A contingent of five wrestlers from the Campbell River area travelled to Edmonton, Alta., to compete in the 2018 Cadet/Juvenile National Wrestling Championships, held April 13 to 15.
Carihi Grade 10 student and provincial champion Kaitlyn Jinda had a successful tournament, finishing with a bronze medal in the cadet girls division. She lost her opening match to the eventual champion, but then went on to dominate the rest of the field. Jinda also went on to wrestle in the Team Canada trials, but re-aggravated a leg injury she had been struggling with for much of the season and was forced to drop out.
Alex Anderson, a Carihi Secondary School Grade 9 student, and Quinn Golobar, a Grade 10 student also from Carihi, competed in large and competitive weight categories in the tournament’s cadet boys portion, the age category for athletes in Grades 9 and 10. Both boys won some tough matches, but ended up just outside the top six placings.
Timberline Secondary School Grade 11 wrestlers Joel House and Kyle Macdonald wrestled in the juvenile boys age category, taking on Grade 11 and 12 boys from across the country. House had success early on, winning his first two matches prior but was forced to drop out of the tournament after because of an injury in his third match.
Macdonald had a strong tournament, winning his first match, losing his second, then winning his next four to finish fifth overall in the nation. He went on to compete in the FILA (International Amateur Wrestling Federation) portion of the tournament, finishing 1-3 against other Grade 11 students vying for a spot on next season’s Team Canada. Macdonald also competed in the Greco-Roman portion of the tournament, finishing sixth place in a style of wrestling that does not allow leg attacks.
All wrestlers in the Campbell River area will be celebrating their season accomplishments at the annual CRWA Awards Dinner held at the Carihi multipurpose room on Thursday, May 3. In addition to the presentation of the regular annual awards, this year, for the first time, the Brett Lawrason Legacy Award will be presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding service to wrestling in Campbell River. The awards portion of the evening starts at 7 p.m. All Campbell River wrestling alumni are invited to attend.