The Pan American Championships are only three weeks away, and the Cochrane Cowboys wrestlers are hard at work in preparation.
Connor McNeice and Hunter Smith have been practising up to four times a day at an international training camp in Brookings, South Dakota, at South Dakota State University since June 11.
“We’ve got three national kids here and three from Alberta, two of which are ours,” said Cowboys head coach and Connor’s father Vern McNeice. “It’s been super hot since we’ve been here, close to 100 degrees (38 C).”
Every two weeks there is a wrestling training camp somewhere in the Midwestern United States, and McNeice feels the culture surrounding the sport creates a special atmosphere, in particular at a school such as South Dakota State.
“We’ve never been to this particular camp before, but have been to one in Iowa, McNeice said. “ (South Dakota State) is a Division One wrestling school in NCAA, they’re sports crazy down here, and it’s fantastic, they really support athletics.”
Many of the top American wrestlers and world champions attend these camps which makes for great competition in preparation for the Pan Am Games which are to be held in Lima, Peru, from July 1 to 3.
“There’s a lot of great wrestlers here which makes for great partners,” McNeice said. “So you’ve got lots of bumps and bruises, scrapes, black eyes, and bloody noses. Everyone’s going hard four sessions a day. It’s a lot of work.
“For varsity and high school kids are looking to advance in wrestling, it’s a win-win situation.”
This isn’t the first time the Cowboys have had wrestlers compete at the Pan Am Games. In 2014, Brendan McKeage won bronze for Team Canada, and last year Connor McNeice captured a silver medal.
This time around Connor will be looking to go one step better after having a stellar high school wrestling season where he captured gold medals at the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association’s High School Provincial Championship and the Canadian National Cadet/Juvenile Championships in Calgary.
“We believe that with a strong performance Connor can walk away with a win,” McNeice said. “Only time will tell.”
