CONGRATULATIONS ON A GREAT SEASON
End of the Regular Season
A lot has happened since the last blog entry. The regular season has ended for most wrestlers, while some are still practicing and working hard as they prepare for USAW Folkstyle Nationals and various other offseason tournaments.
I certainly hope that it was a rewarding experience for your son(s). Wrestling is an extremely challenging sport that can elicit the gamit of emotions from elation and the thrill of victory to sorrow and disappointment. Hopefully, your son(s) had a great experience this season, whether it is their first or 10th season in the sport. This was a season of a lot of “firsts” for our club. One of the most significant “first” was that this was the first year we exceeded 100 wrestlers. The added participation came with its share of growing pains, but the coaching staff, wrestlers and parents adapted nicely. As a result, we had many strong performances throughout the season and, most importantly, saw lots of improvement and success on both a team and individual level.
Congratulations to all of our recent state place winners:
Senior:
Manny Silva - 3rd Place (Senior - 122 pounds)
Joey Welsh - 6th Place (Senior - 156 pounds)
Novice:
Brady Powers - 6th Place (Novice - 66 pounds)
Tyler DeMoss - 7th Place (Novice - 101 pounds)
Midget:
Blake Zalapi – 3rd (138 pounds)
Christian Fausel – 5th (68 pounds)
Jordan Shahrikian – 6th (122 pounds)
Anthony Cassioppi – 8th (115 pounds)
Bantam State:
Nick Carter - 3rd Place (70 pounds)
Blaine Bohnenkamp - 3rd Place (49 pounds)
Kaleb Etnyre - 5th Place (103 pounds)
Zach Fausel - 5th Place (52 pounds)
Benjamin Zalapi - 7th Place (67 pounds)
Brandt Hixson - 8th Place (58 pounds)
Congratulations to other state qualifiers: Jordan Pierson (Senior - 89 pounds), Vincent Anderson (Novice - 115 pounds) and Keegan Powers (Novice - 66 pounds)
Congratualations also go out to other Midget and Bantam State participants: Xander Schnake (Bantam – 52 pounds), Tim Tichgelaar (Bantam – 58 pounds), Santonio Jackson (Bantam – 64 pounds), Giovanni Cassioppi (Bantam – 61 pounds), Drew Smith (Midget – 62 pounds), Josh Lester (Midget – 79 pounds), Hunter Comstock (Midget – 95 pounds), Tyler Brugman (Midget – 101 pounds), Sylvester Vijil (Midget – 95 pounds)
End of Season Pizza Party
Please make sure you attend the pizza party on Tuesday, March 31st at 6 pm in the High School Cafeteria to join us in celebrating an awesome season. The night will include recognition of all wrestlers, presentation of special awards (Most Valuable and Most Improved) and, of course, pizza.
If you have not already done so, please let John Fenicle know how many from your family will be attending: (Cell: 815-988-4153, e-mail: john.fenicle@hs.utc.com or tmrclean@aol.com)
Turn in Singlets
If you have not done so already, all singlets must be turned in immediately. If singlets are not turned in prior to the pizza party, your $50 deposit will be used to purchase replacements. Please contact John Fenicle to arrange a time to take care of this if you have not already done so.
Off Season Open Wrestling Tournaments
Even though the actual season has ended, there are still plenty of opportunities to wrestle almost every weekend for those who still have the itch. Off season tournaments are a great way to get some additional mat time, keep some of the stuff you learned fresh and have some fun in a low pressure, yet competitive setting. These competitions are Open tournaments, meaning you compete on an individual basis.
For anyone who is interested in competing in offseason tournaments, I will provide periodic updates on the blog, notifying all of upcoming tournaments and providing links to signup forms when possible. Also, the most comprehensive list of offseason tournaments can be found at the following website: http://www.forcewrestling.com/OFF-SEASON.html
As you can see, there are tournaments almost every weekend well into the summer. Most off season tournaments do not require singlets. However, if you plan on going to a few, it would not be a bad idea to purchase one. You can find singlets at numerous online wrestling supply stores. Just Google “wrestling singlets” and you will find numerous sites that sell singlets. Some to consider are All American Wrestling Supply, Dick Pond Athletics, Wrestlinggear.com, WWSport.com, and WrestlersExpress.com. You can also often find used singlets on eBay.
Hononegah Kids Wrestling is Now on Facebook
The wrestling club now has a group on Facebook called Hononegah Kids Wrestling. For those of you who are not on Facebook, you will have to join to become a member of the group. You only need an active e-mail address to create a Facebook account. It is free to join and you can be as active or non-active as you would like.
The Facebook group is a great communication and networking tool that provides us the ability to attach and share photos, attach video, share links, report results, announce upcoming events, etc. The Facebook group has a discussion board where anyone can start a discussion thread or reply to an existing thread. There is also a wall that you can write on to communicate to others in the group. It is very easy to use and is a great way to keep in touch throughout the year and share news and information that might be of interest to others.
You can access the group via the following URL:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb#/group.php?gid=74537691354
Accessing the link will also give you the option to create a Facebook account. We hope to see all of you become members of the group.
