LIHU‘E — Wrestlers take to the mats as early as 5 p.m. Friday in the Kaua‘i High School cafeteria during the spring wrestling calendar that was unveiled by coach Mac Pigott of Westside Wrestling Monday.
Participating grapplers need to have current USA Wrestling memberships that can be arranged by discussing with Pigott.
Following Friday’s matches, the next scheduled tournament will be held Friday, May 20 at 5 p.m. at the same location.
Wrestlers needing practice time can follow the following schedule:
• Waimea, Tuesdays and Thursdays; call coach Wilder at 763-213-6188;
• Lihu‘e, Tuesdays and Thursdays; call coach Tim at 540-204-7947;
• Kapa‘a, Tuesdays and Thursdays; call coach Nelson at 808-344-4233.
Following the May 20 bouts, wrestling moves to the daytime, when the tournament takes place at the Kapa‘a K-PAL Youth Center starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28.
Another tournament takes place Saturday, June 4 at the Kapa‘a K-PAL Youth Center, also starting at 10 a.m.
On June 10, wrestlers are invited to the Clarissa Chun clinic that takes place at the Clem Gomes Gym at Waimea High School. The clinic will be led by Chun, Hawai‘i’s two-time Olympian who switched focus to wrestling following her run as a five-time national judo champion.
Chun was then a junior at Roosevelt High School on O‘ahu, and in 1988 won a state championshp for Roosevelt in the first year girls wrestling became a sanctioned high school sport in Hawai‘i.
The clinic starts at 8 a.m. with a beach run and strength training followed by sessions starting at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. with a reminder that all participants need current USAW Membership.
The spring wrestling season closes Saturday, June 11, with the Kaua‘i USAW Championships that will be held in memory of Sam Silva.
Weigh-in starts at 8 a.m. for freestyle, greco or folkstyle for high school and open divisions.
Folkstyle wrestling is reserved for the youth division. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers in each division.
There is no entry fee for the Kaua‘i USAW championship or Sam Silva Memorial Tournament.
• Info: Pigott, 808-639-8858, westsidewrestling@hawaii.rr.com
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
