It is winter sports season in Wheat Ridge, and that means that just like 15,300 years ago in what is now known as France, it is Wrestling Season! That’s right, considered the oldest sport in the world (for humans anyway), Wrestling is alive and thriving at Wheat Ridge High School. I was lucky enough to not only attend but also volunteer as a score keeper (thank goodness for You Tube instructional videos and well-designed software) at the 49th Annual Frank Palmeri Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Wheat Ridge High School. The tournament is historic in its longevity, being one of the oldest tournaments in Jefferson County; and honors the longtime voice of Colorado High School Sports, Frank Palmeri, who announced championship events for wrestling, among other sports in Colorado, for 57 years.
This year’s event brought twenty-one schools to Dowd Court and included the addition of one of Wheat Ridge’s newest team sports, Girls Wrestling! With teams for both Boys and Girls present, the athletic wing of our school was packed. There were four mats running bouts simultaneously in the main gymnasium, with an additional two mats in the auxiliary gym. The grapplers fought hard from around 9:00 am until the final championship rounds at 5:00 pm.
Wrestling is not only the oldest sport, but also one of the most exciting to watch. It is a singularly individual effort while at the same time performed as part of a close-knit team. As one attendee stated while watching the end of an especially athletic and physically taxing match, “This sport changes kids, it shows them how preparation and overcoming personal limits can lead to their own version of greatness”.
The day included cheering crowds of fans from schools as far away as Fowler High School near La Junta, to teams rallying around their individual grapplers when they themselves weren’t wrestling. There were cradle holds, half nelsons, arm bars and blood time (yes, blood time, an official break in action that allows a wrestler with active bleeding, usually from the nose, to wipe and stem the flow, clean themselves and the mat, and then jump back in!) Many bouts ended with a pin in one of the three, two-minute-long periods, however, some more technical and well-matched opponents had to win on points, and many bouts ended with incredibly dramatic flair, going right to the end, with a surprise reverse or escape for a shocking win.
The Farmers showed up very well, with the Boys Team competing fiercely against some major programs and coming in sixth place overall, while the Girls team dominated for a third-place finish!
It was an event to remember with high drama and very happy, exhausted athletes by end of day.
Way to go Farmers!
