September 2nd 2013
Though it has been a couple of weeks since the Canada games ended, I felt that a few weeks reflection would be good in order to not only get my thoughts together but to also reflect on the upcoming season ahead. I've decided than rather than talk about my experiences as a whole, I will instead talk about each one separately as there are a lot things to talk about and I want to do each one justice. I think the first thing that comes to mind would have to be the competition venue.
In all my years in the sport of wrestling, I don't think I've seen as nice a venue here in Canada for any event at the youth level as I did at these Canada Games. I remember speaking with the organizer Dominique Choquette and hearing his ambitious plan to produce a world class venue that would be hard to equal and almost impossible to surpass at any other of the subsequent Canada Games. The end result was six world class mats with large video screens that allowed the crowd to see instant replay as well as view the names of the upcoming competitors for each mat. I believe that this venue led to the boisterous crowds that we saw each and every night and I hope that this is what Dominique had in his Mind's Eye when he set out at the beginning of this difficult task.
The next thing that I should probably mention is actual wrestling itself. The Canada Games is a true marathon that taxes these young athletes to almost the point of breaking. The first part which is difficult enough is the weigh-ins. Between the time the athletes qualify to the point in which they actually weigh-in, some of them have gone through growth spurts making losing the weight for tournament that much more difficult. Hats off go to the kids that made weight after a lengthy weight cut.
The next thing that obviously deserves mentioning would have to be the actual wrestling. Quebec as a province managed to improve their standing from the last Canada Games in the team competition as the Girls improved to 8th place and the Boys wrestled for a medal for the first time in the history of the province. And though the boys came up short against Saskatchewan, losing the Dual Meet 29-23, the future for these young athletes looks bright
A special mention goes out to the individual medalists. Angus Cowell of QWA was Quebec's lone Gold medalist at 100 kgs. Nolan Terrence of Akwesasne, representing Quebec for the first time took home the Silver Medal at 130 kgs. Alex Moore and Francis Carter representing Montreal YMHA took home Bronze Medals at 54 kgs and 69 kgs. The lone female medalist, Joannie Audet from CLIC, took the Silver Medal at 52 kgs.
Nolan Terrance
Audrey Beauregard
Angus Cowell
A look toward the future
So what does this mean for Wrestling in Quebec? Well, first and foremost, it is my sincere hope that we as coaches look to build off these great results for future Canada Games and National and International events. The performance of of our young athletes gives us hope to that it is possible and provides us with the model to follow and improve upon. Second, that Quebec is capable of hosting a great event. The Canadian National Championships has not been hosted in Quebec for a long time. I seem to remember that it was the Junior National Championships in either 1991 or 1992. At any rate, The Cadet Juvenile Championships is scheduled to be hosted in the near future and it is my sincere hope that we can put on an event nearly as good as the Canada Games.
As the new season begins, we can use the experience of the Canada Games to hopefully motivate our current athletes and attract new ones to the fold.
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