With a relatively new group of young grapplers on the mat this season, the Williams Lake Wrestling Club laced up its boots and headed north to Prince George for the icebreaker Pin to Win Tournament.
Nineteen wrestlers in both elementary and high school divisions participated in the tournament — many wrestling competitively for the first time — over two days Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5.
WLWC head coach Sonia Conrod said the tournament is always a great event and the club enjoys attending it each year.
“All the kids did amazing,” Sonia said. “They fought hard and never gave up. They all pulled together as a team and supported each other on and off the mat.”
In the elementary division Grade 1 student Colin Llewellyn battled with the big guys in the Grade 2/3 21-kilogram division and took fourth place.
Tanner Scaiano, in 23 kilograms, grappled to a gold medal.
Grade 3 Simon Llewellyn placed fourth in his 33-kilogram class, while Grade 4 Amaya Doucette, in the 28-kilogram division, also took fourth.
Battling it out in the Grade 4/5 boys division Thomas Carter, 28 kilograms and Damien Doucette, wrestled to fourth-place and bronze-medal finishes in the division.
Kalub Scaiano, in the 30-kilogram Grade 4/5 weight class, brought home a gold.
In the Grade 6 division Jayden Carter, weighing in at 37 kilograms, wrestled his way to a bronze medal, while Grade 7 boy Corbin Ash, 45 kilograms, captured another bronze for the WLWC.
Nikita Potekhina, who Sonia said wrestled in a tough weight class at 44 kilograms, claimed fourth. Ben Mcintyre, also in the 44 kilogram division, fought to a bronze.
Lastly, in the Grade 7 division, Lucus Jackson clawed to a silver medal in the 57-kilogram division.
On Saturday morning the WLWC’s high school grapplers hit the mat.
Wrestling up an age group, Potekhina one-upped his result on the previous day, winning a bronze medal, while Corbin Ash, also in Grade 7, won silver in the 45-kilogram weight class in the high school division.
In the Grade 8 division Niko Kirner took fourth (74 kgs), Zane Barr was fourth (72 kg) and rookie Grade 8 werstler, Cierra Bellerose in the 50 kilogram class, toughed it out with some veteran wrestlers in her bracket to take sixth.
At 53 kilograms, Taryn Dick fought her way to a bronze medal, while Grade 8 Tyleen Scaiano, at 49 kgs, nabbed a silver medal.
Bradon Stump, in his first tournament ever, won gold in the 63-kilogram open division.
Veteran WLWC wrestlers Braden Conrod, meanwhile, wrestled up a weight class in the 65-kilogram division and picked up another gold medal for the black ‘n’ blue.
“This was a great first experience on the mat at a tournament for many of our wrestlers,” Sonia said.
“I am very proud of each and every one of them. They represented the WLWC with great pride and came home with a positive experience.”
The team is now on its way to Coquitlam for the always competitive War on the Floor Tournament from Dec. 10-11.
