The Orcas Island Wrestling Club is alive and going strong.

The club has increased its core group of wrestlers. The average attendance has been between 8-15 with as many as 18 wrestlers showing up to practice. The club has also made the trip to two tournaments this year already, with at least two more in the schedule.

On Dec. 15, the club attended the Anacortes Hawkeyes Beginner Tournament Take 2 at Fidalgo Elementary Schools gym, a USA Wrestling sanctioned event, and competed with other athletes from around the state. The Orcas wrestlers held their own with the competition they faced. There were some wins, some losses, and more importantly many lessons learned. Nine brave wrestlers for Orcas weighed in at the tournament. Included, were Domico Kasperski (4), Declan Kasperski (5), Daniel Segault (7), Clayton Morgan Jr. (8), Zade Pechacek (9), Brandon Morgan (9) Tom Malo (9), Isaak Segault (9), and Tim Malo (9). Each of the wrestlers wrestled three matches in the tournament, except for Isaak Segault, who, because he was the only one in his age/weight class, only got to wrestle one match. Domico Kasperski put out a great effort for his first tournament, though he lost two of the matches by getting pinned and one of them only by points. Declan Kasperski won his first match but lost his next two matches. Daniel Segault won his first match but got pinned in his next two. Clayton Morgan Jr. lost his first two matches but won his third match. Zade Pechacek pinned his first opponent and lost his second and third matches. Brandon Morgan got pinned all three of his matches but fought hard and smiled the whole time. Tom Malo pinned all three of his opponents in the first round and took first place in his age/weight class. Isaak Segault was the only one in his age/weight class so he took an exhibition match with a wrestler 18 pounds heavier and lost by points. Tim Malo, won his first match, lost his second and won his third, taking second place. The wrestlers returned home to practice for the next tournament with the experience gained from the first.

The Orcas Island Wrestling Club attended the Sedro Woolley Steelclaw Folkstyle Open tournament on January 6th at Sedro Woolley High School where they faced even tougher competition. The five wrestlers able to attend this tournament were Douglas Kirby (5), Daniel Segault (7), Drew Bond (8), Zade Pechacek (9), and Issak Segault (9). Douglas Kirby lost his first match 8-9, lost his second match 0-15, and his third match 2-13. Daniel Segault, in his first match was tied 5-5 but won in overtime with a two-point takedown. He won his second match 9-0 and his third one 6-0, taking first place in his bracket. Drew Bond had a bye during his first round, then lost his first match by getting pinned in round two, won his second match 6-0, and lost his third match 0-4. Zade Pechacek won his first match 7-1, lost his second match by getting pinned in the second round, and lost his third match. Issak Segault lost his first match 11-2, his second match by a pin in the third round but won his third match with a head and arm throw to a pin in the second round.

The Orcas Island Wrestling Club is planning to attend two more tournaments this season. The WWKWL Stanwood on Jan. 12 and the WWKWL Mount Vernon on January 20. To make the 7 a.m. weigh-ins and be registered, every tournament requires the club to catch a ferry the day before and stay in hotel rooms. The fundraising efforts made by the parents and the generous donations made by the community have made attending these tournaments possible. In case you were wondering, the club will be having their annual Super-Duper Raffle at the end of the season.