Alberni District Secondary School is preparing to host the 40th annual Alberni School Invitational Wrestling Tournament.
The tournament is long regarded as one of the premier wrestling tournaments in the country, tournament co-chair James Messenger says. Mike Roberts is the other co-chair this year. The tourney started in 1980 and has run every year except the four years the local wrestling group hosted the B.C. High School Championships, and one year cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"That means 45 straight years that this group of volunteers have run a major wrestling tournament in the Alberni Valley. We are incredibly proud of the legacy our wrestling program has built over the past 45 years."
Already, the tournament is maxed out on the number of teams it invited, head coach John McDonald said. "We can only have so many in the gym, about 450 athletes is kind of our capacity. We've had easily a request from over 600...we've had to say no to some schools."
He estimates there will be athletes from as many as 40 schools around the Island and Lower Mainland.
Teams will start arriving Thursday, Jan. 30 with weigh-in between 5–7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31 a dual meet is planned for teams vying for the McEvay Post in the ADSS gymnasium. Three teams—ADSS, Vancouver College and an all-star team from North Vancouver—will compete for the post, named for former head coach Tom McEvay.
Opening ceremonies will take place between 1-1:30 p.m. and all divisions start competing immediately. On Saturday, wrestling starts at 8:30 a.m. through to the top six. The Junior finals will start at 1:30 p.m. or earlier, and the Senior finals at 2:30 p.m. or earlier. The event will wrap up at 4 p.m. at the latest.
Admission is free on Saturday and spectators are warned space will be limited.