The Cochrane Cowboys are ready.
One of the province’s largest, most prestigious amateur wrestling events is in town March 7. And Cowboys’ 35 members have spent the season preparing for the 2015 Alberta Open amateur wrestling championships.
“They’re looking really good,” Cowboys wrestling coach Vern McNeice says of his group. “To be honest, it’s really hard to cycle kids to peak for a multiple number of events. The reality is, we have not peaked. They’re wrestling great. For high-school level, they’re absolutely fantastic.”
Most recent high school results for elite Cowboys club wrestlers include gold for Cochrane High School’s Brendan and Aidan McKeage at Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association rural wrestling championships Feb. 28 in Grande Prairie. Cochrane High’s Jorgen Thompson won silver. Bow Valley High’s Carl Gildermeister won bronze and Vernon Pointen silver. Cole Perron finished fourth and Adam Slater sixth.
All are wrestling for Cowboys this weekend at the Alberta Open.
Cowboys wrestlers with St. Timothy High School Thunder competed at the Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association city championships March 4-5 in Calgary and include Callum McNeice, Connor McNeice, Luke Clubb, Charles Cook and Danika Cook.
Vern McNeice’s wrestlers have been busy, and are preparing for greater competition this spring. The Alberta Open provides a critical litmus test for his handful of elite, cadet-aged wrestlers now in their late teens and eyeing national tournaments and university.
“For a national level, we’re going to take it even a step higher. I expect we’re going to have several kids within our program really challenge for medals. All are going to challenge for top-6.
“It’s really exciting.”
As for being selected to host the Alberta Open, the Alberta Amateur Wrestling Association’s outstanding club of the year is good to go.
“In the Olympics, at the end, they always wait to see if they’re called the best-ever,” McNeice chuckles. “We’re a proud group. We want to put on a really good show. We want to hopefully bring the Open back to Cochrane in the future. We’re going the extra mile to try to do the little details – being organized and creating a competitive environment for all these athletes coming to Cochrane.”
But a small club like Cowboys cannot throw a big show like the Alberta Open, featuring top wrestlers from across Alberta, on its own.
“I have to tell you, the community has responded,” McNeice says. “We have a lot of support from the community to make this event possible. When they read about it in the paper, I’m pretty confident they’re going to be quite pleased with what is coming to Cochrane.”
The sold-out banquet goes March 6 at Ranche House with the wrestling scheduled for March 7, starting 9 a.m., at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
