Sharks in the Water New
Wrestling is the one of world's oldest sports. With references found in the Old Testament and on the ancient tombs of Egyptian dignitaries wrestlers have been wrestling since approximately 2300 BC.
Thousands of years later and wrestling is alive and well in the North-West of Ireland. Waterside Sharks Takedown Club formed just over a year ago in May 2007. The wrestling club are based at the Y.M.C.A in Drumahoe and the Sunday Journal met with Chairman, Barry Pollin and President Michael (Shannon) Gallagher to discuss the last 12 months and to find out how the club aim to have members competing at the next Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India in 2010.
The Waterside Sharks have athletes originally from Iran, Poland, Latvia and Turkey regularly attending training. They are also recognised by Derry City Council and are integrated into local funding streams. Strictly professional in their approach, the club also three Level 2 accredited by the British Wrestling Association (BWA). Mohammed Ali, Darron McMichael and Mark Pollin are all adept at coaching wrestling and their contribution is invaluable.
Barry, who also sits on the Northern Ireland Commonwealth board said that wrestling is a "building block" for many other contact sports and that it helps to develop balance and speed. "A lot of the techniques in judo cross over to wrestling," said Barry. "We also have a judo club here and it gives a lot of the kids the opportunity to cross train. "What we are trying to do is to lift our profile and work hand in hand with our friends in the judo community. My friend Jim Toland has helped us to set-up the judo club here. "Some of influential judo competitors are very good wrestlers and our latest success is called Mark Montgomery.
"Mark fought for the Waterside Sharks last weekend at the Welsh Open and won. He is a former British Judo squad member and it is another demonstration of how both wrestling and judo complement each other." He continued: "With the onset of grappling and UFC a lot of people are realising that wrestling is a building block for all other contact sports and martial arts. "Wrestling is good for your balance, speed, discipline and control." Club President, Mickey (Shannon) Gallagher explained that wrestling is popular sport in other countries such as Russia and Iran.
"In other countries wrestling is very popular. In Russia alone there are six million wrestlers under license. "Probably the most relevant one to us is Iran. One of our coaches is called Mohammed Ali. There are six or seven million wrestlers in Iran, it's a national sport and they are very successful at it." Barry continued by saying that the club aim to have senior members competing at the next Commonwealth Games in India in 2010. Their most recent success is Mark Montgomery and Barry, originally from Carrickfergus, stated that he can see no reason why some of the members cannot compete at the highest level of wrestling within the British Isles.
"Our objective is to have some of our senior members competing at the next Commonwealth Games. People like Mark Montgomery are on the right track to competing at the games but he has a lot of hard work ahead of him. "In wrestling if you have the skills you can go for trials in Great Britain and we can make an accurate assessment as to whether you will be able to go and compete at higher levels."
The club came to fruition when a small group of parents in the Drumahoe area wanted to get their children active. At the same time the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA), the regional governing body for wrestling, was looking to expand. "The club opened in May 2007 with 30 judo mats and we waited with baited breath. That evening the dojo was flooded with young people of all shapes and sizes, wearing anything and everything. There was even a group of primary school schoolgirls in skirts who thought that they were at gymnastics class. "For the first 12 months the numbers fluctuated. A lot of the kids coming to training thought that they were going to be doing the kind of wrestling that see on the television. But now we have a core group of kids and older wrestlers and they know what it is we expect of them. "There are two or three kids here who are going to be very good wrestlers."
Both Barry and Mickey then explained what it is that makes a good wrestler.
"Good wrestlers have to have good mental toughness, balance, basic strength and the ability to concentrate. Wrestling also instils the concept of; if you get knocked down you pick yourself up again," said Mickey. Barry said: "Wrestling also teaches the kids to be team players and they learn to win with pride and lose gracefully when they train with us. We tell the members here that they need to practice, stay disciplined and work hard."
"I think that wrestling also shows them how to deal with life when it doesn't go their way. They learn to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and give it another go. They start to see that the only way of getting what they want is by hard work and this is something that they can carry over to other aspects of their life." Barry concluded by explaining what the short term and long term ambitions are for the Waterside Sharks.
"We want to grow and nurture a strong and vibrant club where everyone feels welcome and everyone has the opportunity to be the best that they can possibly be. "Short term we would hope that the members are of such a high standard that they can compete and win tournaments all over Ireland. We want them to be on par with Scottish, English and Welsh wrestlers and compete in competitions.
"In five years I would like to think that we could be one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the country. We would like to take the team to competitions all over Europe. "I would also hope to take the club to Poland or Belgium next year. It would give the members a taste of what we hope to expect over the next few years.
"We also want to get across the bridge and set-up a club in the city side. We have kids travelling from Maghera, Strabane and Rosemount. However, the potential is massive in the city side. If we can get the right coaches we could set-up a grass roots club in the city side of Derry. If done properly we could attract between 40 and 50 children and the sport would really start to take off.
"Another thing that we are desperate to do is to change minds and to encourage anyone to come along and give wrestling a go. "Our motto is 'Training Champions.' This does not only refer to those standing on the podium but it equally applies to every person who comes through the front door on a cold dark winter evening to support a family member or has the strength of character to stand on the mat to compete or officiate. That is the beauty of the club and long may that culture remain."
Pub: 23/06/08 Medium: Sunday Journal/Derry Journal
Wrestlers grapple with going Greek
For those of you of a certain age, wrestling meant Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy and Kendo Nagasaki on a Saturday afternoon, with Dickie Davis burbling away in the background like a small jacuzzi, lulling you gently off to sleep in the hour before your mother called to tell you that tea was ready.
Fray Bentos steak and kidney pies with a crust so thin that even when scientists invented the electron microscope, it took them years to find it. I shall never forget them. The pies, that is, not the scientists.
For teenagers, meanwhile, wrestling is WWE or a PlayStation game, and for movie buffs, it's Oliver Reed and Alan Bates rolling around on the carpet in front of the fire in Women in Love.
However, there is an older, purer sort, for on a summer afternoon in 708BC, before PlayStations, Dickie Davis and even before the Queen Mother was born, the first recorded Olympic wrestling match took place under the hot Greek sun.
Even before then, wrestling had been used for centuries as a valued form of exercise so that soldiers could stay fit without necessarily having to kill each other, which does wonders for competitiveness but less for staffing levels.
Mind you, since they wrestled in the nude and being gay wasn't particularly frowned upon in Greek society then, the Greek army may have had more applicants than it could handle. As it were.
There were, in those days, two different versions of the game.
One was Orthia pale, or Upright and Proper Wrestling, in which the object was simply to throw the opponent to the ground.
The second was Kato pale, or Ground Wrestling, in which victory depended on one competitor acknowledging defeat. Defeat was indicated by raising one's right hand with the index finger pointed – a technique which vanished for years until it re-emerged among Ulster farmers, who when driving their Peugeot diesels willy-nilly around the Province's lanes, will greet oncoming drivers by raising a single languid finger.
The only exception to this is around Ballymena, where the technique known as The Sham has been adopted, consisting of the presentation of the outside of the hand, with all five fingers facing down.
Anyway, where was I? Ah yes, Greek wrestling. The rules were fairly straightforward: no blows, biting or gouging, although tripping was all right, there was no weight distinction, and the wrestlers were anointed with olive oil then dusted with powder to make them easier to grasp. The competition took place in the keroma, or beeswax, a muddy and sticky arena.
No wonder they didn't wear costumes, then, since they would have got hell from their mothers coming home in that state.
By the Viking age, things had moved on a bit with Glima, in which the wrestlers wore belts, much like sumo, to get a grip of each other.
Even better, by this time women had got involved, with one tale in the sagas about a mixed match that went on for several days, including pillaging and mead breaks.
For those of you who like the sound of this, Glima is still practised in Iceland, and there are eight basic tricks designed to topple your opponent: the outside stroke (leggjarbargd), the inside-click (innanf"tar hælkr"kur hægri á vinstri), the cross-click (innanf"tar hælkr"kur hægri á hægri), the back-heel (hælkr"kur fyrr báda), the twist over the knee (hnéhnykkur), the overside hipe (hnéhnykkur á lofti), the hook (krækja), the cross buttock (snidglima), the inside-hipe (klofbragd), the cross-buttock aloft (lausamjödm) and the full or half buttock (mjadmarhnykkur).
There. You can never say that this page isn't educational, whatever else you might say about it.
Even in the UK, regions such as Cornwall, Cumbria and Westmoreland have their own distinct styles, but this month, Northern Ireland goes back to its Greeek roots with an attempt to get young people interested in classic Olympic-style wrestling.
They started with a three-day camp at the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, attended by 100 young wrestlers and coaches like Barry Pollin, the chairman of the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association. "It is the oldest sport known to man, and even today, all you need are a pair of wrestling boots, a T-shirt and a pair of shorts," said Barry, who looked like the sort of man you wouldn't want to mess with on a wrestling mat. Or down a dark alley, come to that. Even his muscles had muscles. "So the gear's simple, and the rules are much the same: the basic aim is to pin your opponent's shoulder blades to the mat.
"How did I get into it? I got involved as a teenager, coached by the great Dave Finlay of Carrickfergus, and got to compete in the UK and Europe. "Now I'm putting that back in through coaching, along with the four other coaches in Northern Ireland, and one we're training at the moment. "The message from us is that it's a safe sport, and one where kids can channel their energy without injuries, and go home tired and happy. "It also creates a good path for life, because with sport comes good social habits: good diet, good self-discipline and good sleeping patterns, because you need rest if you're training next day. It works. I know, because I was that kid.
"There are three clubs in Northern Ireland: Knockagh Raiders in Greenisland , Larne Panthers and Waterside Sharks Take-Down Club in Drumahoe. "We're hoping to double that by next year, starting with bringing wrestling to Belfast with a taster day for the Belfast Bulls Club at Loughside Recreation Centre on Saturday, September 8, from 1pm to 4pm, followed by training on Tuesday, September 11, from 7pm to 9pm and every Tuesday thereafter.
"Nationally, our juniors are already picking up medals at the British Championships, and next year we'll pick one young wrestler to go to the Commonwealth Youth Championships in Goa as preparation for the full Commonwealths in 2010 in New Delhi. "At the minute, the most likely candidate is Sammy Tufts over there. He's from Carrick and only 14, but came fifth in the last British Championships," he said as Sammy finished his bout and came wandering over. "My brother Albert introduced me to boxing, but I didn't take to it, and tried this instead," said Sammy. "I thought wrestling was WWE on TV, and didn't even know about Olympic wrestling at all. That was four years ago, and I've loved it ever since."
Pub: 20/08/07 Medium: Newsletter
Waterside Sharks ready to bite the wrestling world
The Waterside Sharks Wrestling Club, based at YMCA, is starting to turn heads.
The club, which only started a few months ago, are also hold training camp nights, at Tullyally Resource Centre and for Northern Ireland Wrestling Association coach
Barry Pollin, he feels that things are going from strength to strength. "Things at the YMCA have been kicking off well, we opened in May with just a few of us who understood about the sport, before opening the doors to young wrestlers and they have been flooding in regularly," said Pollin.
"On a Thursday night we have at least 22 young wrestlers here and at this moment in time we have established a core of regulars and that group now understands the sport and have competed in Dublin and Belfast." Pollin, feels young wrestlers from Londonderry could be competing in the Commonwealth games in 2010 in New Delhi, but that's only if they commit fully to the sport. "Our aim is to get a team into the Commonwealth games in 2010 and beyond that in Glasgow in 2014 and there are a few from the YMCA club who have potential to be in the Northern Ireland squad for those championships. "However like every sport it's about levels and whether or not they'll be able to cope with the spotlight of the World stage is to difficult to judge at this stage, but there are people from this area that I will be putting forward for future Northern Ireland squads. "We also started a wrestling club at the Resource Centre, which has been going now for a few weeks and that has attracted some young wrestlers on a Monday night. "All forms of mixed martial art sports can only help young children, because we have to teach them firstly how to train before we can train them in a certain sport.
"And the first few months that is all we did, we taught kids how to do sit-up's and press-up's correctly and more importantly work as a team and now that core has developed we feel we have found the key certainly with the Waterside Sharks. "This city has a great amount of talented athletes who have competed at the highest level of such sports as boxing, karate and judo and I strongly believe there is another generation waiting to come through. "Pollin, was quick to point out that the Sharks Wrestling club skills are a bit similar to the world famous WWE wrestling techniques.
"Although our sport is completely different to the WWE in the States, we do have colleagues who do Collegian Wrestling in America and anyone who has an understanding of mixed martial arts, knows that collegian wrestling is a building block to the likes of WWE." Meanwhile the Waterside Sharks are sending a contingent of wrestlers to compete in the Northern Ireland Open Wrestling Championship on Saturday April 12, at Downshire High School, Carrickfergus.
Pub: 14/02/08 Medium: Londonderry Sentinel
Northern Wrestlers clean up at Irish Open
WITH a total 18 Medals, wrestlers from three Northern Irish wrestling clubs proved they are a 'force to be reckoned with'. Five Gold, eight Silver and five Bronze Medals were won by members of Knockagh Raiders Wrestling Club, Waterside Sharks Takedown Club and Larne Panthers Wrestling Club at the 60th Annual Irish Open Wrestling Championship held in Dublin On Saturday 29th September. The competition was fierce with wrestlers from England and Scotland also taking part in the tournament.
Irish Open Champions are Cameron Black, Cameron Burns, Scott Neill who also picked up Wrestler of the tournament, Andrew Purssell, his second Gold medal at this competition and Sammy Tufts four times consecutive Irish Open Champion. With more clubs, popping up across the country it will become easier for members of the public to see and participate in Freestyle wrestling. John O'Rawe Northern Ireland's National Coach said: "The level of wrestling is rising as is the sport's popularity.
"The wrestlers we have now are a hardcore of tough-nuts that will not accept anything but their best performance. They really are starting to relate to the wrestlers we had in the 80's when we had people trained by Dave Finlay winning British Championships at junior and senior level, wrestlers from Northern Ireland on the British wrestling Team and Commonwealth Games Competitors.
"I can only hope that with a result such as this one that we can raise profile of the sport and be taken more seriously as a sport that benefits all-who take part". For more Information about Wrestling in Northern Ireland and Clubs near you visit Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association's website at www.niowa.org.
Pub: 10/10/07 Medium: Carrick Times |
NORTHERN IRELAND OLYMPIC FREESTYLE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
If the shoulders are flat, slap the mat
The mood was electrifying with over one hundred competitors vying for the coveted Northern Ireland Title.
Teams from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, Republic of Ireland and Switzerland marched onto the mat to the sound of thunderous cheers from the countless spectators and supporters of this exceptional competition. Within the tournament were mini, junior, senior and submission wrestlers, exhibiting extensive focus and determination as they prepared for battle to win the ultimate gold. The level of competition was very high with members of the Junior British Team and an Olympic hopeful form Switzerland in attending.
"The attendance level for this years Northern Ireland Open has been exceptional and with the level of entries exceeding expectations it was necessary to organise a two mat event, the biggest seen in Northern Ireland for 20 years", explains John O'Rawe National Coach for Northern Ireland.
When the matches got underway the place went eerily quiet. The wrestlers in the red and blue corners getting last minute instruction from their coaches were called to the mat, shaking loose the nerves from their tightened limbs. The usual formalities of the ref, checking the wrestlers, the shaking of hands, the ref nodding a 'ready to start' to the judges table. The ref blew the whistle and the crowd kicked in with cheers of encouragement for whichever wrestler they were supporting. Whilst the PA announcer Billy Joe Beck, stressing the importance to all the wrestlers to be ready for their matches, being drowned out by the crowd noise. The tournament had begun.
Mohammad Ali, an Iranian wrestler, two times world junior champion and current senior British Champion, made his matches look easy with no-one scoring any points against him and winning all his bouts using world class technique. Mohammad now a British National looks good to represent Northern Ireland in major international tournaments
"It felt as though the atmosphere in the room was electrically charged as the wrestlers marched into the arena area to the music from Gladiator. Team after team of hopeful medallists lined up facing each other, weighing up the opposition. Irish dancers on the matted floor were dancing their jigs but you could still feel the tension as the wrestlers glared at each other across the room," explains John O'Rawe.
A quick spin past the rules of freestyle wrestling. The aim is to pin your opponent (place the oppositions shoulders to the mat for a fraction of a second) this will win the match instantly. Sounds easy until you realise that your opponents aim is to do the same. Freestyle wrestlers are taught to keep their backs off the mat at all cost. Various techniques are used to gain points during a three round bout. Win two out of the three rounds and you win the match.
For the first time in the history of the NI Open championships, Submission Wrestling was introduced. These wrestlers using a mixture of freestyle wrestling and mixed martial arts combated to stop their opponents using articulate techniques to choke out, submit or score points to win. This style, popular with the crowd and freestyle wrestlers alike proved to be as spectacular as it's name suggests.
The tournament success was down to the weeks of planning from the team of officials and parents from Knockagh Wrestling Club headed by Mr Wrestling himself, Dave Finlay. With such tournaments planed for the future Northern Ireland is back on the world wrestling map.
Pub: 16/04/08 Medium: John O'Rawe
Grappling with Olympic action
What is being billed as Northern Ireland's biggest wrestling event in 20 years takes place tomorrow.
The Northern Ireland Open Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Championships, which will be held at Downshire School has attracted an internation cast list. Forget the contrived American wrestling shown on satellite television - this is the real thing as happens in the Olympics and some still hoping to be in Beijing later in the year are in Carrick this weekend.
"We've had a request from a Swiss competitor, an Olympic hopeful who wants to utilise this tournament as preparation for the European Championships, which his country uses as their Olympic qualifier," explains event organiser, Dave Finlay of Knockagh Wrestling Club. Finlay has had a huge hand in the sport's development in the province and doubles up as President of the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association (NIOWA).
"This is an annual event and this time we have teams of top wrestlers attending from Europe, England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland as well as clubs from across Northern Ireland. "There will be senior, junior and mini-wrestling matches. Wrestling is a great spectator sport and everyone who coms along is guaranteed an eventful day from 9.30am.
Pub: 11/04/08 Medium: News Letter
| Wrestling Camp at Jordanstown |
Girls get to grips with Olympic wrestling |
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Greenisland Knockagh Wrestling Club, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association NIOWA, is holding a three day Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Camp in the University of Ulster, Jordanstown Sports Centre from Thursday 9 August to Saturday 11 August 2007. Ages will range from 8yrs to 19yrs old for both male and female. The sessions will run from 10am - 4pm each day.
Coaching will be structured for both Novice and Experienced wrestlers with workshops on Nutrition & fitness. (Taking part this year are submission wrestlers as FILA has introduced new guidelines) Students from mainland UK and all of Ireland will be taking part.
Pub: 09/08/07 Medium: Carrick Times |
The girls of the Knockagh Wrestling Club are off to a good start with one girl already passing the first stage of the Wrestling Skills awards.
Jenna Todd has achieved the Preliminary Award, the first girl to take the preliminary test at KWC. The coaches of the KWC want everyone to know that the Saturday training session are for girls with a fighting spirit, and with this first result they hope that more girls will be inspired to take part. The KWC will be taking a team of wrestlers tot he Irish Open championships on the 30th September where the boys and girls of the team can have the opportunity to wrestle for an Irish championship title.
Pub: 29/09/06 Medium: Carrick Times |
Bronze medals for Larne trio
Three wrestlers from Larne Panthers Wrestling Club, Mathew Caldwell, Andrew Morton, and Roy Wilson received their well-earned Bronze Wrestling Skills Award on Saturday 15 September. Larne Panthers Wrestling Club is coached by Stuart Baker, Assistant National Coach, and practise regularly every Saturday in the Main hall, Larne Leisure Centre from 11.30am - 1.00pm.
Wrestling Skills Awards are the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association's recognised grading system for Olympic Freestyle Wrestling. For students to gain an award they must study as well as train. The students demonstrate wrestling techniques, various fitness tests, and answer a series of questions.
These particular students are self-motivated, pushing themselves to gain this award in such a short period. Commended for their effort and dedication they have already set a goal to achieve the Silver wrestling Skills Award.
Wrestlers throughout the province are preparing themselves for the Irish Open Wrestling Championships in Dublin on 29 September. Interest in Olympic Freestyle Wrestling is on a rapid increase, so much so, that three new wrestling clubs have appeared within the province from the start of this year. All of these clubs will be sending wrestlers to this tournament making the Irish Open Wrestling Championships one of the biggest tournaments for Northern Wrestlers in many years.
Anyone interested in Freestyle Wrestling and for information about a club near you, can contact the NIOWA via their website www.niowa.org, or email website@niowa.org
Pub: 18/09/07 Medium: Larne Times
Belfast Bulls bolster their Olympic hopes
READY, STEADY WRESTLE: Proving that size doesn't matter, this young man gives it his all against his bigger opponent.
WRESTLEMANIA: Some of the young wrestlers and their coaches pictured during the taster event held recently at Loughside Recreation Centre.
BELFAST Bulls Wrestling Club, supported by Belfast City Council, held a Taster Event for Olympic Freestyle Wrestling at the Loughside Recreation Centre last Saturday (8th September) to promote the event which began regular training last night (11th September) at the same venue. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling is on the calendar of events for the 2012 Olympic Games and John O'Rawe, National Coach, has two visions. The first is to succeed in promoting Olympic Wrestling in Northern Ireland, which is a 'unique sport to Belfast' and the second is to be instrumental in developing wrestling clubs across the whole province. They currently have several other wrestling clubs - Knockagh Wrestling Club, Greenisland The Raiders, Larne Panthers Wrestling Club and Waterside Sharks Takedown Club, Londonderry.
There are no barriers in the sport of wrestling, training attire is simply shorts, t-shirt and wrestling shoes and every person in every city and town in Northern Ireland should have the opportunity to take part in what is acknowledged as the oldest sport in the world. Wrestling is probably the best sport for overall physical development as it involves all the muscle groups and during training, a wrestler works on constantly improving their strength, flexibility, stamina, balance, speed and technique; what they learn on the mat is transferable to real life experiences - they are self reliant, mentally and physically fit, self disciplined, competitive and responsible.
Belfast Bulls, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Olympic Wrestling Association NIOWA, uses a grading system for Freestyle Wrestling 'Wrestling Skills Award', the first of its kind Northern Ireland. These awards offer grading to young wrestlers for Freestyle Wrestling were they can attain certificates of achievement and Bronze, Silver and Gold badges. The programme is an introduction to Olympic Freestyle Wrestling for the Northern Ireland youth through a series of four awards: preliminary, bronze, silver and gold, were each level will present fundamental technical skills along with related games and exercises. When all levels are completed, the wrestler will have a good understanding of Freestyle Wrestling techniques. Designed principally for boys and girls between the ages of 8-17, this award is suitable for aiming to achieve The Duke of Edinburgh Award and The Scout Badge Award. The NIOWA is currently developing a grass roots programme in which junior boys and girls will get superb instruction from the countries top coaches. For more information, or if you are interested in joining the club, either visit their website at: www.belfastbulls.org or email them a t : website@belfastbulls.org
Pub: Sept 07 Medium: Shankill Mirror
Five medal haul for local wrestlers
On Saturday 16 October seven boys plus their coach from Greenisland Knockagh Wrestling Club went to Dublin to compete in the Irish Open Wrestling Championships. The club picked up five medals on the day from some stiff competition. Phillip Rankin silver in the 82 kilo class, had to pull out after an injury. Sammy Tufts Gold in the schoolboy 70 kilo, Aaron Foster Silver in the schoolboy 25 kilo, William Wallace silver in the schoolboy 27 kilo and David Liddell silver in the schoolboy 29 kilo.
Pub: 29/10/04 Medium: Carrick Times
Girl power hits Knockagh Wrestling Club
Knockagh Wrestling Club (KWC) is inviting girls to take part in Olympic freestyle wrestling. Wrestling has been a male dominated sport for years but girls have taken a shine to it and are making their mark. In fact, women are wrestling throughout Britain and have their own competitions. KWC would like the girls and boys of the area to know that they are moving with the times and realise that girls have as much fighting spirit as the boys. Any one interested in taking part in what is probably the oldest Olympic sport and wants to see how tough they are, just has to turn up at a training session on either Friday nights at 7pm - 8.30pm for anyone or Saturday mornings at 1Oam - 11 .30am for girls.
KWC have in place a new grading system called the Wrestling Skills Awards supported by Awards for All. These awards can also be used to gain a Duke of Edinburgh award. Some students at the KWC have already taken part and passed the preliminary award and are now working on the Bronze Award. At each level, the student will perform various techniques, fitness tests and answer questions on the sport and it scoring system. To pass each level is no easy task, just like other sports with grading systems students need determination and dedication, and in return, they receive a sense of great achievement. Students that achieve the Gold level award will have passed all the requirements and taken part in a major wrestling tournament.
Pub: 07/09/06 Medium: Carrick Times
IT'S ALL SO EASY, EASY, EASY FOR WRESTLER SCOTT
DROMORE High School pupil Scott Neill has slammed his way to glory at the Irish Open Freestlye Wrestling Championship. For not only did he win gold, but he also took the wrestler of the tournament trophy at the event held in Dublin on September 29. Scott is a member of Knockagh Wrestling Club in Greenisland, one of only four wrestling clubs in Northern Ireland. Freestyle Wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in Northern Ireland with plans for more clubs in the near future.
For information on where you can take part in an ancient, full contact, safe sport visit www.niowa.org.
Pub: 16/10/07 Medium: Dromore Leader |
