A wrestling column
Nothing fancy today.
I’m posting a few news links and my column all about covering the Ohio Wrestling League Tournament last weekend.
Here’s the column that appeared in today’s Courier:
Going to cover the inaugural Ohio Wrestling League tournament sure was a hoot. You just can’t resist making a joke like that when the league’s abbreviation is the OWL.
But for the wrestlers from Arcadia, McComb, Cory-Rawson and Van Buren the new league is far from a joke.
There was a sense of belonging and ownership of their newly-created wrestling league at Northwood High School Saturday. It’s a feeling that the Redskins, Panthers Hornets and Black Knights have rarely felt at the end of the wrestling season.
One of the first things Arcadia assistant coach Dean Kirian, who at one time coached wrestling at Arlington and Leipsic in the BVC, said to me Saturday was that this tournament was a long time coming.
It’s been a long time since the BVC quartet has been able to wrestle for a league championship -- 26 years to be exact. That’s when Arlington and Leipsic decided to disband their programs and the conference no longer sponsored the sport.
Arcadia’s boys had won a total of five BVC championships since the conference was formed 42 years ago. All the headaches of forming the new wrestling-only league were worthwhile when the Redskins’ hoisted the gold OWL trophy Saturday as happy coaches and parents surrounded the team.
League championships in any of the individual sports, such as wrestling, cross country and track and field are the culmination of the regular season.
Winning the conference is the first goal for every prep coach and athletes in every single sport. And the league tournament marks the beginning of the most important part of the season, the OHSAA tournament.
League tournaments are also where lasting memories are made.
“Ask any of these guys here if they’ve ever been a league champion in any sport and they’ll probably tell you no,” said Van Buren coach Jerry Gerken.
“One of the most vivid memories I have is of our wrestling team at Liberty Center winning the NWOAL championship and all of us surrounding the awards stand. That was 20 years ago and I remember that like it was yesterday.”
Maybe someday some of other BVC schools will decide to give their athletes an opportunity to compete for an OWL title. Arlington, Liberty-Benton, Leipsic and Pandora-Gilboa -- the coaches, wrestlers and parents in the OWL would welcome you with open arms.
In fact, Liberty-Benton, the largest school in the Northwest District without a program, has some very good elementary school wrestlers competing already. But since they have no school-sponsored program to compete for, they’ll likely open enroll to other area schools and take their per pupil money allotted by the state right along with them.
Not everyone is athletically gifted enough to play basketball. Wrestling would give those dozens of other kids walking the halls an opportunity to compete also.
All you need for a wrestling team is a coach, a mat and 10 kids who want to be league champions.
I’ll even throw in the mat.
NEWSWORTHY:
Three Celina wrestlers win WBL titles
Miller is most valuable at NWC Tournament
Shiff wins NOL title for Fostoria
H-L is fourth in the MAL
Brakeman Report Sparks Debate
Mabry wins WBL title for St. Marys
I’m posting a few news links and my column all about covering the Ohio Wrestling League Tournament last weekend.
Here’s the column that appeared in today’s Courier:
Going to cover the inaugural Ohio Wrestling League tournament sure was a hoot. You just can’t resist making a joke like that when the league’s abbreviation is the OWL.
But for the wrestlers from Arcadia, McComb, Cory-Rawson and Van Buren the new league is far from a joke.
There was a sense of belonging and ownership of their newly-created wrestling league at Northwood High School Saturday. It’s a feeling that the Redskins, Panthers Hornets and Black Knights have rarely felt at the end of the wrestling season.
One of the first things Arcadia assistant coach Dean Kirian, who at one time coached wrestling at Arlington and Leipsic in the BVC, said to me Saturday was that this tournament was a long time coming.
It’s been a long time since the BVC quartet has been able to wrestle for a league championship -- 26 years to be exact. That’s when Arlington and Leipsic decided to disband their programs and the conference no longer sponsored the sport.
Arcadia’s boys had won a total of five BVC championships since the conference was formed 42 years ago. All the headaches of forming the new wrestling-only league were worthwhile when the Redskins’ hoisted the gold OWL trophy Saturday as happy coaches and parents surrounded the team.
League championships in any of the individual sports, such as wrestling, cross country and track and field are the culmination of the regular season.
Winning the conference is the first goal for every prep coach and athletes in every single sport. And the league tournament marks the beginning of the most important part of the season, the OHSAA tournament.
League tournaments are also where lasting memories are made.
“Ask any of these guys here if they’ve ever been a league champion in any sport and they’ll probably tell you no,” said Van Buren coach Jerry Gerken.
“One of the most vivid memories I have is of our wrestling team at Liberty Center winning the NWOAL championship and all of us surrounding the awards stand. That was 20 years ago and I remember that like it was yesterday.”
Maybe someday some of other BVC schools will decide to give their athletes an opportunity to compete for an OWL title. Arlington, Liberty-Benton, Leipsic and Pandora-Gilboa -- the coaches, wrestlers and parents in the OWL would welcome you with open arms.
In fact, Liberty-Benton, the largest school in the Northwest District without a program, has some very good elementary school wrestlers competing already. But since they have no school-sponsored program to compete for, they’ll likely open enroll to other area schools and take their per pupil money allotted by the state right along with them.
Not everyone is athletically gifted enough to play basketball. Wrestling would give those dozens of other kids walking the halls an opportunity to compete also.
All you need for a wrestling team is a coach, a mat and 10 kids who want to be league champions.
I’ll even throw in the mat.
NEWSWORTHY:
Three Celina wrestlers win WBL titles
Miller is most valuable at NWC Tournament
Shiff wins NOL title for Fostoria
H-L is fourth in the MAL
Brakeman Report Sparks Debate
Mabry wins WBL title for St. Marys
posted by --J-- at 8:21 AM
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