Wetaskiwin Sabers had a busy weekend on the mats!
Friday, the high school wrestlers traveled to Calgary for the Cobra Classic. Will Dormaar brought home gold, while Desma Manns and Darius Shuffler earned silver medals. The team grabbed as much sleep as they could, then had to be on their game again the next morning for the 8 a.m. start of the University of Alberta Golden Bear Invitational. This tourney brought the junior and senior high Sabers against athletes from Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan.
Congrats to all our gold medalists on Saturday: Malachi Shuffler, Darius Shuffler, Riley Dixon, Mackenzie Morrell. Some great matches, with special mention to Malachi - a young man on a mission in every match in the 35 kg. weight class - and to Riley, who is the team “heavy weight in the 120+kg Elite event…yet by far was the lightest athlete in his group. “These were not easy matches,” said coach Shamus McDonnell, “each wrestler had to earn these medals with drive and determination.”
Congrats to silver medalists William Dormaar and Bronwyn Dormaar. Kudos go to William who battled through two days of wrestling with a rough cold, spraining multiple fingers in his first match on Saturday and a bloody nose in another. Bronwyn attends Vimy Ridge Acadamy in Edmonton, but still trains with the Wetaskiwin Club and has her coaches ready to support her at both club and ASAA school tournaments.
Congrats to bronze medalist Desma Manns in the 90 kg. Elite weight class. Desma wrestled strong in the first round against nemesis Zoe Adam of Koinonia Christian School, but Adam rebounded in the second round to take the win.
John Manns placed fourth in the Junior High 77 kg event.
The wrestling continued Sunday for four of the junior high wrestlers who attended a practice for the Alberta Winter Games, to be held Feb. 14 - 17th in Airdrie, AB. William Dormaar was absent as he recuperated at home, but next weekend he and his local team mates John Manns, Morrell, and the Shuffler brothers will be representing the Parkland zone in Airdrie. Chaperoned by coaches Shane Rybak and Melissa Reynolds, they will be joining wrestlers from Eckville’s Crank wrestling club to fulfill the weight classes.
Coach Rybak commented “This will be the second Winter Games for Darius and Will…but they are all hard-working athletes and we have high hopes for medals upon their return.” Most of all, the Games can be a rewarding experience of sportsmanship, and development and new friendships…we wish them the best of luck!
-Submitted
