Mat skills, life lessons

Wrestlers work hard, play hard at local camp

Close your eyes and imagine the Flathead High School gymnasium during the heat of a July afternoon.

Thirty wrestling coaches from around the U.S. working with more than 200 kids in the first grade and higher.

Add eager parents and grandparents, some referees, scorekeepers and all the other support help it takes to pull off a large event and you've got organized chaos.

It's the Montana Intensive Wrestling Camp.

According to one of those 30 coaches, there are also lifelong friendships in the making.

Wes Gonzalez is the head freshman wrestling coach at Stagg High School in Palos Hills, Ill. He's been bringing wrestlers to Kalispell for the past three years.

The pluses for Gonzalez?

A week in the Flathead Valley and a chance to renew coaching friendships each summer.

Even more numerous are the opportunities for the kids he brings each year.

"The kids get to see how someone else from, say, Washington, does the same move, but with slight variations. Plus, they get to wrestle with over 200 kids, make tons of friends and see a different culture.

"For a lot of these kids, it's their first time traveling," he said.

And it's a good deal financially, he hastened to add.

Wrestling camps are available in Illinois - and some of Gonzalez's athletes attend.

But even with the cost of the flight from Illinois, housing, camp fee and all the extra activities offered (water park, hiking, whitewater rafting), this camp is a good deal.

"It's still cheaper than the camps in Illinois," he said.

A couple of the boys he brought this week are visiting for the second straight year.

"They look forward to it," he said.

Flathead head wrestling coach - and camp organizer - Jeff Thompson will be glad to hear that.

His goal for the camp is to help wrestlers develop a foundation to become a champion.

"Not just on the mat, but in their lives," he said.

And he wants them to have a good time.

"We work hard - they know they're going to work hard. But they also know we're going to play hard."

Playing hard includes a trip to Big Sky Waterslide in Columbia Falls, some hiking and whitewater rafting.

"A lot of the kids have never been to such a beautiful area," Thompson said.

There have been some changes to the camp over the past seven years.

The name has been changed from the Flathead Valley Wrestling Camp to the Montana Intensive Wrestling Camp.

The numbers have skyrocketed from 60 kids the first year to 236 this year.

Of those 236, 150 are from outside the Flathead Valley, 80 are from out of state and there is also a group of Canadian wrestlers.

Thompson lists four ingredients toward becoming a champion. They are:

. Discipline. "Which is so important," Thompson said.

The fact that they're at camp shows they have some of that, he said.

. Dedication - to family, academics and sport.

"That's going to carry over into your whole life," he said.

. Sacrifice.

. Hard work.

"Wrestling is not a sport where there is instant gratification. It takes time … so much time. But that's a taste of life, too."

As for the wrestling, there may be just one or two moves a kid will pick up and really like, "but that can make the difference," according to Gonzalez.

Concord, N. H., senior Rob Garcia is hoping he'll find one of those moves.

Garcia was second in New Hampshire's state tournament last year at 152 pounds.

He appreciates the intensity of the Montana Intensive Wrestling Camp.

"There's a lot of good kids here," he said.

What has he learned?

"Cradles. The Catfish Cradle - I'm taking that home.

"There's a lot of great technique here. Lots of good stuff. I'm getting a chance to wrestle with quality wrestlers. It's a really good camp for your money."

How did a New Hampshire wrestler find his way to Montana?

Garcia used to live in Kalispell.

"I've come to the camp before," Garcia said.

He wanted to return so badly that when his family planned a summer vacation this year, camp was first on the list.

"We planned (vacation) around the wrestling camp, pretty much," he said.

New York sophomore Tyler Peet is also on vacation.

He started with a visit to his cousin in Bozeman, attended that wrestling camp, then continued to Kalispell.

"It's a really good camp. It's a hard camp, but it'll get you ready for the season," he said.

"I learned a lot of new techniques, some cradles, some leg rides and it's a good conditioning camp," he added.

Could you do this?

Wrestlers at this week's Montana Intensive Wrestling Camp deal with a demanding work schedule.

Here's a day-by-day look.

Sunday

2:30 p.m. - Warmups.

2:40 p.m. - Feet (1. Set-ups; 2. Shots; 3. Finishes).

4:30 p.m. - Live situations.

4:50 p.m. - Motivation.

5 p.m. - Running Group (Light 20 minute run, 5/ 50 and 5/100 yards, 10 push-ups and 10 squat jumps between).

Monday

9 a.m. - Warmup, then takedown/short offense.

10:45 a.m. - Live wrestling.

11:20 a.m. - Running groups

Running groups - Run 1 mile hard/800/ 2 400/5 100/ 5 50; 50 pushups/50 situps; body lifts.

Noon - Lunch

12:45 - Warmup, bottom wrestling.

2:30-3:10 - Live wrestling.

4-6 p.m. - Team duals.

Tuesday

9 a.m. - Warmup.

9:15 a.m. - Technique.

10:45 a.m. - Live wrestling.

11:20 a.m. - Running groups (run 2 miles, hill sprint 7 times, push-ups, squat jumps.

Noon - Lunch.

12:45 p.m. - Hustle Award, warmups.

1 p.m. - Top and bottom wrestling.

2:15 p.m. - Live wrestling, conditioning.

4 p.m. - Water park.

Wednesday

9:10 a.m. - Warmup.

9:25 a.m. - Technique.

10:30 a.m. - Live wrestling.

11:40 a.m. - Running group run to track, 1 mile timed, 5 100s on football field, 50 pushups/situps, 10 50s on football field.

Noon - Lunch.

12:45 p.m. - Hustle Award and nutrition.

1 p.m. - Warmups, followed by defense, cradles, riding, turns.

2:15 p.m. - Live wrestling.

3:15 p.m. - Game.

3:30 p.m. - Motivation.

4 p.m. - Team duals.

Thursday

9 a.m. - Warmup, followed by ankle picks and low levels and arm bars/tilts.

11:30 a.m. - Live wrestling.

Noon - Running (3 mile buddy carry).

12:45 p.m. - Hustle Awards/lifting talk.

1 p.m. - Throws and two on ones, set-ups/two on ones to shots.

2:30 p.m. - Live wrestling.

3:30 p.m. - Motivation.

4:30 p.m. - White water rafting.

Friday

9:15 a.m. - Techique (offense shots, tumble outs).

10:30 a.m. - Live situations.

10:50 a.m. - Running group (3 mile Lone Pine Race).

Noon - Closing remarks.

Running group activities listed are for the big kids.