Kelso's girls wrestling tournament draws 93 regional competitors
Sunday, January 7, 2007 12:45 AM PST
By Ben Zimmerman
Printable version
E-mail this articleThe Kelso girls wrestling probably considers its first day of practice -- back in November -- as the program's official "birthday."
Or maybe Lassie grapplers will convene annually to blow out candles on the date that the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association decided to sanction wrestling as a girls varsity sport.
But Jan. 6, 2007 ought to be commemorated as "Independence Day".
On Saturday, 93 girls wrestlers from 21 different schools packed the main gymnasium and cafeteria at Kelso High School for what is believed to be the largest invitational girls wrestling tournament in Washington State history. It wasn't the first tournament that Lassies like senior Aly Wilson have competed in. The fourth, actually.
But, as Wilson pointed out, "it's home."
Kelso's first-year girls head coach, KHS English teacher Erinn Morton, tried to put the meet in perspective during her constant scrambling from mat-side to scorer's table to hospitality room.
"This is so gratifying, because now, our girls have a personal stake," she said. "They are representing their school, their classmates, their coaches and their community."
By 4 p.m., six hours into the tournament, Morton was flush with excitement and a bit weary with co-orchestrating the first wrestling tournament of her life. According to Kelso boys head coach Bob Freund, the girls tournament and simultaneous boys junior varsity event was running very "smooth," with every wrestler "weighed in and bracketed by 9:15 a.m."
"We started 15 minutes early, due to the organization of Dave Holter and Gary Schimmel," Freund said. "And Morton. She busted her butt calling, e-mailing and faxing schools."
Morton had no experience with wrestling when Freund asked her to take over Kelso's fledgeling program, but has quickly transformed into a mat addict.
"I didn't realize that wrestling would become the passion of my life," she said, laughing. "My little boy (Cade, 6) is grappling around. I went to the Moses Lake tournament the night before Christmas. I went to the Sierra Nevada Classic (in Reno); there were 1800 matches and I couldn't stop watching. The day after I got back from that, I went to the Pacific Coast tournament. If you would have told me that I'd be spending my weekends watching tournaments, I'd tell you, um...no. This is very contagious."
Kelso had six wrestlers in the tournament on Saturday. Hoquiam brought 19 girls, and Sedro Woolley ---- making one of the longest road trips of the 27 teams that entered JV boys or varsity girls ---- had 11 girls wrestling.
Girls from Burlington-Edison (seven), White River (seven), Fife (six), Franklin Pierce (six), Washougal (six), Rochester (five), Mt. Baker (five), Emerald Ridge (three), La Center (two), Kentwood (two), and Skyview, Camas, Yelm, Ilwaco, Ridgefield, R.A. Long, and Columbia River (one apiece) joined six Lassies in what Hoiness said was "the largest girls tournament in the state, by far."
"We didn't have opportunities like this before," he added, scanning the four mats and two full tiers of fans in the stands in Kelso's main gymnasium. "We've hit three or four tournaments this year. It's the payoff."
Hoquiam senior Tess Grannemen, a third-year wrestler who won a state exhibition title last season in the 103 division and will run cross country at the University of Montana, agreed.
"My first year, we had no tournaments to go to," she said. "Now, it seems like we have every other weekend. It sure beats sitting around and watching."
For girls wrestling to grow ---- and eventually achieve parity with boys wrestling, in terms of weight divisions and state berths ---- it will take more than quantity of tournaments. Those tournaments must also feature a depth of competition in each individual weight class.
Kelso's tourney is a start.
"Look at all these girls," said Wilson. "It shows that it's just going to keep getting bigger."
"This is a great step to building the system," Camas assistant coach Matt Chase added. "A tournament like this will also help get more girls involved."
"This (tournament) is put together really well," added Grannemann. "I really like it."
Larger tournaments like Kelso's offer girls wrestlers a chance to face several different opponents, which better prepares them for districts, sub-regionals, regionals and state.
"The bottom line is that we want these girls to do well," Morton explained. "They need a variety of opponents and a certain amount of mat time."
On Saturday, Wilson beat an opponent from Burlington-Edison who had pinned her with a "gnarly cross-face move" at the Gig Harbor tournament. She later lost a grueling match against Grannemann, who is hoping to return to the Tacoma Dome, this time as a regional qualifier.
"We finally get a chance to earn a place in the Tacoma Dome," said Grannemann, her emphasis on "earn."
While wrestlers battled inexorably towards March glories, coaches took the long view.
"This is the only girls tournament I've seen, and it's a good one," said Chase.
"It is exciting to see the reaction from other coaches wanting to come back," added Morton. "And there's just something about having it on your home turf."
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