceptionally well, earning her way into the top 10, taking ninth place overall in the 54-kilogram weight class. Makaela Haller, also in Grade 10, made her provincial debut and fought hard, also. She did not place in the top 12 but came home with great memories.
We also brought Conlan Sprickerhoff, fellow student and veteran of the provincials, with us to help coach. Due to unforeseen circumstances he was not able to compete, but still wanted to be there for the team. Above all, everyone had a ton of fun, and is looking forward to next season.
The process to get to a national tournament is a difficult one. Each year we train for zones, provincials and nationals and building up to these tournaments are various other events throughout the season.
Most high school tournaments are sorted by age and grade, and gender and weight. Grade 7-8 is schoolboy/schoolgirl, grades 9-10 are cadets and grades 11-12 are juvenile. When wrestling the athlete always wrestles an opponent of similar weight.
The year a student enters Grade 8 he or she is allowed five years of competition at the provincial and national levels. To get there athletes must finish top four for boys or top three for girls. There, all wrestlers from grades 8-12 compete together in the designated weight classes, making qualifying as a young athlete an amazing feat.
For those with dreams of making the Canadian National Wrestling Team, the opportunity gives them a glimpse of what they need to do in order to make it there.