2016 Yukon Elementary Wrestling Championship

April 5, 2016 – With 400 registered wrestlers from 11 schools competing in about 900 bouts, the Yukon Elementary Wrestling Championship had its biggest ever turnout at the Canada Games Centre on Wednesday.

“I think we’ll continue at that level for the next number of years,” said organizer Ted Hupe. “We have enough programming in each school – 400 will be the norm for the next few years.”

Growing by leaps and bounds, the tournament has exploded in size over the last five years, with numbers growing by 50 to 70 participants each year.

“At the elementary level, kids don’t get to exercise their physical realm – we focus on academics, which we’re supposed to do,” said Hupe. “Wrestling brings out their physical realm. That’s a missing element in a lot of our schools.

“We allow kids to develop in the physical realm, and this is one way to do it – 40-pound kids to 200-pound kids can wrestle.”

For the fourth year in a row, Holy Family Elementary School won the Total Points team event, with 84 wrestlers accumulating 108 points, followed by Christ the King Elementary and Elijah Smith Elementary School in third.

“I’ve had the biggest team for the past four years,” said Hupe, a coach for Holy Family. “We had 80-something kids on our team this year.

“I really promote wrestling in my school because it really inspires inclusion. I see the bigger kids helping little kids and my little kids really feel like they’re on a team.

“Some schools don’t start their practices until mid-February and we’ve been doing it since Christmas because I can’t keep the kids from it. They ask in the first week in September, ‘So, Mr. Hupe, when does wrestling start?’”

In the other team category, Best Performing Team, Golden Horn Elementary had the strongest results with 28 wrestlers accumulating 38 points, followed by Hidden Valley Elementary and Ross River School, with just 14 wrestlers winning 18 points.

“Ross River is here and we treasure their involvement,” said Hupe. “Carcross was supposed to be here, but their bison hunt interfered. Old Crow and Dawson now have wrestling mats, so they’re planning to bring a team next year.”

Girls gold medal winners

20-22kg Amy Vanderkley (HFES)

23-24kg Paige Belruagaua (WES)

24-26kg Nila Stinson (EET)

26-27kg Haley Trennary (ESES)

27-28kg Erica Couch (HFES)

28-29kg Eva Locke (ESES)

29-30kg Madison Dorion (EET)

30-32kg Alyssa Bunce (CKES)

32kg Mary Mcbride (GHES)

32-33kg Kelly Mahoney (HFES)

33kg Mia Kremer (HFES)

34-35kg Alice Frost-Hanberg (Tak)

35-36 Sierra Link (CKES)

36-37kg Emily Mervyn (HVES)

37-38kg Nantsana Murphy (HFES)

38-39kg Hannah Milner (JHES)

39-41kg Hannah Shier (GHES)

43-44kg Kelsey Langer (CKES)

41-42kg Zoey Krause (HFES)

42-43kg Amy Roberts (HFES)

45-46kg Danica Avery (CKES)

46-47kg Yuranty Pourier (CKES)

47-50kg Jamie Duke (HFES)

50-52kg Jessica Collins (HFES)

54-55kg Teah Dickson (HVES)

56-59kg Quynh Nguyen (ESES)

59-62kg Courtney Chapman (RRS)

72-78kg Delaney Paul (ESES)

Boys gold medal winners

19-21kg Keegan Bevilacqua (WES)

22-24kg Austin Wipp (HFES)

24-26kg Jarod Mcculloch (WES)

26-27kg Joseph Coyne (WES)

27kg Ben Shier (GHES)

27-28kg Antoine Dion-Lafortune (EET)

28-29kg Grayson Turner (HFES)

29a Kg Ethan Vanderkley (HFES)

29b Kg Liam Kearns (Tak)

30 Kg Aidan Stoker (CKES)

30-31kg Alex Coyne (HFES)

31kg Gabriel Nadon (EET)

31-32kg Jonah Daniels-Greer (HFES)

32kg Jack Ladue (RRS)

32-33kg Jonas Leas (CKES)

33kg Marek Boulerice (EET)

34a Kg Bryce Anderson (HVES)

34b Kg Dylan Cozens (WES)

35kg Matthias Clyde (WES)

35-36kg Trygg Jensen (HVES)

36kg Christopher Holmes (EET)

36-37kg Jarret Peterson (JHES)

37-38kg David Ford (HFES)

38-39kg Skyler Bryant (ESES)

39a Kg Trenton Hope (ESES)

39b Kg Ben Jenzen (HFES)

40-41kg Lochlann Fraser (ESES)

41-42kg River Tourangeau (GHES)

42-43kg Brody Devlin (HFES)

43-44kg Kailem Letto (EET)

44kg Beau Strain-Devilliers (Tak)

45kg Will Sternbergh (HVES)

46-47kg Jarrett Bernier (ESES)

47-49kg Angus Newell (HFES)

49-52kg Riley Pettitt (HFES)

52-55kg Tim Schirmer (GHES)

55-57kg Liam Dinn (HVES)

57-60kg Tynan Hope (ESES)

61-64kg Roan Evans-Ehricht (WES)

67-70kg Cameron O’shea (Tak)

72-84kg Chris Fairclough (JHES)

Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com