As many as 450 young athletes are ready to hit the mat in Port Alberni this weekend for the 40th year that the city has hosted its invitational wrestling tournament.
Over 40 school teams from across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland are expected at Alberni District Secondary on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 for the annual event hosted by the high school and the Alberni Wrestling Club. Boys’ and girls’ divisions are grouped into weight classes, ranging from 38 to 130 kilograms, with junior Grade 8 and 9s competing separately than the older Grades 10-12 wrestlers.
In the past the historic tournament has attracted even more athletes at larger venues like the Alberni Valley Multiplex and the Glenwood Centre, but for the last several years the Alberni invitational has taken place in the high school. This has enabled the event to focus on the young competitors in a school setting, explained Alberni Coach John McDonald.
“We want it to be centrally focused on the students,” he said. “It got to the point where we noticed that school connection - we were losing that, and it was getting expensive.”
The Alberni invitational comes a few weeks before the provincial championships in the third week of February, allowing the more honed wrestlers to get an idea of what their competition from elsewhere in the province might be. But the priority for the Alberni team is for its athletes to focus on their individual goals, which can differ greatly depending on their confidence and experience level.
“Going to this tournament will allow them to visually see the level of competition this year in that weight category, and then to be able to set some goals for the year ahead,” said McDonald. “For some of them, it will be the biggest tournament that they’ve wrestled in so far, so they will be nervous about that.”
Grade 8 wrestler Alex Edgar admits that pre-tournament anxiety can be one of the most challenging things about the sport. This is the third year that the Uchucklesaht member has participated, an involvement that currently takes up four days a week for Edgar, between her practices at ADSS and with the Alberni Wrestling Club as well. She wasted no time while on the mat during a practice at the high school on Jan. 7, determinably going after her opponent’s legs as the two grappled to the point of exhaustion.
Edgar says that with time aches and bruises are overcome.
“When I first started out I was terrified,” she said. “You get used to it after a bit. The first year I wanted to quit, but once you get into it you don’t quit.”
Alberni Coach Travis Cross took the sport to the elite level, representing Canada at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He admits that being alone against an opponent can be daunting – but this can bring valuable lessons for young athletes.
“It’s just you and one other person on the centre of a mat with all of the other people around you,” he said. “That can be really intimidating. You’re out there in a singlet and there’s nowhere to hide. If you can get over that, then that’s a life skill in itself. Being vulnerable, but being able to perform under pressure.”
“For these kids, success can be determined in a lot of different ways,” added McDonald. “Sometimes just winning a match at a tournament is a start…each student can adjust their goals as well, which is unique to the sport. You determine where you want to take it.”
In his first year of wrestling, Grade 9 student T.J. Hernandez hopes to one day be able to beat his friend Jackson Price, who got him into the sport.
“He wanted me to join last year,” said Hernandez.
The Ahousaht First Nation member also plays rugby, and is involved with sports four days a week this winter. Things were rough at his first wrestling tournament, but Hernandez pushed through it.
“I had one of our teammates land on my ankle. That tournament did not go well,” he said. “I still played.”
Although wrestling is an individual sport, it has a strong team component as well. Athletes are present for a whole tournament to cheer on their teammates, and in the upcoming Alberni invitational schools earn trophies for having the most competitors to place.
“This is my first year in high school, and it has helped to make friends and socialize better,” said Edgar, who has family members who have participated in the sport. “I just wanted to be a part of something, and the wrestling team is really strong.”
“The good thing about this sport is that everybody can be included,” said McDonald, noting that nobody cuts cut from the ADSS wrestling team. “Everybody can find a place to participate, any size and any shape.”
