Fun first for little guy, gal grapplers
Carrie Pichler
Tommy Sharrard and Chase Brockman wrestle in Saturday’s Little Guy Wrestling Tournament held in Polson.
Carrie Pichler
And the winner is ... Bryn Courville of Ronan.
Carrie Pichler
Nathin Wersonick grapples in Saturday’s tournament.
Carrie Pichler
Sierra Cote takes on Kaden Emerald Saturday in the Little Guy Wrestling Tournament hosted in Polson.
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In the world of wrestling, Little Guy Wrestling takes the cake when it comes to heart and perseverance. With boys and girls grades first through middle school, fun comes first while they learn a little bit, too.
Bob Owen knows first-hand the journey these kids make from “little guy” to college. He is a founder and has been a driving force behind Polson Little Guy Wrestling for 37 years. He’s also the head coach of the Polson High School team.
The goal of Little Guy Wrestling is to bring kids up from young ages and prepare them for high school level grappling with hopes of scholarship dreams into college. With roughly 3,000 kids in participating western Montana, the six-week program has boasted great success.
“We really try to focus on introducing the kids to the sport,” Owen said. “And bring as many as we can through to high school.”
Kids that wrestle through the Western Montana Wrestling will also be eligible for a $500 scholarship to help out with college.
On Saturday, Polson hosted little guys in the beginner (ages 8 and under) and novice (ages 9-12) from Polson, Ronan, Mission, Missoula, and Frenchtown. Between the cheers and tears, the kids experienced tournament-like wrestling and came home with red or blue ribbons to hang proudly on the refrigerator.
“It’s kind of a big ol’ pile of kids on the mats,” Owen laughed. “It’s a lot of fun.”
The junior level or middle school kids got the opportunity to compete in Lewistown on Saturday at the State Middle School Tournament. Out of 40 teams present, Polson took third with seven out of the 10 on the team placing top five.
“They did really good,” Owen said.
Gator Cheff (6th grade) and Cameron Brown (8th grade) each pinned their way to a championship title. Colton Cote and Parker Alder, both eighth graders, took third. Bridger Wenzel (6th grade) and Shayne Pierre grabbed fourth and Strann Seemann finished in fifth. Top four placers have made the Montana National Team and will go to Des Moines, Iowa, in April to compete in the Middle School National Duals Tournament.
