Kids in Sports: Wrestling making moves to come out of the shadows (Ryan Bowman)

Kids in Sports: Wrestling making moves to come out of the shadows

Wrestling moves

Philip Walker,Record staff

Tri-City Wrestling coach Jose Disanto (top) demonstrates a move on coach Tom Cako for young members of the club at the club's facility in Guelph.

By Ryan Bowman

When the International Olympic Committee announced its plans to axe wrestling from the 2020 Summer Games – only to reverse its decision earlier this month – the sport received a rare but welcome rush of media attention.

And while wrestling has lurked in the shadows of the Canadian athletic scene for as long as he can remember, Tom Cako hopes the headlines will begin to shine some light on the sport locally.

"I think with the Olympics and everything more people are talking about wrestling than ever, and I think it's great," says Cako, who operates Tri-City Wrestling in Guelph. "I know first-hand the advantages and the rewards of wrestling and I'm trying to make it accessible to everybody and put it more in the mainstream."

One of the keys to growing the sport, Cako says, is introducing it to kids while they're still young. Cako's classes, held on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, are open to boys and girls aged four and up.

"Starting them early is definitely a huge advantage because it helps develop their motor skills," says Cako, 35, who began wrestling in Grade 3. "The thing about wrestling is that it covers everything.

"You need great flexibility, you need agility, you need reaction time, you need good speed, you gotta have a lot of strength and a lot of skill."

But even more rewarding than the physical benefits of wrestling, Cako says, are the social ones. In addition to stressing the importance of discipline and commitment, it gives kids a healthy attitude toward competition and develops self-confidence.

Amanda McAlpine joined Tri-City's adult wrestling class last winter and enrolled her daughter, Emily, in the youth program shortly thereafter. She says after only a few sessions, Emily began to shed her shell of shyness.

"She struggled a little bit socially when she first started school, and I can already see how she's gained a little more confidence and made some new friends," McAlpine says.

While McAlpine admits she was skeptical – and "a little fearful" – about signing her daughter up for wrestling, she has been blown away by the results.

"I wasn't prepared for all the transferable skills it would offer," she says. "There's the fitness aspect, the stability and control you learn, the coordination and the flexibility. She's an active kid and she loves to play, so I think wrestling is a great foundation for pretty much anything she decides to go into."

Cako agrees that whether kids go on to pursue wrestling in high school or simply use it to cross-train for other sports, it's a great skill set for any athlete to have in his or her back pocket.

"A lot of the things you learn in wrestling can help in other sports, especially gymnastics," he says. "And people who do grappling and combative sports know that wrestling is pretty much a must."

Yet, despite all of wrestling's benefits – never mind its ancient history and storied tradition – Cako says it is often lost in the shuffle of organized team sports. While its popularity has gained limited traction on the high school circuit since his days as a senior, Cako says it still has a long way to go.

Part of the problem, he says, is that unlike personal training, yoga and even the martial arts, wrestling has yet to be marketed as a viable fitness option in a club setting.

"People go to the gym, or they go to cross-fit classes or Karate lessons regularly," he says. "What I'm trying to do is bring that philosophy to wrestling. If you want to wrestle you should be able to come to a club, pay for great coaches and learn a new skill."

And unlike other sports, Cako adds, wrestling doesn't require a huge time commitment or hundreds of dollars worth of equipment. It is also the type of sport you can "jump right into," regardless of age, ability or experience.

Or even size.

At seven years old and just north of 40 pounds, Jesse Beitz joined the Tri-City wrestling club in January.

Armed with an ever-increasing arsenal of sprawls and grappling techniques – including his personal favourite, the double-leg takedown – Jesse says he has noticed an increased improvement since he started.

"I got into wrestling to help with my Karate skills," he says. "I think it's made me stronger and smarter."

Ryan Bowman’s column appears on Wednesdays. He can be reached at ryanjohnbowman@gmail.com .