WCAAE Wrestlers are Putting in the Time!

Our club would like to take the time to report on the wrestlers who are putting in the time and doing the extra in the sport of wrestling.  This is a busy time of year and we know there are many of you who are doing other activities and camps for other sports and that is great but this is just a report on wrestling.

Summer started with the Cobber Camp and Augsburg College camp.  We had 3 wrestlers attend the Augsburg camp!  Those wrestlers included Chris Onstad, Drake Swanson, and Levi Larkin.  These boys had a great time at a camp that they have never experienced before.  They participated in live competition, technique, and drills.  During this same time period there were  5 other Knight wrestlers  attending the Cobber camp!  WCAAE teamed up with some other wrestlers from the area in the team tournament portion of the camp and went 7-2 in dual competition.  Royal Crow, Jake Larkin, Blake Amundson, Kyle Mickelsen, and Braeden Long were those who participated in this camp.

We have also been hosting wrestling on Wednesday mornings, which we have had a pretty good turn out since the middle of June.  We have been impressed with a few of the guys who have not missed a practice all summer.  It takes a disciplined person, someone who wants to do great things in the sport, someone who loves the sport to get up early and train the way these boys have been!  Like all the other wrestling events, practices, and camps....this will pay off come November.  The Mickelsen brothers, Onstad brothers, Larkin brothers, Olson/Crow brothers, Drake Swanson, Aiden Winter and Jordan Lohse have all done a great job getting to the sessions.

In June Royal Crow and Jake Larkin also competed on the Minnesota USA Wrestling Greco/Freestyle National Duals Team (A.K.A. MN Storm) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  These two wrestler met in Apple Valley on a Monday evening with about 50 other wrestlers from around the state at the high school.  They got in a great workout session that was ran by Chas Betts.  Chas was a Minnesota wrestler who competed in the 2012 Olympics in Greco Roman.  After the practice session the team got on the bus and made the 14 hour trip through the night.  The team stopped in Stillwater Oklahoma in the morning to checkout the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and also got in a workout at Oklahoma State University.  From there the trip continued on to Oklahoma City University where the National Duals would take place.  During the 4 days of competition Jake Larkin went 2-9 and Royal Crow went 6-7.  Some of the best wrestlers in the country are competing for their State at this tournament, we were pleased to have two of our Knight wrestlers representing Team Minnesota.  Jake Long was the last wrestlers from WCA to compete on the national dual team.

Royal Crow gains exposer points on his opponent at the National Duals in Oklahoma City

Tyler Onstad squares off with his first round
opponent at the Cadet Greco Asic/Vaghn National tournament

Tyler Onstad and Royal Crow also competed in the  Asic/Vaghn National Tournament in Fargo North Dakota.  This is the largest tournament in the world and the wrestlers here are trying to make a statement about themselves.  The wrestlers here are giving it their all...fighting through blood, sweat, tears, and injuries in hopes to reach the goal of ended up with All-American honors or be a National Champion by the end of the tournament.  Tyler and Royal  had to train with the Mn Storm at the Augsburg college for a 5 days before the tournament.   Dan Chandler (2013 National Greco Coach of the Year and Olympic Greco Coach) runs the training camp.  These boys were put through a rigorous routine of practices 3 times a day preparing them both mentally and physically.  Royal Crow ended the tournament going 2-2 and Tyler Onstad went 0-2.  This was a very valuable experience for both of these wrestlers as they got to train and compete with some of the best in the Nation!

Summer Youth Wrestling Camp participants

5-12 Grade Summer Wrestling Camp Participants

With 60 participants attending our Knights Summer Wrestling Camp we can say we had another successful summer camp.  Jake Long made it back for the technique sessions for the Pk-4 grade camp.  Adam Aho (Head Coach at University of Mary) was the technician for the 5-12 camp.  Rick Rassier, a teamwork and motivational trainer made his way back up for the 3rd consecutive year.  Its always great to get the team together in the summer to go over technique, talk about upcoming season, goals, work together, and to simply just be together as a team!  We ended the camp with a potluck at Fairhaven Beach on Pomme De Terre Lake.  The team enjoyed eating, swimming, sumo wrestling on the beach, and playing football.  It was a great and fun way to get the "Wrestling Family" together.

A great day at the lake with the "Wrestling Family"

Wrestlers and Fireman group picture

The team also took some time to help the Elbow Lake Fire Department by washing, drying, and waxing the vehicles that the fire department uses during the Flekkefest parade.  The department has been very good to our club and I felt that we could give a little back to them in a way that we could help.  We had wrestlers of all different ages helping...it was fun and positive interaction with the fire department.

Getting the trucks cleaned