Submitted by the Orcas Island Wrestling Club.
Five young Orcas Wrestlers from the Orcas Island Wrestling Club traveled to Sedro-Woolley for the Western Washington Kids Wrestling League Little Smackdown Novice Tournament on Nov. 30 to put their training to the test. This is the second tournament these five wrestlers have attended. The first, on Nov. 23, had enough administrative errors with wrestlers in incorrect brackets and a roster that was inaccurate to skew the statistics that the team decided to call it a practice tournament. The kinks were worked out for the Sedro tournament, and the recognition for what these “Fierce Five” accomplished is warranted.
Elliot Wooding took first place in the 8U, 54-54.8-pound bracket. He won his first two matches by pinning his opponent in the first round and won his third match with a pin in the second round.
Marianna Nuñez competed in her first real tournament and placed fourth in the 8U, 63.6-67.4-pound bracket. She lost her first two matches by getting pinned in the first round, but went all three rounds in her third match and lost by a 17-11 decision.
Caden McGuire-King took second place in the 10U, 68.7-70-pound bracket. He won his first match with a 9-0 major decision, won his second match also with a 9-0 major decision and lost his third match by an 8-3 decision.
Dávid Nuñez took first place in the 10U, 89-89.6-pound bracket. He won his first match with a 6-4 decision, won his second match with an 11-3 major decision and won his third match by pinning his opponent in the first round.
Weston Wooding took first place in the 12U 99.2-103-pound bracket. He won his first match with a pin in the second round, won his second match with a pin in the first round and won his third match with a 15-0 technical fall in the second round.
The commitment and hard work of these wrestlers were well represented at the Sedro-Woolley tournament, and they are all looking forward to honing their skills even more for future tournaments. The Orcas Island Wrestling Club started practicing on Oct. 14 and is hoping to see an increase in the number of members as other sports wrap up their seasons and the youth of Orcas Island are looking for new mental and physical athletic challenges. The OIWC maintains that the purpose of youth sports is to use athletics as a vehicle to guide and influence a young person into becoming an overall good and well-rounded person, to teach them how to manage and handle obstacles of life through teamwork and perseverance, overcome adversity and have fun doing it. The OIWC utilizes teaching the sport of wrestling to instill sportsmanship, discipline, mental toughness and camaraderie in its members.
If someone is interested in joining the club, practices for ages 4-13 are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. at the Tracy Strong Lodge at YMCA Camp Orkila. The time slot for ages 13-18 is Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:15-8 p.m. The club is hoping to welcome new members and/or have some past members return to continue their education in the sport of wrestling. If anyone has questions about the club, stop by a practice to check it out, send an email to orcaswrestling@gmail.com or look them up on Facebook. If you see a young wrestler, wish them luck for their season.
