By Ian Ewing
Ottawa has never been seen as a real hotspot for high school wrestling. The public school teachers’ job action cut participation by a third or more this year. And last month, the International Olympic Committee blindsided the sport with possible exclusion from the 2020 Games.
But you’d never guess any of that from the atmosphere at the national capital high school wrestling championships on Feb. 20.
In a boisterous, jam-packed gymnasium at Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School, students crowded around three large, worn mats, shouting encouragement and tips to their teammates and friends. The scene showed teens at their best, hugging and high-fiving and congratulating their opponents.
Still, ask around, and the undercurrent of disappointment about the IOC executive’s move to throw wrestling out of the Olympics wasn’t hard to detect.
“It’s not fair,” said 14-year-old Dimitri Palombo, who took home gold for Sacred Heart in the 51 kg boys’ category. “It’s discouraging knowing that once you get to that level of sport, that’s the highest you can take it.”
Parents, especially, were concerned about the possible effect on participation and enthusiasm. Amie Beausoleil worried that it could “kill the fire” for young athletes.
“When kids shoot for something,” she noted, “they shoot high.”
Beausoleil’s daughter, however, wasn’t overly concerned.
“It’s not really about going as far as you can,” countered St. Pius’ Taylor Robinson, who had just won the 83 kg girls category. “If wrestling is really something you want to do, you’ll keep going whether you’re going to go far or not.”
Among organizers and coaches, the same duality was evident.
“For our national program, it would be catastrophic,” highlighted Louis-Riel coach Derek Kossatz. “For the high school league, I don’t know that it would affect it at all. Kids in high school want to participate in an activity, and wrestling is very rewarding for kids.”
Wrestling isn’t out of the Olympics just yet. The executive’s recommendation still needs to be ratified by the full IOC board in September.
“I’m hoping that there will be a groundswell of opposition,” said Lee MacKay, a Canadian Olympic referee. “And that different countries will start to poll their IOC members and it will get voted down.”
MacKay, the city championships convener, did wonder about the effect on young kids just starting sports.
“It will lose that high profile,” he suggested, adding that potentially losing coaches long-term is nonetheless a bigger threat. “If they don’t come back, it’ll be tougher for wrestling. It’s one of those sports in which the coaching has to be a little bit more technical.”
Kossatz, who runs Tsunami Academy wrestling club, is optimistic though.
“If we can get the teacher issue behind us, I see wrestling continuing to grow in both size and calibre,” he maintained. “Enthusiasm is actually probably higher than normal this year. We have a lot of parents coaching; it’s new blood. There’s a lot of good energy.”
Although quite a few local schools did not participate this year – including some national-calibre athletes – new faces will try to make their mark at OFSAA and beyond.
Robinson, for one, will be competing both at the high school provincials March 6-7 in Guelph, and at April’s juvenile nationals in Saskatoon. Other OFSAA medal hopefuls include National Capital Wrestling Club members Augusta Eve (Hillcrest) and Quinlan Walker (Canterbury).