Wrestling Preview

The Badgers go to the mat. By Robert Lavala. Photo by Karen Perkins

As parents of a high school athlete we get pretty excited when our Badgers take the field, the court, the track, or go to the mat. Athletics have been a part of our family life for well over 25 years and even more so since our son became old enough to participate. The tension is pretty high as you sit/stand and yell your support for, not only your offspring, but also every other competitor on the field. Sometimes fans and parents get out of hand. Still, everyone that I've seen at our Badger wrestling matches have conducted themselves with respect and a good amount of self control.

Wrestling is a sport that really gets your blood pumping! And I'm not talking about the person who is wrestling, I am talking about those watching. For whatever reason this centuries-old sporting event causes you to get hot all over as you cheer for your athlete and team. I've been in the stand while our son has played football, ran cross country, played basketball, and as he wrestled for the first time as a freshman. I can safely say that even though I was excited at all the events, none was more intense than wrestling.

At the high school and middle school level the wrestling is a form of collegiate wrestling and also, in some circles named 'Folk Style'. The major differences between college wrestling and that of high school is in the way they keep score. At the upper level the score is more based on taking bigger risks to get the pin while at the lower level it assigns certain points based on moves that control the opponent.

In either style the entire goal of the wrestler is to pin the opponent. Of course you can win by points accumulated but the most desired goal is to pin the shoulders of your opponent to the mat. This results in an instant win of the match and doesn't leave it to points. Even if your opponent has a bunch of points you can still win by pinning him. It's just like the knockout punch in boxing or martial arts... no matter how good they fought during the match if they get knocked out (pinned) they lose.

Heading up the wrestling program is Hall of Fame coach Conrad Garner. Coach Conrad is loved by all and his excitement and determination while coaching spurs his athletes on to repeated District and State titles. The practice sessions are rough and really gets the kids into prime shape for the season and the assistant coaches are great motivators as well.

Going into the 2014 – 2015 season Bonners Ferry has a great chance to again take athletes to District and State competitions. And then, looking ahead to other sports, wrestling plays a part in that too. When a student athlete wrestles they prepare for other sports as well due to the stringent workouts and conditioning that wrestling (and Coach Garner) demands.

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