Cochrane wrestlers had to square off against each other this weekend in order to secure a spot on the coveted Canada Summer Games squad.
Hopefuls from across the province travelled to Edmonton last month for the first round of Team Alberta qualifiers, with six athletes from the Cochrane Cowboys Wrestling Club clinching top two positions in their respective weight classes.
That meant this weekend, at Rundle College in Calgary, four Cowboys took on their teammates in the final best-of-three matches, with only the winner of each set advancing to Team Alberta.
“It’s really tough,” said Cochrane wrestler Connor McNiece of going to the mat against his friend and training partner, Isaiah Springer, in the 65-kilogram division. McNiece bested Springer to make the provincial team. “I just got the best of him today.”
Number one seed Hunter Smith won the 76-kilogram category after taking on fellow Cowboy Connor Pointen. Pointen headed to the hospital right afterward to repair a broken nose.
“I didn’t even know,” said a surprised and apologetic Smith, adding he recalled hitting his head against his teammate’s face at one point during the match but didn’t realize Pointen took a break. “I just kept being busy, taking lots of shots, active hands.”
Springer’s brother Elijah lost to a wrestler from Edmonton.
Cowboys coach Vern McNiece – who is also head coach of the Team Alberta group headed to Winnipeg in August for the Canada Summer Games – said the experience is literally once in a lifetime for athletes.
“One thing with the Games: it only happens once every four years, so these kids only get to go once in their careers,” said McNiece, adding the environment is unique for wrestlers, as often they will travel to tournaments in which their sport is the only sport on the menu. The Games, however, gives them a chance to commiserate with other young athletes from a number of different sports, from kayaking to basketball, cycling and more.
“It’s really neat,” he said. “It’s the best multi-sport event in Canada … It’s the pinnacle of what these guys have been training for months.”
Team Alberta’s wrestlers came home from the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que., with a fourth place finish in 2013, and McNiece said this time “we want to go to the Games and try and win this thing.”
To prepare, teammates will train as much as five times a week in the weeks leading up to the August competition.
“Everybody who gets there is going to be strong – there will be no easy matches,” McNiece said. “They have to be ready on game day.”
McNiece said the Canada Summer Games can also be a launching-off point for the youths’ athletic careers: wrestlers like Canadian Olympian Justin Abdou made appearances at the Canada Summer Games before rising even further in the ranks.
Smith said he wants to push himself to succeed at the higher level of competition, so he’ll be focused on sharpening his skills and doing “lots of cardio” in the months leading up to the Games.
“It’s a really good opportunity,” echoed Smith. “Your hard work is paying off.”
