Widow Of Slain Wrestler Praises Mat Trials
The U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Trials proved to be the perfect spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.
Nancy Schultz was all smiles as the last match was ending at the Arena Saturday night.
“This was the best tournament I’ve ever been to as far as the city being into it, as far as how the tournament was run, as far as how the athletes were treated. It was an amazing tournament,” she said. “Not to mention the level of competition was outstanding.”
She should know. As the wife of the late Dave Schultz, the wildly popular 1984 Olympic gold medal winner, she made it to a few tournaments.
Dave Schultz was expected to be here, battling Kenny Monday at 163.5 pounds, before he was allegedly shot by former wrestling benefactor John duPont.
“As this tournament winds up … it feels good for me,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work, good work, getting the (Dave Schultz) club together. I got to help some guys get here, but that got me through some tough times.”
There was some speculation that the Atlanta Olympics would mark the end of the Dave Schultz Club, but Nancy said she committed to the athletes this week to keep it going for four more years. Seeking sponsors is her next task.
“I told them I’d need to borrow their knee pads,” she said, “because I’ll be begging for money.”
All of Schultz’s complements were echoed by many of the wrestlers.
Monday said, “I’ve been to three Trials and this is the best. This kind of support is really awesome. We appreciate it.”
Road trip
The trials have drawn people from far and wide.
None, however, have come farther than the Kotzebue wrestling team.
Eight members of the high school wrestling team have made the trek to Spokane. And it’s been quite a trek. Kotzebue, a village of 3,000, is an hour north of Nome - by plane. It is above the Artic circle, a $400 round-trip plane ticket from Anchorage, 800 miles south.
At one time, Kotzebue, now bathed in sunlight 24 hours a day, was considered the polar bear hunting capital of the world.
The Olympic Trials are a dream for any young wrestler. What made the trip possible is the young Inupait Eskimoes happen to have two coaches with Spokane ties.
“I went up there a couple of years ago but the weather in Alaska is kind of extreme for my wife,” head coach Carl Wilkins said. “She moved down here and is working. I still teach and coach up there, but I’m down for the summer.”
Wilkins and his wife are both Oregon natives but her family has moved to Spokane.
The assistant coach is Spokane native Greg Baker.
All the Spokane ties helped draw the wrestling team to the Trials.
“A lot of the kids don’t have much opportunity to get out without sports,” Wilkins said. “It’s good for them culturally. They ask a lot of innocent questions.”
The team was sixth in state last year but won the championship two years ago.
It’s over
Jim Scherr’s comeback came to a painful end. The executive director of USA Wrestling, except when he’s on the mat, tore his left medial collateral ligament against Kevin Jackson in the mini-tournament on Friday.
“I wanted to do my best. I’m disappointed,” Scherr said afterwards in what amounted to a retirement speech. “That definitely wasn’t me out there after the injury.
, DataTimes