The Warriors came out to play.
Ucluelet Secondary School’s wrestling team celebrated a 3rd overall finish at the Island championships in Duncan and will ride that momentum into the provincial tournament in Vancouver later this month.
“They’re rockstars. They really are. We have a fantastic reputation, not only on the Island, but honestly around the province,” coach Mike Rhodes told the Westerly News. “We get tons of compliments. People are super impressed with how well we do for such a small school and also how our kids carry themselves and the way they represent the school.”
USS sent 10 athletes to the Islands over Feb 10-11 with Olivia Rhodes and Caitlyn Midlane both earning gold medals in their weight-class.
Rhys Cannon and Wyatt Rhodes were both competing in their first Islands and each earned silver. Mary Kindrachuk, Kennedy Bruno and Jett Bertin wrestled their way to bronze medals.
Ava Duncan placed 4th, Elsa Wagner placed 5th, and Krista Wagner courageously battled through an injury in her final match to secure a 6th place spot.
“All of our wrestlers showed a lot of heart and gave everything they had in each of their matches,” Rhodes said.
He added there are no divisions for school sizes, meaning USS faces the tough task of matching up against much larger schools.
Rhodes attributed part of the team’s success to the consistency of the school’s wrestling program and the eagerness of the West Coast’s young athletes to excel at the sport.
“When they come out and try it, they have fun. They enjoy it. They enjoy the challenge, they enjoy the camaraderie and the teamwork that it takes to be successful and we have a lot of fun,” he said.
It was the second Island gold in a row for Midlane, a Grade 10 student who was introduced to wrestling in Grade 4.
“I definitely am confident going into matches, but I think my confidence and being anxious are equal,” Midlane told the Westerly. “It’s hard to be fully confident when you’re super nervous too, but it’s also hard to be super nervous when you’re confident.”
Midlane, who moved up a weight class this year, earned bronze at last year’s provincials and is hoping to best that finish this time around.
“I definitely want to get 3rd or better this year for sure,” she said, attributing her success to coach Rhodes’ wrestling program.
“Mike’s really experienced and knows what he’s doing,” she said.
“He’s coached me my whole life through wrestling and he made me the wrestler I am today. I’m really grateful that I get to be coached by him.”
It was the third Island gold for Grade 11 wrestler Olivia Rhodes, who also won in Grade 8 and Grade 10.
“I’m definitely more confident in myself, but I don’t wrestle any match any differently than I would before because a match can change instantly with one wrong move, so you have to go in like you’re wrestling a really hard person every single time,” she said.
She added that the Island tournament is unique as it turns friends into temporary rivals.
“The Island is usually one big team, but at the Islands we’re all enemies,” she said. “Once you step on the mat, it’s time to wrestle and push the friendship aside, but then when you’re off the mat, you hug each other and you’re all happy…You make so many new friends and we’re like one big happy family.”
Rhodes won her first provincial gold medal last year after going through the entire tournament undefeated and said defending that crown has added a new layer of nerves.
“It’s going to be interesting this year because I’m on top, but it’s hard to remake that,” she said. “I am a lot more nervous than I was last year because last year I didn’t have anything to base that (performance) on, but this year it’s a lot different because everyone expects me to get first.”
She said she’s hoping for a top three finish, noting though that she’s gone up a weight class from last year so will be facing new opponents at this year’s event.
“I really hope to get top three,” she said, adding her USS team is a solid source of support.
“We’re all really supportive. We take it really seriously, but we also kind of take it chill. We’re not all hardcore. We train and then we hang out and team build. We’re all there for each other. Even though we can only have one coach in the corner, you can hear your teammates yelling from the sidelines because they’re all there every match.”
Grade 12 wrestler Mary Kindrachuk won two out of her four matches for a 3rd place finish, though she said she was disappointed as she had her eyes on her usual top spot.
“I made a couple mistakes and got put in a pinning position and it was difficult to get out of,” she said.
She said she is excited to compete at the provincial championships and is hoping to qualify for nationals.
“My confidence is good. I’m going to work hard over the next two weeks,” she said. “I’m definitely very proud to represent the West Coast. I was born and raised here and I love it.”
She added her nerves are a bit higher in her final year of high school as each qualification means extending her wrestling experience.
“It’s stressful because it’s my senior year,” she said, noting she’ll need a 6th place finish or better to qualify for her first nationals event. “It would be exciting and if I go to nationals that means my high school wrestling doesn’t end in two weeks.”
The provincial tournament will be held in Vancouver from Feb. 23 - 25 and coach Rhodes was hesitant to predict how his team will fare.
“Honestly, it’s totally up in the air. That’s part of the beauty of this type of sport. Anybody on any given day can have a fantastic day and suddenly you’re placing way higher than you were expecting, but it’s only one little slip or one little move away from not,” he said.
“You might think this person should win, or that person should win, but it’s anybody’s opportunity on any given day. You don’t want to go in with expectations. You want to go in working hard and putting the best effort forward that you can and leave it all out there on the mat. What happens, happens.”
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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