Clackamas wrestlers share their specialty at Goldendale camp
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
It’s the little things that count and Kurt Wilkins is hoping a few of those little things will elevate him to a medal in the next Mat Classic. Wilkins is one of 15 participants in the five-day wrestling camp which ended on Tuesday in Goldendale. Wilkins is one of three Timberwolf wrestlers with State experience who enrolled in the camp. Braydon Ross and Nolin Bare also participated. Wilkins says he has learned little things. “Keeping my head up, moving my feet, being fast, and pushing through it [completing moves]. I haven’t learned any new take-downs, but I am learning different set-ups for take downs.” He also said he has learned how to fight off cradles, a favorite pinning move of his main SCAC opponent from Zillah, last season.
The camp was organized by Matt Dumolt, assistant coach at Goldendale. Dumolt was assisted by his son, Nick, a former Timberwolf wrestler and State tournament medalist, who brought along some of his friends who he met through Clackamas Community College. According to Matt, the idea was to teach technique. The campers age 10 and up were divided into three groups according to age and size. With five college wrestlers for instructors, plus Matt, much of the camp was a rotation through teaching stations. The idea being that each coach has a different technique and each teaches his specialty.
Nick Dumolt spent the past two years wrestling at Clackamas CC. He transferred to Southern Oregon University for the coming school year. Dumolt was a third place medalist for Goldendale at the 2008 Mat Classic. The four wrestlers he brought to the camp to serve as coaches includes Chris Spencer from Boring, who will start his second year at Southern Oregon after two years at Clackamas. Spencer is a junior college All-American. At least three of the coaches want to coach wrestling after college. One of those is Justin Martin, a champion in Greco-Roman style which he learned in high school. He is entering his third year at Clackamas, majoring in education and is also an All-American. Another education major is Mitch Giberson, of Kelso. Giberson spent two years at Clackamas and is transferring to Central Washington University. He was a national qualifier at Clackamas and is an Academic All-American. He was also a third place medalist at Mat Classic. Matthew Matheson is from Los Angeles and will start his second year at Clackamas. Matheson was fourth in the California High School championships and placed eighth at senior nationals.
While the coaches and campers had a lot of fun over the five-day camp, there was also a lot of serious business. The coaches led by example and the campers learned by repetition…a lot of repetition.“We can show them how to do the moves,” says Matt, “but it takes doing it a thousand times to perfect it.” The coaches did not overlook conditioning, either. Running laps and the stairs, something high school wrestlers are very familiar with and conditioning with weights were part of the camp routine.
Dumolt has hopes he will see many of these campers in the high school program in a few years. He quickly ran off a list of eighth graders who are in the camp and didn’t try to conceal his eagerness for them to advance to the high school program. “It’s a strong class,” says Dumolt. Aside from the obvious healthy aspects of the camp, it is no secret Dumolt is trying to continue building a strong program at Goldendale. Four of the six wrestlers who made State in 2010 brought home medals and there is a potential to send six to eight wrestlers in 2011. And if you wonder how these young recruits will stay sharp between now and wrestling season, the Goldendale wrestling club is the answer. Club wrestling starts again Oct. 1.
Nadia Smith a six-event winner as swim team prepares for State
Andrew Christiansen
Reporter
Nadia Smith, Jade Smith and Hailey Bigbie of Goldendale have qualified for the Oregon State swimming championships, July 10-11, in Albany.
Nadia Smith, 10, has qualifying times in six events, 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly, and 200 intermediate medley. Jade Smith, 8, qualified in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 50 butterfly. Bigbie, 10, qualified in the 50 and 100 breaststroke and 50 butterfly. All three girls have made important gains in their times leading up to State.
Two weeks ago in Gresham, Nadia slashed nearly 10 seconds off her time in the 100 meter breaststroke and cut more than five-seconds off times in the 100 meter butterfly and 200 meter intermediate medley, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Bigbie’s 1 minute, 26 and 66 hundredths was 6.1 seconds better than her previous best in the 100 meter freestyle. She placed seventh in the 50 meter breaststroke and eighth in the 50 meter butterfly. Jade also swam at Gresham with State qualifying times in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle events. Also swimming at Gresham was Daniel Davidson, placing 19th in the 100 meter butterfly.
The Dalles was the site of last weekend’s meet where several more personal records fell. Alyssa Merry finished 10th in the 50 meter freestlye by knocking a stunning 27.04 seconds from her PR. She placed sixth in the 100 meter butterfly. Katee and Tasha Wheelon set new marks in several events after sitting out the last two years. Katee placed ninth in the 50 meter butterfly and Tasha was 11th.
Nadia Smith had a strong meet with wins in six events, most notably the 100 meter breaststroke where she set a PR 1:43.08 and the 200 meter freestyle where she qualified for the Far West sectional meet to be held in California later in July. Nadia place high in her two other events, second in the 100 meter butterfly and third in the 50 meter butterfly.
Jade Smith won the 50 meter freestyle in The Dalles and was second in the 200 meter freestyle and 50 meter butterfly. Also swimming at The Dalles were Holly Disch, Rachel Disch, Ashlyn Muzechenko, Natasha Muzechenko, and Thea Smith. Ashlyn earned team points at the meet in the 50 meter backstroke and 50 meter freestyle events and Thea added points in the 50 meter backstroke and 50 meter breaststroke.
Another member of The Dalles swim team, Jenna Miller, will join the Smith girls and Bigbie in a pair of relay events at State.
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