Holiday Tournament Season

Wrestling is a sport rich in traditions. And one tradition that coaches, wrestlers, family, and fans look forward to is the holiday wrestling tournament. It's often the first big test of the season and a chance for family and friends to gather and cheer in what can be a fun, festive atmosphere.

That's what Walsh Jesuit High School standout Alex Mackall is looking forward to at the 48th annual POWERade Wrestling tournament December 29-30 at Canon McMillan High School in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Mackall and his teammates from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio will get a chance to go up against some of the top competition in the nation in a 48-team field.

“To me, Christmas is the most fun time of the year and this is the most fun tournament of the year," says Mackall. "It's really fun for our team to go out of state and stay in a hotel.”

"I know it's a cliché, but our team, we're like one big family," says Mackall, who adds that hisparents, grandparents, and possibly his brother plan on attending. "When we go to a tournament like this, it's a great time to bond on and off the mat."

For his part, Arlington (Tx.) High School coach Hank Harmoney gets excited about the Santa Slam Duals, which was held Dec. 19-20 at Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. The tournament, now in its 13^th year, is one of the premier holiday events in Texas, he says.

"I look forward to it every year," says Harmoney.“The sport is really growing in Texas and we have a lot of great things going on down here and this tournament is one of them.”A total of 15 boys’ and 22 girls’ teams competed at the Santa Slam, with teams from all over the state—Houston, San Antonio, Austin and the Texas panhandle—all competing. Appropriately, the first place award was not a trophy, but a shiny belt buckle.

Farther north, 33 individual teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado and North Dakota will converge on the University Center in Rochester, Minnesota in late December for the Minnesota Christmas Tournament. Two weeks later, the University Center will play host to The Clash National High School Wrestling Duals. The Clash is a 32-team dual meet event that is considered the nation's top national dual meet tournament and features nationally ranked individuals and teams from all across the country.

Joe Block, head coach at Prior Lake (Minn.) High School, says the regional and national nature of the competition make both events a great barometer of his team’s skill level. "We get to see some competition that we may not get to see during the year," says Block. "This format leads to some great matches." 

Kurtis Julson is a nationally ranked 174-pounder for the North Dakota State University wrestling team. But he hails from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, home to the Simley Spartans, one of the top teams in the state and a traditional national power that competes in both the Christmas Tournament and The Clash. Even though Julson is shooting for another trip to the NCAA tournament this year, he knows Spartan wrestlers and fans are excited for this time of year.

"To be able to go to the big tournaments over the holidays, that was an awesome experience,”Julson recalls. "It's not an experience everyone gets to have. The chance to gauge yourself against other styles of wrestling and other top tier kids from different states was great.”

For Scott Green, head coach at nationally ranked Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School of Kingston, Pennsylvania, the opportunity to compete in the 29-team Bethlehem Hurricane Holiday Wrestling Classic at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is always welcome.

"It is close by and we get to see a lot of the great Lehigh Valley schools," says Green. And he especially likes that the warm-up music at the Hurricane Holiday Classic is in keeping with the time of year. "I love the fact that we warm up to Christmas Carols.”

The Rumble on The Red, hosted by the FargoDome in Fargo, North Dakota on the first weekend of the New Year, is one of the most unique holiday events in the country. The high school tournament features over 60 varsity and 55 junior varsity teams from the Upper Midwest. The JV event is unique because teams can enter as many wrestlers as they want in each weight class. The event also features the Rumble Youth Duals and the Rumble Youth Individual Tournament, where additional 600+ youth wrestlers compete. That means an incredible 19 mats running continuously for three full days.

And because they’re held during the holidays, big tournaments like The Rumble allow wrestlers to focus simply on wrestling, notes tournament director Steve Saxlund. For a few days at least, youth athletes don’t have to worry about school or homework.

Some other great events will take place before, during, and after the Christmas and New Year's holidays across the country. Additional tournaments such as the Kansas City Stampede (Missouri), the Reno Tournament of Champions (Nevada), Beast of the East (Delaware), Dvorak Memorial (Illinois), Medina Invitational (Ohio), Brecksville Holiday Tournament (Ohio) and Cheesehead Invitational (Wisconsin) are all set to take place. There are also other local and regional youth and high school tournaments that are sure to bring teams and fans together to compete and spread some holiday cheer.

For some, their holiday gift could be winning an individual tournament, being part of a winning team or simply exceeding pre-tournament goals. Through it all, memories will be made—both on and off the mat. That’s what’s most important.

"These guys, they still have to be kids," says Harmoney. "Enjoying family and friends. That's what this time of year is all about. And that's what wrestling is about.”