Up-and-coming young wrestlers put their skills to the test last Wednesday as George Bonner Elementary hosted the fifth annual Cowichan Valley elementary wrestling meet.
Nearly 200 kids from 10 schools took part in the event, almost triple the number who turned out for the first elementary meet in 2014. Bonner, Queen of Angels, École Cobble Hill and St. Joseph’s fielded the largest teams.
This was the second year the meet has been held at the Mill Bay school.
“Bonner is a great school to host it,” Cowichan Valley Wrestling Club head coach Nick Zuback said. “They’ve got two gyms and we can fit two mats on each side. It’s easy for the flow of traffic.”
For a lot of the kids who participate, and for the parents who come out to cheer them on, the meet is their first wrestling competition. Several wrestlers have come out of the elementary program to join the CVWC and their high school teams, going on to contend at Island and provincial meets.
“When they stand on the podium at the end of the day, for many of them, it’s probably the first time,” Zuback said. “It’s a nice way of promoting the club, giving them a taste of what it’s like. It’s a great way to highlight the sport and gain new participation.”
Participants were split into two age divisions: Grade 6 and 7, with some strong Grade 5s, and Grade 5 and under, as young as Grade 3, and from there separated into smaller groups based on weight class and ability.
“The club did a good job trying to make groups of kids of roughly the same ability,” Zuback said. “There weren’t a lot of one-sided matches or one kid dominating a weight class.”
CVWC athletes and parents came out to make sure the meet functioned smoothly, helping to officiate and keep score, among other duties.