U.S. youth collects eight freestyle medals in Le Creusot, France
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by Lake Lewis
LeCREUSOT, France – A team of youth wrestlers just finished competing at the International Freestyle Open Cup Le Creusot 2018 in Le Creusot, France. The U.S. left France with eight medalists, including five champions and three silver medalists.
After the tournament the boys participated in several days of training with wrestlers and coaches from Italy, Norway, Hungary, Sweden and France. The event drew wrestlers from nearly 60 different clubs representing 8 different countries.Despite the wide array of competition and the young age of the team, the American based group took first place as a team at the event.
The USA team consisted of 17 wrestlers aged 11-14 years from Wisconsin, Kansas, Georgia, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Tennessee and Idaho represented the United States at the international event.
The team was coached by Wisconsin’s Ringer’s Wrestling Club founder, James Schmitz and assisted by coaches Brandon Morris, owner of Alliance Wrestling Academy in Clarksville, Tennessee, and Philip Arnold, owner of Alpha Omega Wrestling Club of South Georgia.
“I think this story is a perfect demonstration of the caliber of youth wrestlers that went on this trip,” team organizer Jared Lewis, who arranges several overseas trips to Europe each year said.
He explained that 13-year-old wrestler Hunter Taylor, a state champion from Kansas, was approached by the tournament organizers during weigh-ins.Hunter, only weighing 32 kg/70.5 lbs., was told that they had no other wrestlers entered in the 35 kg/77 lbs. category. He was told he would automatically receive the gold because he had no competition.
Without hesitation, Hunter told the tournament organizers to bump him up to the next category saying, “I came here to wrestle!” Hunter bumped up to 38 kg/83.6 lbs. giving up more than 13 pounds, which would be a challenge for even a seasoned Senior athlete.
Despite the disadvantage Hunter still went 3-2 at the tournament, ending with a fifth-place finish.
Three of the boys were only 11 years old and too young to compete at Schoolboy age category. Rather than sitting out, they elected to wrestle up in age-group competing against older more experienced and developed wrestlers.
Although each athlete on the team had different expectations going into the trip they all had similar experiences.
“They are very different than the Americans when competing,” Rhett Peak of Oklahoma said. “They are a bit slower paced than what I’m used to but they are extremely technical.”
Peak trains with Team Big from Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
“The training is different than back home,” Henry Amborn, who trains with Ringer’s in Wisconsin said. “At home we do much more conditioning and our practices are longer.Here they do shorter practices and not as intense.”
“My plan going into the tournament was get to my offense first and keep the pressure on,” Christopher Coates from Team Grindhouse out of North Liberty, Kansas, said.
His strategy paid off, Coates had a first-place finish at the event—his first international competition.
Not only did the athletes represent the nation on the mat but also they were great ambassadors of our country off the mat as well.
“The trip is definitely a wrestling trip but it’s so much more than just wrestling and some sightseeing,” Lewis said. “It’s an opportunity for the boys to grow both on and off the mat, an opportunity to meet friends that have similar interest from all over the world and most importantly, it’s the opportunity to test their skill against some of the best youth wrestlers in Europe!”
2018 INTERNATIONAL FREESTYLE OPEN CUP LECREUSOT
at Le Creusot, France
U.S. results
Gold medalists
Gabriel Arnold (Albany, Ga.)
Jadon Skellenger (Meridian, Idaho)
Christopher Coates (Wamego, Kan.)
Royce Nilo (Milton, Wisc.)
Nick Hamilton (Bellevue, Neb.)
Silver medalists
Brandon Bohm (Florence, Colo.)
Rhett Peak (Tulsa, Okla.)
Cash Stewart (Arlington, Wisc.)
Fifth place
Hunter Taylor (Abilene, Kan.)
Aden Attao (Boise, Idaho)
Vaun Morris (Clarksville, Tenn.)
Sixth place
Cole Sarbacker (Edgerton, Wisc.)
Seventh place
Henry Amborn (Waterford, Wisc.)
Eighth place
Jackson Mankowski (Madison, Wisc.)
Ninth place
Aidan Squire (North Granby, Conn.)
11th place
Aeoden Sinclair (Edgerton, Wisc.)
Beckett Spilde (Stoughton, Wisc.)
