The tradition of excellence continued for the Lorne Akins Crush wrestling team at the recent Provincial Junior Olympics in Olds.
Five grapplers were pure gold, four were awarded silver and two were cast in bronze for the perennial medal contenders at provincials.
"We have a pretty good reputation for winning and it's good to keep that going," said the small but strong Jesse Shirton, the gold medallist in the 49-kilogram category. "It's all about pride and we have a lot of that in our club."
This is the 33rd year for the wildly successful junior high wrestling program at Lorne Akins.
"There is a lot of school spirit definitely and a lot of pride being a Crush wrestler," said Grade 9 newcomer Conor McIntyre, the 77-kg champion. "I've noticed that people who wrestled here before and then go to Grade 10 come back and coach, just because they love the club so much."
Lauren Rogers, the 39-kg gold medallist, was happy to contribute to the medal haul.
"It felt really good to win a medal for the school, but especially for the coaches. They taught us very well. They help each person with their individual needs," said the Grade 8 Crusher.
Spider moves
Rogers, 13, wrestled the same opponent in a best-of-three playoff for gold and was victorious on points.
"The first one was pretty easy but then the second one I got kind of tired out. She just kept trapping me when I tried to get a move in," she said. "The third one I got more of a burst of energy at the end, just knowing that I could win. I also avoided her getting the double legs on me."
Rogers was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment.
"At first I didn't really know what happened and then it just kind of settled in. It was really exciting that I had won."
Co-coach Barrie Schulha described Rogers as "a quiet mighty-mouse type of wrestler" who vastly improved from the start of the season.
"One of the other coaches [at provincials] commented that Lauren wrestles like a spider. She just slowly starts wrapping up her opponent in her web and before you know it, it's game over," said Schulha, the Crush founder and long-time Lorne Akins teacher.
First provincial gold
Shirton, 14, plowed through the competition with skill and smarts.
"Jesse is a very technical wrestler and methodically went through his weight category by pinning all of his opponents," said Craig Baba, the Crush co-coach for 16 years and Lorne Akins teacher.
The Grade 9 student ended his last year with the Crushers with a bang after settling for silver the last two years at provincials.
"It was pretty awesome. It was my first gold so I was very happy," Shirton said.
His fourth and last match at provincials was against a Grande Prairie grappler.
"My bread and butter move is the double leg and that's what I used to beat him," said the Rosslyn all-boys' tournament champion.
The gold medal capped off a near perfect season for Shirton. He lost only one match, at the University of Alberta Paperweight Invitational Tournament against a Calgary foe that dropped him into third place.
"I owe it all to my coaches. They are really good and they definitely know their stuff," said the budding rugby player.
Undefeated grappler
McIntyre, 14, dominated his opponents at provincials and won all three matches by pins.
"Conor moves very quickly for a big wrestler and uses his strength to his advantage," Schulha said.
This was McIntyre's first undefeated year on the mat.
"There is a sense of pride about that but I definitely think it wasn't my hardest year," said the Paperweight and Rosslyn tournament gold medallist.
The 2010 Canada East silver medallist moved to St. Albert last year from Chelsea, Que. and joined the Edmonton Wrestling Club before hooking up with the Crushers.
"This is my first experience at a junior high program and I kind of preferred it. Everyone was more friendly with each other, like less intense about winning and more about having a good time," said the former member of the Algonquin Wrestling Club. "I learned a few new things here. The style of wrestling in Quebec is a lot different than here so it was kind of a learning experience."
McIntyre was pleasantly surprised by what Schulha and Baba had to offer as coaches.
"They're definitely skilled wrestlers and some of the more skilled coaches I've had over the years," he said. "I try not to wrestle them, just because you don't want to defeat them. That would be kind of embarrassing."
Later this month McIntyre will compete in the Alberta Open Championship. He will also attend nationals next month in Ontario.
"Conor should be a serious contender for a national medal this year," Schulha said.
At provincials McIntyre tried to make his matches last longer than the first round.
"I don't really like a quick match. I find it easier to work the guy so most of them were mostly two rounds but the first one was over in one round," he said. "The gold match wasn't the most difficult one. He was just an average wrestler, a first year guy."
McIntyre likes to scout out the opposition before swinging into action.
"I spend all my time at tournaments watching the people move around to try and understand how they move."
His biggest weapon is a cool head.
"For most people, if they lose a point they might get a little bit angry and forget about technique a little bit, so staying concentrated is very important and that's my strength."
Future is bright
Rounding out the Crush gold medallists were Connor Beuerlein, 13, and Wade Seville, 12.
Beuerlein, a Grade 8 student, placed first at 43 kg.
"Connor wrestled in a round robin format in his weight category and at the end of the day had accumulated more wins than all of his opponents," Baba said. "He has a great work ethic and is very dedicated to the sport."
Seville, a Grade 7 rookie at 41 kg, is following in the footsteps of his brother, Harley, who was also a provincial champion in his first year with the Crushers.
"Wade powered his way through his weight category and won the gold medal match with a spectacular grand amplitude suplex-type throw. There was an audible roar from the crowd when Wade did the throw," Schulha said. "He will definitely be one of our flagship wrestlers for the next two years."
