GALION, Ohio – Wrestlers from Galion and the surrounding area will have two opportunities this weekend to gear up for the coming season with the Northmor Fall Wrestling Camp and Galion Fall Kickoff Open Tournament.
The events fall back to back Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Instruction at the Northmor camp, which is open to all ages, begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Northmor High School Gymnasium. The camp lasts until 3 p.m.
Weigh-ins for the Galion tourney are from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 8 to 10 a.m. Sunday – both at Galion High School. Wrestling begins at 11 a.m. Sunday.
“We’ve tried to bring in some big names in wrestling to attract kids to the camps,” said wrestling enthusiast and father Dan Reyes. “It’s about the kids. I just want the kids around here to have the chance to experience a high level of wrestling and see if they enjoy it, and maybe want to continue in it.”
Reyes, who is from Galion, helped organize both events. His sons, Austin and Ayden, are wrestlers and are involved in other sports, as well.
Reyes has been involved in bringing wrestling camps and clinics to the local area in recent years.
“I believe in any sports that in order to have and keep a good program in sports you have to build the foundation through the youth,” Reyes said. “The youth is always the future.”
As there have been in past area wrestling events, the Northmor Fall Wrestling Camp will feature big names from the sport, including Ohio State wrestling coach Tom Ryan.
OSU claimed its first-ever National Collegiate Athletic Association wrestling title in 2015.
Ryan’s career record at OSU is 113-42 and includes a 47-26 mark in the Big Ten Conference.
This past season, he was voted Big Ten, National Wrestling Coaches Association, and InterMat coach of the year.
He will be joined at the camp by Nathan Tomasello, who won the 125-pound NCAA title for Ohio State last season.
The camp is presented by Reyes, Scott Carr and Premier Technique Wrestling, and costs $45 per participant.
Each camper is responsible for providing his or her own lunch and is asked to arrive 15-20 minutes early to register.
For information, call Reyes at 419-689-5355 or Carr at 740-361-1373.
“It’s not just a sport, it teaches you a lot in life that you can use, like building character, good sportsmanship, conquering fears, being a team player, as well as a leader,” Reyes said of wrestling.
The Galion Fall Kickoff Open will again be at Galion High School this year and is sponsored by Galion Wrestling and the Ohio Wrestling Association for Youth [OH-WAY].
The entry fee for the tourney is $20 and includes a 2015-16 OH-WAY membership for those who live in Ohio. Admission for adults is $5 and $1 for children 6 years old or older. Children younger than 5 years old will be admitted free.
Several coaches and wrestlers have conducted or taught at camps in Galion in past years. In 2013, Erik Burnett, head coach and owner of Burnett Wrestling Club and head coach of Elyria High School, brought his camp to Galion.
The following year, Ohio State wrestlers Reece Humphrey and Logan Stieber taught at Galion camps. Four-time Ohio High School Athletic Association champ Colin Palmer also taught at a camp in 2014.
“Getting bigger names who are willing to come down and show the kids some stuff that they might use in the future, it’s like a big ‘wow,’” Reyes said. “It’s almost like being starstruck to them.”
For information about either event, call Reyes or visit ohiowaywrestling.com and click on the “Tournaments” tab.
