the Youth & Jr. high state tournament is here
Registration is open to all Ohio Wrestlers- no prior qualification is needed!
Akron Fall Open kicked off the season
FULL SPEED AHEAD
October 25th, 2020- Today we completed our first tournament of the "Covid Era" and we are very happy to say it was a major success! 367 wrestlers competed in what may be the quickest "per session" tournament ever completed- approximately 90 minutes for each individual session. Much more importantly- with this format we were able to maintain Covid compliance at all times. The first of many to come! Results are now listed below. Thank you to Akron St. Vincent St. Mary High School and the Shamrock Wrestling Club for being the first to give it a go since co-vid, and doing an amazing job assisting us in running the tournament as always!
Stay tuned for the Youngstown Fall Open on November 8th! Pre-Registration opens here, and an entry form will be posted on Wednesday, October 28th.
In the Spring of 2020, this sport of wrestling was dealt a previously unthinkable setback as the end of the season came to an abrupt end. Since then, the short term future of the sport has been in doubt as large public gatherings have been labeled "superspreader events" despite the fact that there is little evidence that young and healthy persons are significant vectors of CoVid-19 spread. Since wrestling tournaments have always been jam packed, it seemed impossible to continue competing until a cure was found. The wrestling careers of so many young athletes were put on hold as the sport's future remained in doubt.
Fast forward seven months, and we are still in the midst of a seemingly never-ending pandemic. After being swept aside in the blink of an eye, and with no end in sight- it is time that the sport of wrestling fought back to maintain it's survival. We are happy to say that a solution has been found to the social distancing dilemma. By splitting up our tournament into seven quick "mini sessions" instead of our traditional two session format, we are able to keep well below the 15% capacity threshold mandated by the State of Ohio. This tournament design, along with a comprehensive plan to make every single aspect of the event Covid-19 safety compliant, allows us to strike a balance between public safety and the need for the sport, and life in general, to continue as normal.