Wrestling club brings family atmosphere

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

WASILLA - In each of the last two years, the Wasilla High School wrestling squad has run away with the 4A state championship. The Warriors dominated at the prep level, but the wrestlers had to start somewhere.

Many of those Warrior grapplers got their first taste of the basics of the sport at the youth level with the Mid Valley Wrestling Club.

Today, the Mid Valley grapplers, part of one of three youth wrestling programs in the Mat-Su Valley, have the opportunity to participate in their own state championship at the MacDonald Center in Eagle River.

The Mid Valley wrestlers will compete for a spot in a USA wrestling regional tournament, the next spot before nationals. The top six grapplers in each weight class of the state tournament advance to the regional event.

Doug Albrecht, one of the coaches in the Mid Valley program, said he could see at least six wrestlers and as many as 12 qualifying for the regional event. There are currently 45 wrestlers in the program. More than 800 wrestlers are expected to compete in the state championships.

Albrecht is part of a Mid Valley coaching staff with an abundance of experience in the sport. Albrecht wrestled in college for the University of Nebraska. Head coach George Shell, formerly the head coach of the Houston Junior High School program, has four children involved in the sport and started his own wrestling career as a 7-year-old. Assistant coach Chuck Carpenter, a WHS junior, is a big reason why the Warriors won consecutive state titles.

But in addition to the coaching staff, Albrecht stressed, the key to the success of the club is the dedication of the parents. Albrecht cited Terri Trudeau, a wrestling mom who helps run the club, as an example.

"These parents are devout - loyal to wrestling," Albrecht said.

The family atmosphere attracted Albrecht to the club. Albrecht's 7-year-old son Logan is in his first season with Mid Valley and his first year of wrestling. Albrecht said in just four months he has already seen tremendous improvement in not only his son's skills as a wrestler, but his self esteem, coordination and work ethic. Albrecht said this is a pattern his sees with all his young wrestlers. Learning starts with the basics, but Albrecht said the coaches always try to keep practices fun for the wrestlers.

"They're at a young age, so we have to keep it fun," Albrecht said. "Halfway through practice we always stop and have a great big game. We want to work hard, but you have to have

fun."

The club, which features wrestlers as young as five and old as 18 from the Wasilla, Houston and Big Lake area, practices four nights each week at Wasilla High School and Wasilla Middle School.

Albrecht said another advantage to the club is having athletes from multiple age groups and the positive interaction of wrestlers of different ages.

"The younger kids really listen to the older kids a lot. The younger kids can relate to the older kids," Albrecht said.

Albrecht said it helps the younger kids to see the older athletes, such as Carpenter, having success at the prep level.

Mid Valley Wrestling, formed by Mike Brock nearly 20 years ago, was one of the first freestyle wrestling clubs in Alaska.