TJ Hernandez is excited to hit the mat, as the Alberni Invitational approaches at the end of this month.
“I can’t wait,” said the Grade 10 student, an Ahousaht member in his second year of wrestling at Alberni District Secondary School. “I’m trying to work on techniques and learn a few different moves.”
Hosted by ADSS and the Alberni Wrestling Club on Jan. 30 and 31, this will be the 41st year that school teams from across B.C. converge for the invitational competition. Categories include junior (Grade 8 and 9) and senior (Grades 10-12) boys and girls divisions, with weight classes ranging from 38 to 130 kilograms, which is equal to 286 pounds.
The sport is for all sizes of youth, and in Port Alberni the high school program benefits from numerous elementary schools offering years of introductory training in wrestling.
Hernandez’s teammate Liam Horbatch is in his first year of high school, but has already been wrestling for four years from his time at E.J. Dunn.
“I’m excited,” said Horbatch, who is also from the Ahousaht First Nation, as he prepares for the tournament.
The two teammates are standing outside a room full of athletes grappling, with ‘Alberni Wrestling’ emblazoned on the wall high over the mats. They’re practicing techniques and strategy, after tumbling for a warm up.
“When they get in precarious positions when they’re on the wrestling mat, in all likelihood their body and their brain is going to be aware of where they are, so they won’t hurt themselves,” explained coach John McDonald.
Horbatch is working to not rely on his arm throw, which entails grabbing the opponent’s arm to throw him over, landing on the back.
“I’m trying to not force it,” said the wrestler. “When I go into the arm throw I sometimes fail. I turn onto my back and lose points.”
Hernandez has lived in Ahousaht, Surrey and now, for the last six years, Port Alberni. Like Horbatch, he uses the sport as something to look forward to during the school year. Both boys also play rugby.
“Wrestling is considered individual, but you have people around,” said Hernandez. “I think joining any sport is good to make new friends.”
But involvement in the sport goes beyond that, says McDonald. After wrestling as a student at ADSS and going to compete in university, he returned to coach the Alberni team, where he has been for the last 35 years. McDonald even coached Travis Cross, who represented Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Cross now coaches the high school team alongside McDonald.
“It gives you a focus. You’re not excited to come to school to do math, but you’re excited to come to school to practice,” said McDonald. “I just know as an educator that always translates into good things at school.”
As an individual sport, wrestling also leaves an athlete with no goalie to blame if things don’t go well in a match.
“Winning is not the only success, you can have other types of successes,” notes the long-time coach. “It might be in the training that you’re doing, you’re wrestling somebody who’s older than you.”
Members of the team are also expected to represent themselves well when travelling to matches.
“If you’re standing in the McDonald’s line, be aware of what you say, be aware of what you do,” said McDonald. “Be aware that there might be a four-year-old with a parent behind you listening to what you’re saying.”
“It’s all connected to who they are and what they do in the school and after school,” he continued. “Really what we’re doing here is building human beings.”
