Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
It was a big weekend for the Saskatchewan Wresting Association and an even bigger one for the Prince Albert Wrestling Club as the provincial club championships were held at St. Mary High School.
A gala awards banquet was also held with the Prince Albert Wrestling Club being named the winner of the Club Development Award.
“This prestigious award is presented to a club that has demonstrated outstanding growth, leadership and commitment to developing wrestlers at all levels,” read Ryan Forsberg of the SWA from a prepared statement when making the presentation of the award on Saturday night. “Prince Albert Wrestling Club has shown incredible dedication in fostering a positive, supportive environment where athletes can thrive and reach their full potential.”
“The club’s focus on youth development, community engagement, travelling abroad to Cuba to training camps and creating opportunities for all wrestlers to succeed has had a profound impact on both its athletes and the broader wrestling community,” added Forsberg.
Athletes of the year awards in various age classes, coaches and officials awards along with club MVP’s were also announced with Roxanne Richards and Cody Souter getting the nod for the Prince Albert honors.
More than 250 wrestlers from across the province were in attendance at the banquet and on Sunday they took to the mats to try and claim a provincial title and an automatic berth to the national championships which are slated for Grand Prairie, Alta., at the end of April.
“The banquet was a huge success and the tournament started on time and went real well,” noted Richards. “I want to thank all the parents of the athletes who all came together and helped to make this happen. We couldn’t do this without them.”
Richards also noted that St. Mary coach Tate McDougall assisted with technical issues and his help proved to be invaluable in making the event run smooth.
The Prince Albert contingent consisted of roughly 18 competitors with that group collecting 15 medals. Some of the competitors competed in multiple age classes and a couple medalled in both.
Following is a list of the local competitors who captured medals on Sunday.
Gold – Ethan Famulak – junior male 79 kg and U19 male 79 kg; Eziekiel Hirschfield – junior male 86 kg; Trent Robillard – junior male 92 kg; Anya Linn – U17 female 69 kg; Davina Okonkwo – U17 female 80 kg; Aksel Paulsen – U17 male 92 kg; Ava Edwards – U19 female 90 kg.
Silver – Trent Robillard – U19 male 92 kg; Isabella Wilson – U17 female 43 kg; Jude Bray – U17 male 65 kg. Mike Soanes from Stanley Mission also captured a silver medal in the Masters 100-130 kg category as an independent.
Bronze – Anya Linn – U19 female 69 kg; Aksel Paulsen – U19 male 92 kg; Isabella Wilson – U19 female 43 kg and Darren Shellenberg – U17 male 71 kg.
In addition to the gold medals the division winners will all receive a small allowance to assist with costs to attend the national championships. All other wrestlers can also make the trip to Grand Prairie, but they will have to cover all of their own expenses.
