Members of the Cochrane Cowboys Wrestling Club remain sturdy in their saddles, despite what’s been the club’s longest ride through a season yet.
Wrestling Canada Lutte’s (WCL) Nationals, which normally signals the end of mat season for the club, was rescheduled from March to June this year, and the Cowboys have been keeping busy in the interim as they prepare for the Canada-wide competition.
“This season has been extremely long and the kids are just grinding it out and being super committed,” said club manager April Hooper. “There’s been a marked improvement in all of our wrestlers.”
In just a few days, all of the club’s U19, U17 and – for the first time – U15 athletes, will have the opportunity to compete at nationals at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex in Calgary from June 9 to 12.
Typically, the wrestlers don’t have a spring season, so many of the kids competing were also busy with other overlapping sports – like rugby, she added.
Two of the club’s top-level athletes are also graduating from high school this year.
“They’re really just complete rock stars,” said Hooper of the entire club. “They’re working so hard and doing all this juggling and they’re still improving their wrestling.”
As an indication of how well their season is going, four of the club’s athletes recently qualified to compete for Team Alberta at the WCL 2022 Canada Summer Games, which will run August 6 to 21 in Niagara, Ont.
Nicholas Hooper will wrestle for the top spot in the 70-kilogram (kg) category and alternates Jaityn and Danyka LaBelle, and Brendan Maguire, will be training for their respective weight classes in the event they are called to the mat.
Grade 12 wrestler Jaityn all the while has plans to try out for Team Alberta in the rugby sevens competition, with a recent grad ceremony to boot.
“The commitment level is high,” said Hooper. “I couldn’t be more proud of all of them, they’re such good kids.”
Currently, four of the Cowboys are in Edmonton trying out for Team Canada for a chance to wrestle at the WCL Pan-American Championships later this year, including their other graduate, Megan Walters.
The club’s last day of practice was May 31, and Hooper says it’s bittersweet to see the season ending. The prospect of saying goodbye to two of the Cowboys’ graduating athletes who have been with the club for years is especially hard.
“Our elementary program grew this year and I hope it grows again next year,” she said. “It’s a pattern obviously, but we’ve just been with these kids for years and years. I’m so happy that they’re graduating and that they’ve stayed with the club for this long – it’s going to be tough not seeing them.”
