Young wrestlers gain skills at camp

Over the last week of June, upcoming Lumberjack wrestlers woke up early and headed to Cloquet Senior High School, where they spent several hours a day learning the skills needed to one day stand at the top of the podium.

The Cloquet youth wrestling camp spanned a total of four days, with each practice almost four hours long.

The camp was geared toward teaching the young wrestlers six of the seven basic skills every wrestler needs, including stance, motion and level change, among others. While the skills may sound simple, they take repetition and constant drilling to master. Even when the skills are mastered, it takes even more practice to execute the moves in a live match.

One of those skills, the back step, became a favorite in the training room, as it is an essential piece to a successful throw. Nine times out of 10, throwing without the back step leads to an unfortunate meeting between the mat and the thrower.

While most of the participants practice folkstyle wrestling, the seven skills they learned over the week apply to the other styles of wrestling, freestyle and Greco-Roman. The difference between the styles is based mainly on how points are scored. Most high school and college teams focus on folkstyle or collegiate wrestling. Olympic wrestlers, on the other hand, learn freestyle or Greco-Roman disciplines.

Regardless of the style, the young grapplers at the camp will be able to use their skills throughout the rest of their wrestling careers.