Youth wrestling teaches kids about sport, life
Taz Graham and Austin Wilson of Coeur d’Alene whirl on wrestling mats while coaches, parents and teammates cheer them on.
At home they might get in trouble for roughhousing, but at the Coeur d’Alene High School gym the crowd gives advice on which move to try next – twist, spin, stand up.
After the final call, the referee holds Graham’s hand high and once the grapplers walk off the wrestling mats they go back to being pals.
“It’s one-on-one,” said Graham’s mother, Shannon. “There’s only one hand that goes up in the end and it’s all about you.”
Graham and Wilson, both 9, are on the same team and in the same weight class in the North Idaho Wrestling League. The league holds weekend tournaments in the fall, leading up to a state tournament in early December. Teams met in Coeur d’Alene last weekend and will meet today in Sandpoint.
Wilson’s mom, Jill, said the best part about watching her son compete is seeing him be a good sport.
“Everybody’s got to learn how to fail,” she said. “How we deal with failure is how we deal with life.”
Coach Dave Allen said each member of the team is encouraged to be a good sport, and he spends a lot of time during practices teaching the kids about personal responsibility, respect and dignity.
He has a team of about 120 wrestlers that fills the Coeur d’Alene High School gym every Tuesday and Thursday night for practice. Volunteers from area high schools and North Idaho College spend time helping the wrestlers and giving tips on takedowns.
The wrestlers are accountable for their practice and it shows up during competition.
“Even if you’re not the best guy, if you work your hardest you can still get somewhere,” Allen said.
The North Idaho Wrestling League is a branch of USA Wrestling, and kids ages 4 to 14 can compete. The fall league costs about $50 and includes a USA Wrestling card.
Danni Peterson, club organizer for the Sandpoint wrestlers, had a son in the program for 10 years who now helps as a coach.
“This year has been one of our biggest turnouts,” she said.
The club has outgrown its practice room in the Sandpoint Middle School with about 50 members. The league has more than 500 members, with teams in Bonners Ferry, Coeur d’Alene, Deary, Kellogg, Moscow, Post Falls, Potlatch, Priest River, Rathdrum, St. Maries, Sandpoint, Spirit Lake, Upriver and Wallace.
Peterson said many of the kids build lasting friendships with the opponents they wrestle and continue to face them as they enter middle- and high-school competition.
Kids pick up teamwork and wrestling fundamentals in the program, she said.
“If you have little kids in the program, you get hooked,” Peterson said. “There’s something about it. You turn into a lifelong supporter.”
Karen Feist had two boys in the program, with the youngest graduating from high school last year. Luke joined when he was 4 years old and Chris joined when he was in the first grade. Feist remains on the board of the Sandpoint club because of how it helped her sons.
Both of her boys are in college on Division I wrestling scholarships. Luke is now a freshman at Stanford University and Chris is a junior at Portland University.
“It gave them the confidence to face the next opponent, the confidence to face the next challenge in life,” she said.
She said the league helped build their self-confidence, self-esteem and sense of worth. The one-on-one taught them they could tackle a job and tackle it successfully while keeping the team in mind.
“At some point, youth wrestling has given the kids the ability to wrestle in college or just become outstanding people in society,” she said.