ASAA Awards wrestling tournament to Valley

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

Last winter Houston High School senior Daniel Harvey won his school's first individual state title in five years.

Now the Hawks have the opportunity to host the 1-2-3A state wrestling tournament for the first time.

At its board of directors meetings earlier this week in Wrangal, the Alaska Schools Activities Association awarded HHS and the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex with the opportunity to host the state prep event for the next two years.

Houston High activities director Jamie Smith said the bidding process for the small schools state wrestling tournament was a battle, as Houston and Mt. Edgecumbe High School, in Sitka, both fought for the rights to host the tournament. The decision was tabled until the second day of meetings, Smith said, and ultimately Houston won with its argument of accessibility.

"It's the financial responsibility. Finding out in May, 'Guess what? In (December) you're going to Mt. Edgecumbe'," Smith said.

Smith argued most programs would have to fly through Anchorage to get to Sitka, so why not stay in South Central Alaska, rather than assuming the extra cost of flying to Southeast Alaska.

Another selling point for Houston, Smith said, was the ability to use the Wasilla Mult-Use Sports Complex as the venue for the tournament. Smith and Bruce Urban, who is the city of Wasilla's recreation and cultural services manager and oversees the operations of the multi-use facility, illustrated a preliminary plan for the event. Part of that plan ensures Houston High will not be solely responsible for the fee to rent the facility for a full weekend in December. While the city of Wasilla is not waiving the fee for the use of the complex, Urban said, there will be a cooperative effort between HHS and city of Wasilla officials to seek sponsorship to cover the cost of renting the building.

"We're working in partnership," Urban said.

Urban said, rather than removing the ice of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena during a busy hockey season, the wrestling mats will be placed on the complex's turf courts for the event. Additional bleachers will be brough intothe facility to accommodate the number of expected spectators.

The attraction for the city of Wasilla is the opportunity to host coaches, student-athletes and their families from all across the state.

"This will give the state a first-hand look at our facility," Urban said. "It will show we can host types of activities other than soccer and ice hockey.

"This is a great opportunity for the city of Wasilla," Urban added. "This will bring a lot of people from around the state."

With the vast majority of small school programs hailing from rural communities off the Alaska road system, the event should be a boost for the Valley during the winter tourist

season.

The 1-2-3A state tourney is one of several special events planned for the sports complex in the next year. Urban and Smith are collaborating on another project, a prep hockey tournament, slated to debut in 2005 and the University of Alaska Anchorage ice hockey team will play its intrasquad scrimmage on the Menard Ice.

Last season, the arena hosted the Alaska Aces pre-season scrimmage, and Urban said he hopes the facility will feature an Aces event in the future. The Menard Arena was also home of the Great Land Conference hockey championships in February.

Seward High School hosted the 2004 small school state wrestling tournament at the Seward Railroad Terminal. ASAA terminated its two-year contract with Seward after the first year due to numerous complaints about the facility. The site of the 2004 tourney did not have adequate locker rooms, bathrooms or seating to accommodate the student-athletes and spectators.

Urban said the Wasilla Multi-Use Complex, which is just more than a year old, will have no problem housing the event.