Beach Blog: Celebrating 20 Years with USA Beach Nationals and Beach World Series Opener

Twenty year old… it doesn’t seem possible.  My baby’s growin’ up !

In 2005, FILA (now United World Wrestling) announced that we would take a look at a new developing style:  Beach Wrestling. Traditionalists shrugged their shoulders and chuckled. Gary Abbott (USAW Communications Director) and I both said, “Hmmm, why not ?”

Stormo (David Stormo, Taos, NM) and I hosted the first ever U.S. Playa Seca Nationals in Carlsbad, NM, in June of 2006. Gary was there ! Today, twenty years later, Ed Duncan, North Carolina, USA Wrestling, and USA Beach Wrestling host the twentieth in Carolina Beach...America’s Mecca for Beach Wrestling.

I’m in Carolina Beach, with Eva, as proud Grandparents of our twenty-year-old style. I’ll help Head Referee Paul Krugel (Ohio) mentor a generation of developing referees, regarding the sensitive nuances of the Beach style… and Wrestling in general.

Our twentieth celebration will, in part, select the foundation of USA Wrestling’s 2025 age group world teams. Male and female athletes will compete for three spots, both women and men, in both the U17 and U20 age categories. Those World Teams will compete in the 2025 Championship, the last week of September, in Katerini, Greece.

Senior level athletes in Carolina Beach will earn credit towards qualification for vacancies on U.S. delegations to 2025 Beach World Series events in Croatia, Morocco, Katerini, and Egypt. Ironically, the Beach World Series begins Monday and Tuesday in Monterrey, Mexico, accompanying the Senior Pan-American Championship.

With its ‘Young Adult’ status in the global wrestling picture, senior level athletes now pile up points towards a World Championship worth tens of thousands of dollars. Our baby’s grown up !

I will leave Carolina Beach, dark-thirty Sunday morning, for a flight to Monterrey. I’ll continue this twentieth celebration of Beach Wrestling. Most importantly for me… I’ll celebrate both thinking and saying the words, “Hmmm, why not?”

Ciao