(Story by Randy Ralph, NLAWA President)
I would like to extend congratulations to wrestlers from Stephenville Middle School and Templeton Academy who had an excellent showing at the Kids/Bantam Nationals held in Richibucto, New Brunswick this past weekend. They came away with 8 medals, a third place team finish, a sportsmanship award, and some excellent memories. This fine result at the nationals is largely due to the dedication of coaches Derek Locke and Gerard Bennett who have both continued to develop high caliber wrestlers throughout their coaching career.
It is quite evident from Newfoundland and Labrador’s result at national tournaments in 2007 that wrestling is one of the most successful sports right now in the province. The timing is very good since the 2009 Canada Summer Games are just around the corner.
Once again, congratulations to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Kids/Bantam National Team.
West Coast Wrestlers Excel at National Wrestling Championship
12 West Coast wrestlers recently competed at the Bantam-Kids Wrestling Championships where they came away with 8 medals and a fairplay award. The tournament was held in Richibucto, New Brunswick and had over 400 competitors. 10 of the Newfoundland wrestlers came from Stephenville Middle School and 2 came from Templeton Academy in Medows.
In the Kids Division (Grades 5-6) Ian Byrne and Mckayla English won Silver Medals. In the Bantam Division (Grades 7-8) Stephenville wrestlers won 2 gold,1 silver and 1 bronze, as well as having two fifth place finishes and two sixth place finishes. Gold medals went to Crystal Miesseau and Garret Benoit. Monique Parsons captured a silver medal, while Tobias Caravan won the Bronze medal. Hannah Bennett and Karla Legge both placed 5th.while Kristian Parsons and Brandon Murphy both placed 6th.Templeton’s two wrestlers, Taylor Barnes and Jenna Brake both won silver medals. Brandon Murphy was awarded a fairplay Award by the Officials.
In provincial standings, Ontario won top Province in each age group as well as top Province overall. Newfoundland’s Bantam Girls had a strong finish, placing 3rd in their provincial standings.
In addition to competing well at this national event the west coast wrestlers were also involved in a number of cultural events designed to promote friendship amongst the wrestlers from different parts of the country.
Both coaches who attended the tournament (Gerard Bennett of Stephenville and Derek Locke of Templeton Academy) expressed pride over their wrestlers performances both on and off the mat. The 8 medals won is a clear indication of the resurgence of wrestling on the west coast of the province.
May 7th, 2007
(click to enlarge)
(Story by Lillian Simmons of the Compass)
Three wrestlers from Carbonear Collegiate and one from Holy Trinity High School in Torbay have brought home medals from what their coach says is the “toughest tournament in the nation.” The four spent an exciting Easter vacation in Whitby, Ontario attending the 2007 Canadian National Juvenile Wrestling Championships. A total of 850 grapplers from all over the country participated in the tournament vying for the title of National Champion. Victoria Ralph, Kelsey Reichel, David Peach, from Carbonear, are long time members of the Carbonear Collegiate Sentinels Wrestling Team and they have a decorated history in the sport. Coach Randy Ralph says, “All three were instrumental in maintaining a wrestling dynasty this year at Carbonear Collegiate” where the “walls of the gymnasium boast seven of a possible eight SSNL high school banners won during the past four years.” Marcus Hatcher is a second year wrestler from Torbay who lead his team to a silver medal finish at this years SSNL High School Provincial Tournament
and a bronze medal at last years Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games.
The weigh-in for the tournament took place on Thursday evening April 12. “It is a highly anticipated moment for wrestlers trying to make a weight class after months of intensive exercise and dieting culminates on a set of scales in front of officials who decide whether or not a wrestler can compete the next day.” Fortunately Ralph, Reichel, Peach, and Hatcher all made weight and their names were added to the draw sheet which determined who they would wrestle in the coming days.
Competition in the juvenile 56 kg female freestyle category began on Friday, April 13 with Victoria Ralph slated to wrestle Ontario’s Victoria Martindale. Ralph pinned Martindale in the first round and then faced Amy Watson of Alberta. Unfortunately Ralph lost her match against Watson, which eliminated her from any chance of winning the gold or silver medal. She had to defeat five wrestlers in a row in order to have a shot at a bronze medal and she did just that. Jessica Smith (Ontario), Ella Webalski (BC), Laura Gordon (Alberta), Marielle Terhart (Alberta), and Heather Wray (Ontario) were all victims of Ralph’s intense head control and specialty
move; the quarter-Russian. The bronze medal was in her grasp, but she had to go through Andrea Garnier of the Windsor Wrestling Club in Ontario first. The match was tough and went the full distance. Fortunately Ralph won two of the three rounds in the match and secured the bronze medal.
David Peach competed in the juvenile 76 kg male freestyle category on day one and lost his first match to Nadar Salame of Ontario. Peach rebounded from the loss with a victory over Alberta’s Samson Emmanuel. The Carbonear Collegiate student then faced Ralph Bayers of Nova Scotia and lost his second match of the day The two losses resulted in elimination and he was
finished in the freestyle category. He would have better luck the next day in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Marcus Hatcher and Kelsey Reichel both represented the province in the 100 kg male freestyle category and like Peach, ran into some stiff competition on day one. Reichel started off the tournament positively by pinning Ontario’s Travis Rehula of the Junior Thunderwolves in Ontario. His next match placed him against national champion Mike Murray who he lost to on points. Reichel bounced back from the loss and defeated New Brunswick’s Chris Cassie in a thrilling come-from-behind victory with a last second pin. Reichel then went on to face BC’s Gurpreet Gill and lost his second match on points to the eventual bronze medalist. This eliminated him from freestyle competition.
Hatcher started off his draw with two wins over Nova Scotia’s Geoff Barron, and Ontario’s Kevin Mills. He then had to face the eventual silver medalist, Gurjot Kooner and was ahead on points in the first round. At one point in the match, Hatcher had Kooner high in the air and let the
BC wrestler down easy. Kooner immediately came back and double legged Hatcher onto the cement floor wrenching the Torbay native’s shoulder. Hatcher eventually lost the match, but felt he could have beaten Kooner with a more aggressive attitude. Hatcher narrowly lost his second match of the day to Curtis Strohan of Saskatchewan in a close match went lasted
three rounds. Hatcher was finished in freestyle.
Like David Peach, both Kelsey Reichel and Marcus Hatcher would fare better in the Greco-Roman portion of the tournament. Slim Hopes Victoria Ralph’s expectations on making the Canadian National FILA Team were slim the following day as 19 wrestlers pummelled each other for a
spot on the team and a chance to travel to the world championships. A loss automatically eliminated a wrestler from competition, which left no room for error or costly mistakes. The national champion, Kathleen Kent, of Saskatchewan learned that the hard way. Kent, who won gold in the 56 kg class the day before, was eliminated by a wrestler who did not even finish
in the top six.
Ralph began the day by defeating Ontario’s Larissa D’Alleva and Alberta’s Celeste Nakai. The two wins put her in the semi-final against BC’s Karen Pitkethly. Pitkethly is an awesome leg shooter and Ralph had to be sharp to defeat her. Down on points in the second round, Ralph needed a pin to win the match and she managed to flatten the BC wrestler on her back for the victory. Ralph advanced to the final against Aislynn Torfason of the Black Bears Wrestling Club in New Brunswick. Coach Ralph says the final match for the 56 kg position on the national team “was thrilling to say the least. “Both Ralph and Torfason tore each other apart in an effort to earn the right to represent Canada at the World Championships in Panama,” he said. Torfason won the first round, while Ralph won the second. The third and final round was close. Torfason went ahead 3 - 1 on a leg attack with about 30 seconds left in the match. Ralph scored another point making it 3 - 2 with two seconds remaining. “Ralph went hard to attempt a throw for two points but missed and lost the match along with a dream trip to Panama City,” the coach said. Ralph is now an alternate in the 56 kg class and if Torfason gets injured, she will take her place.
The last day of competition showcased the men in Greco-Roman competition. “The difference between freestyle and Greco-Roman is that in the latter you are not permitted to touch the legs of your opponent, whereas in freestyle any part of the body can be utilized,” Coach Ralph explained. “Therefore Greco-Roman wrestlers are usually better at throwing their opponent than attacking the legs.”
David Peach was a long shot at placing in the top six of the category. However Peach, who, according to the coach, is “an extremely talented and hard worker” felt he had a chance. Peach defeated Alex Siplyarsky of Ontario in his first match of the day and needed another victory to place him in the gold medal match. He had to overcome Pat Manson of Alberta in
order to get there. “I think Manson underestimated Peach,” said Ralph, adding the muscular Newfoundlander came out on fire and gave the Calgary native a five point hip toss slamming him to the mat. The throw severely injured Mason’s shoulder and he submitted to a pin. The win placed Peach in the gold medal match against Paul Robjohn of Ontario.
“Dave Peach was determined to win Newfoundland and Labrador’s first national Greco-Roman gold medal,” said his coach, “but unfortunately he came up short and lost in two rounds to Robjohn who is a very experienced Greco-Roman wrestler. “He fought hard against Robjohn but he was thrown twice for five points which automatically ends the match. He had to settle
with the silver medal - but he was very pleased with his overall performance.”
Facing the number one ranked wrestler in Greco-Roman competition is not what a wrestler wants in his first match of the day, but Marcus Hatcher had no choice. He drew Durpreet Gill in the 100 kg division and had to wrestle the BC native in the morning. To everyones surprise Hatcher took it to Gill, locked up with a double underhook and side suplayed Gill hard into the mat pinning him to his back. Gill lost the match and could not finish the competition due to a rib injury. Hatcher went on to defeat Billy Kerr of Ontario in the semi-final, which put him into the gold medal match against BC’s James Ford. In the final Hatcher struggled with a shoulder injury from a previous match, and although he wrestled well, could not defeat Ford. Hatcher settled for silver.
Kelsey Reichel was the second representative for Newfoundland and Labrador in the 100 kg Greco-Roman class, and like Hatcher, Peach, and Ralph, was an underdog in the competition. “Facing wrestlers from Ontario, BC, Saskatchewan, and Alberta is very intimidating for wrestlers in the smaller Canadian provinces,” the coach pointed out, “which meant Reichel had to stay focused throughout competition. Unfortunately he faced the eventual gold medallist in the first round of competition.” James Ford of the Burnaby Mountain Wrestling Club in British Columbia defeated Reichel on points. Reichel had no chance of winning gold or silver after the loss and with his back against the wall, had a chance to compete for a bronze medal if he won his next match, but would be eliminated if he lost. Reichel encountered Ontario’s Billy Kerr and knocked him out of competition with some beautiful hip throws and a pin in the second round. This vaulted Reichel into the bronze medal final against Chris Cassie of New Brunswick. Reichel faced Cassie previously in the freestyle category and narrowly won with a last minute pin. This time however there was no doubt as to who was the superior wrestler as Reichel threw Cassie around the mat. Reichel finished off Cassie with a second round pin and secured Carbonear
Collegiate’s third medal of the tournament.
Newfoundland and Labrador sent four wrestlers to the nationals and all four came home with medals. Carbonear Collegiate placed sixth overall in the country in greco-roman action and the province placed sixth as well. The results are a testament to the dedication of athletes and coaches, and great community support for the sport in the area.
May 7th, 2007
Just to let everyone know that if you use ‘facebook’ (a social networking service on the internet) there is a ‘Newfoundland Wrestling’ group that you can now join to touch base with past and current wrestlers. There are also over 100 wrestling photos posted in this group. Many thanks to Joanne Hall for creating it!
March 16th, 2007
Just a reminder that the content on this webpage is largely dependent on you! Please send us any interesting stories you have, pictures, results or links to your team’s webpage. You could tell us why you started wrestling and what you like about it, you could tell us a bit about your team, or you could share some of your favorite games, drills or moves. Any submissions to the page can be done so through the “contact us” link.
December 15th, 2006
The tournament scheduled to be held at Crescent Collegiate on Dec. 16th has been changed! The tournament will now be hosted by Holy Trinity in Torbay. Because this change is recent, they are welcoming anyone willing to help out with open arms. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
December 15th, 2006
This new version of the webpage is not yet complete, but hopefully everything will be changed over from the old one very soon (including old results and pictures). Hope you all enjoy the new format, it makes it a bit easier to get posts up on the site, change things, and it looks better too! Feel free to add comments on any of the posts and check back soon to see the complete new and improved site.
-Amy
September 14th, 2006
Newfoundland and Labrador has a National Juvenile Bronze Medalist. Wesley Saunders of Carbonear won a bronze medal at the 2005 Juvenile Nationals in Edmonton, April 7-9th.
Wrestling in the 100 kg weight class, Wesley fell on bad luck when he lost his first match of the tournament to Bobby Brown of British Columbia. Wesley won the first round 8 - 2, but got stuck on his back in the second round. Brown went on to win the gold medal in the division, and Saunders rebounded from the match, going on to score seven straight victories en route to a bronze medal victory. Congradulations Wes!
April 12th, 2006
The 2006 Winter Games were a great success! This is thanks to the hard work of the host team, with the help of coaches, officials, thousands of volunteers and, of course, the athletes!
Athletes enjoyed four days of competition, set up in a dual meet format. This allowed athletes to watch all the wrestling matches, as well as watch other sports. There was never a loss of things to do: variety show, swimming, bowling, dancing, karaoke, video games, tours, and much more! Sleep was the only thing lacking!
With an emphasis on friendly competition, eight awards were given out for sportsmanship, as well as individual medals and team medals for total points.
March 13th, 2006
The 2005 Canada Summer Games were held in Regina, Saskatchewan, from August 6th - 20th. For those not familiar with the games, this is a national, multi-sport competition for Canadian youth held every four years. The aim of the games is to advance sport development and community pride. They strive to leave a lasting legacy of unity, volunteerism, enhanced sport and youth development all in the pursuit of individual dreams and accomplishments.
Team Newfoundland and Labrador came away from the games this year with a total of eight medals, with two of the medals in wrestling. Kristie Lee LaBlond courageously fought her way to a silver medal finish, while Wesley Saunders, in a daring move, won the bronze in his weight class. With these finishes, this years wrestling team was the most successful team we have had at the Canada Games. We are very proud of all of the athletes that competed this year and wish them all the best in this upcoming season.
More on Saunders…
More on LaBlond…
2005 Canada Summer Games…
NL 2005 Canada Games Team…
August 30th, 2005
Kerri-Ann Evely has added another medal to her growing list of top finishes this season. A third year wrestler at Memorial University, Evely has recently won a gold medal at UNB open, and amazed all when she won all of her matches at Lakehead’s Dual Tournamnet in December which featured the top women’s teams in the country. And now she has done it again…
On March 4-6 Evely traveled with the Memorial Women’s and Men’s Wrestling teams to Brock University for the CIS Championships. Coach Glen Clark (shown above with Kerri) was both excited and a little nervous for his athletes, “National competition is extremely difficult…there is a lot of tough competition. Kerri-Ann will have a tough first match, but has competed against many of the wrestlers who are going to be there already.”
Indeed her first match was a difficult one, and cost her a chance at first place. This initial match was against Megan Buydens of Saskatchewan who went on to win the gold medal at the tournament and boasts several medals at both national and international tournaments. However, Kerri-Ann bounced back from this loss and blew away the rest of the competition, earning her the bronze medal. This is not a small feat as many of her competitors boast national and international medals. We are truly proud of this Carbonear native. It is a great accomplishment and a great way to finish off the varsity season. We all look forward to seeing her in future competitions.
Gazette News Story
March 10th, 2005
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