Archive
Subscribe
Weather
 |
|
 |
If
wrestling is selling,
then Newberg
youth are buying |
More than 100 kids participate in a camp put on
by the Newberg High School wrestling program |
By B. Scott Anderson, Newberg
Graphic sports editor
E-mail Scott at banderson@eaglenewspapers.com
|
 The Newberg High School wrestling program’s main objective wasn’t
to see how much money it could make when it put on its annual Tiger Takedown Camp this
week. It was about more than that.
Neil Russo, Newberg’s wrestling coach, has been putting on the camp for
six years. The camp will usually draw about 100 or more youths who are taught the basics
by several varsity wrestlers, along with a few former NHS wrestlers who have gone on to
compete in college.
Russo said wrestling is becoming more popular than ever in the Newberg
community.
“I think so, especially for our younger kids,” he said.
“We’re trying to sell the sport of wrestling and sometimes it’s a tough
sell. It doesn’t get the kind of exposure that major sports get. You don’t see
amateur wrestling on TV and very few people follow college wrestling and college wrestling
is on the decline in a lot of places.”
The camp ran from Monday through Thursday and costs just $5 for the entire
week. The money essentially goes so Russo can purchase pizza for the high school and
college coaches on the last night.
“We have a little bit left over that we do stuff with, but we don’t
make money doing this,” Russo said. “We’re trying to sell wrestling and
trying to promote wrestling in the community and getting kids involved.”
Making that sell is tough, though. Russo said with sports like baseball,
basketball and football, if younger kids have a bad experience, they’re not likely to
give it up forever. That’s not the case with wrestling.
“If they have a bad experience with wrestling, that’s it,” he
said. “We have one chance with them, generally. Whether that’s fair or not
isn’t an issue. But for us, we’re trying to give them a positive experience and
we’re also trying to show them that it is hard and that it is tough. So we’re
not watering it down at all. There’s some discipline involved and some work involved
and we think it’s good for kids and I think it’s good for kids.”
Russo can speak from experience because he has a young son and a young
daughter involved in wrestling.
“Obviously I’m biased, but I want my kids involved in
something where they’re learning how to work and the reward isn’t always
immediate,” he said.
The camp is a springboard that helps kids get in on wrestling early. Russo
said it’s sort of a guideline so wrestlers can go on to compete in middle school and
high school.
Newberg’s wrestling program also has an event on Tuesday nights so
younger children can be introduced to the sport. The program also works with the Newberg
Mat Club, a program for kids in third through eighth grades, all the while working with
the middle school programs.
“It’s a long process and we have kids come and go,” Russo
said.
Helping young wrestlers stay interested are the teachers of the camp. Both
Eric Stevenson, a three-time state champion, and Neal Beaudry, a state champion from last
season’s team, helped teach at the camp. Both currently wrestle for Oregon State
University.
Russo said even though it’s difficult for many of the younger kids to
realize who Stevenson and Beaudry are and what they have accomplished, others in the Mat
Club and middle school programs understand the high level at which the pair has competed.
“I think it’s important that we put those kids on display,”
Russo said. “Those are our best kids, not only with wrestling, but as community
members and as students. They are our success stories and we celebrate them in our
wrestling program.”
Several varsity wrestlers from a year ago helped at the camp, including Sam
Schmitz, Ransom Portis-Cathers, Jered Thomas, Trevor Arsenault, Trent Conant, Ryan
Rustrum, Marty Eng and others.
“For our high school kids, this is tough ... because we still have kids
who are playing football and they’re coming off the football field and coming in here
because they know we need help,” Russo said. “We also have kids who aren’t
out for football, but we’ve already started wrestling practice, so they’re
working out in the morning, they’re working out after school then they come back to
do this and they’re students, also. So it’s a tough week for everybody.” |
|
From Nov. 8,
2003, Newberg Graphic
Click Here to Subscribe |
|
|
|
 |
|
