Cochranite Connor McNeice represented the Town of Cochrane as well as his country proudly when he competed in the 2018 Junior Pan American Championships Aug. 17 to 19 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
McNeice who finished first during the championship in 2016 while also finishing second in 2015 in the Cadets age bracket, brought home a bronze medal this time around while competing at the Seniors level. McNeice’s head coach during the tournament just happened to be his father, Vern, who said he was pleased with how his son performed over the course of the weekend.
“I was happy with it. You always want to win and Connor was definitely capable of being in the final … he’s wrestling at the University of Calgary now with the Dinos wrestling club and they’ve got some fantastic coaches up there to help him get ready,” Vern said.
“In preparing for this event, Connor suffered an injury and his training was altered because of it. The reality of it is, that’s life … he coped and dealt with it and I thought it wasn’t his best outing, but it shouldn’t have been either. You move on with it and a medal at the Pan Am’s is great, it’s a high level of competition and quite truthfully Connor is getting ready with his teammates for the World Championships in Slovakia in three weeks time.”
The father-son duo had an interesting trip in Brazil to say the least, including finding bullet holes in the team bus after one of the days of competition. Regardless, Vern said it was an experience nonetheless.
“Wrestling is such a neat sport because it’s founded everywhere in the world. Trips like this remind us that other countries aren’t as fortunate to be as safe and secure as Canada. As athletes and a team you just have to make sure you use good judgment and deal with those distractions to make sure the athletes can focus on the task at hand,” Vern said.
“We weren’t on the shuttle bus at the time it was getting shot at, we became aware of it a couple hours later when we found bullet holes in the bus … but you never plan for something like that. First and foremost you try to make sure the athletes are as safe as can be and once we’ve done everything we can to ensure that, the focus shifts back to the next match and making sure the kids are ready for the competition.”
The elder McNiece also commented on the fact that competing in such a prestigious tournament can give you life lessons that the athletes can use past their time as a wrestler.
“I’m wearing two hats here. I’m not his official club coach anymore now that he’s wrestling with the Dinos, but with him being on Team Canada, there’s different hats being worn. It’s part of the journey … ultimately you have embrace the journey and everything that comes with it,” Vern said.
“Ultimately, you hope these kids get to the World Championships and the Olympics and I’m not just talking about my own. I hope other kids in this sport and kids in Cochrane get the chance to do so, but they’re learning about life and the fact that life isn’t fair. You deal with it, move on in a positive fashion and that’s what Connor is doing.”
“He’s proud to represent Cochrane, his old club the Cowboys, his family, his community, his school and ultimately his country. Connor enjoys it and he’s embracing that journey and representing a lot of other people that have helped along the way … it’s a special thing.”
Connor has worn the maple leaf many times before with his dad in his corner and it’s something that Vern said will never get old.
“It’s powerful. It’s something where there’s a short window in your life to be able to wear the red and white and personally I never did it. Internationally I never made it to that level and I’m learning more as a coach than I did as an athlete,” Vern said.
“It’s a powerful thing when you see the flag go up and these kids are competing against some of the world’s best, it’s who we are and where we’re from and you can’t help but feel that patriotism when you’re abroad.”
Connor will now spend the next few weeks preparing for the World Championships, where he’s placed as high as fifth and has always ranked in the top 20 during previous tournaments.
“Connor’s in a load cycle right now with his team at the University of Calgary, lots and lots of live wrestling with different opponents coming into town to help him train,” McNeice said.
“It will basically be another two-and-a-half weeks of really hard and intense workouts … he’s training 10 or 11 times a week, morning weight sessions, cardio sessions, watching his nutrition to make sure his weight is on and then once we get through that period there, Connor will start to taper to make sure his body is prepared for the Worlds.”
