While many folks spent New Year’s Eve lacing up their dance shoes and hitting the town, several of the top junior female wrestlers in British Columbia were celebrating by lacing each other’s ankles and hitting the mat.
Carson Graham secondary was the host site for a holiday break training camp and dual meet that saw the best cadet (17-and-under) girls from B.C. grappling with the U.S.A. cadet national team.
“It shows their dedication, that’s for sure,” said Kate Walker, the women’s provincial development coach for B.C. Wrestling, about athletes spending their Christmas breaks throwing each other around a gym. “Kids came from all over the province.”
The camp ran from Dec. 31 to Jan. 4, concluding with a B.C. vs. U.S.A. dual meet at Carson Graham Jan. 5. It wasn’t just a time commitment for the B.C. wrestlers but also a bruise commitment – the U.S. squad featured some of the best juniors in the world, including an athlete who won gold and another who claimed bronze at last year’s cadet world championships.
“It was tough competition,” said Walker, a North Vancouver resident who for many years has helped coach at Carson Graham as well as with the North Shore-based Capilano Wrestling Club. “We were definitely looking to bring in a team that was tougher to show us what the next level of training and competition was like.”
The B.C. girls, however, weren’t pushovers when it came time for the athletes to step inside the circle. In all the provincial team members won four of the 24 matches, with Capilano Wrestling Club member Serena Woldring leading the way. The Notre Dame secondary Grade 10 student won both her matches, the only B.C. wrestler to claim two wins.
Windsor secondary Grade 10 student Amara Jarvinen also picked up a win, going 1-1 in the meet. Other North Shore and Capilano wrestlers taking part in the meet included St. Thomas Aquinas Grade 12 student Karah Bulaqui, Sentinel Grade 12 Alison Horne, Carson Grade 11 Lyric Atchison, and Elphinstone Grade 11 Scout Stipec.
“It was tough competition, but I’m very proud of how the girls wrestled,” said Walker. “It was definitely a fantastic experience. The girls really had to work very hard. It was good to see.”
The camp included a workout session at North Vancouver’s Level 10 Fitness as well as a trip to wrestling-mad Simon Fraser University where the juniors got to train with the Clan coaches and athletes and tour the campus. The cadets also received instruction from several current Canadian national team wrestlers.
“It’s a great opportunity to work with the older athletes and see how the sport progresses at the next level,” said Walker, who added that the Americans thoroughly enjoyed the trip, which included a trip to Cypress Mountain on New Year’s Day, and are hoping to do it all again next year.
“It was good to have them here and be training with them for a week and then have the competition at the end,” said Walker. “We’re definitely aspiring to win matches on the international and world level, so this is our competition.”
The B.C. wrestlers will now shoot back into high school competition with events scheduled throughout January and February. On the North Shore the Baron Bash at Carson Graham’s small gym and Windsor’s Put Up Your Dukes will both be held this Tuesday starting at 4 p.m.
The North Shore championships are scheduled for Jan. 29 starting at 2 p.m. at Sentinel secondary while the zone qualifiers will be held at Argyle Feb. 12.
