Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 12, 1995                   TAG: 9504120035
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

WRESTLERS TO TAKE A TOURNAMENT TRIP TO OHIO

But for some grapplers from Blacksburg and Christiansburg, the hard work has earned them a trip to Ohio.

Five wrestlers from each youth program have qualified for the 1995 Tournament of Champions in Columbus.

"We just want to have fun," said KEITH LYTTON, 11, a 70-pounder from Christiansburg.

"And we're going to do our very best," added another 11-year-old Christiansburg wrestler, 78-pounder BRYAN LITTLE.

The wrestlers qualified by finishing in the top three in the age-weight division at the Hill City Open in Lynchburg in March. It was one of two qualifying tournaments in Virginia. Overall, there are 157 qualifying tournaments in 29 states, mostly in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

In addition to Lytton and Little, the other qualifiers from Christiansburg were THOMAS STEVENS, 8, a 59-pounder; JOSH LEONARD, 13, a 68-pounder; and JAMIE HARRIS, 16, a 126-pounder.

Earning berths in the tournament from Blacksburg were JESSE JANZEN, 12, a 73-pounder; PAT MUFFO, 13, an 85-pounder; CHRIS MUFFO, 14, a 95-pounder; PRESTON HALL, 11, a 73-pounder; and BRICE ZOECKLEIN, 10, a 102-pounder.

Of course, it took a lot of hard work to make the champions' tournament.

"We worked harder than last year," said Zoecklein. "We learned a lot of new moves."

Added Hall, "We do a lot of stuff that could make us better, and that makes for a great practice."

And that can leave even the most durable wrestler plumb tuckered out.

"I make sure they sleep well at night," said second-year Blacksburg coach BRIAN HENRY.

The wrestlers agreed.

"Sometimes, when I get home, I collapse in the middle of dinner," Janzen said.

Hall added, "I eat dinner [after practice], then I collapse."

Chris Muffo put it another way. "After practice, I feel like Gumby," he said.

Still, the wrestlers keep coming back to practice. They can't seem to get enough of this sport in which technique and thought can overpower raw strength.

"It's a sport you have to work at," explained ALEX RASHASH, 13, a 133-pound wrestler with the Christiansburg Wrestling Club. "You have to be skilled to do well in this sport. And you have to practice. We practice at least three times a week."

For the Christiansburg wrestlers, spring tournaments are nothing new. Youth wrestling first came there about 15 years ago on an informal basis, and the club was established in the mid-1980s. The coach is TODD BARTLETT, who started helping out the club as a high school senior 10 years ago.

"It's like a family affair," Bartlett said. "We've got a lot of wrestling tradition. It's like a mini-camp every day at practice."

The club has 26 wrestlers and draws not only from the town, but also gets wrestlers from nearby areas without youth clubs, such as Shawsville, Riner and Floyd. To work with all these wrestlers, Bartlett gets a lot of help from the family members of wrestlers, current and former, in running practices, setting up tournaments and traveling out of town with the team.

"I like working with the little kids. It's a lot more fun," said DENNIS LYTTON, whose son Keith wrestles for the club. "They get a lot of enjoyment out of competing and winning in these [post-season] tournaments."

Also, the coaches work to teach more than wrestling.

"We help the kids earn money for tournaments and camps," Bartlett said. "But we don't give them anything. They have to help with the car washes, help work the tournaments. ... We try to show the kids they get out of it what they put into it."

Plans for next year include working more on freestyle wrestling in an effort to make area wrestlers more competitive on a regional and state level.

Meanwhile, Henry is working to make that program better.

"The kids get real excited [about wrestling]," Henry said. "I'm working on getting more kids to try out. We get a lot of competition from basketball, soccer, everything. But I'm hoping to build it up a little bit."

One of Henry's first objectives will be to search for potential wrestlers at Blacksburg Middle School and work toward starting a team there.

Both teams compete during the winter in the area's youth wrestling district. Other clubs in the district include Radford, Narrows, Pulaski and Hillsville.

SIGN-UPS GALORE: Pony League Baseball registration continues through May 5 in Montgomery County.

The league is co-sponsored by the Blacksburg and Christiansburg recreation departments.

Players who are age 13-14 (as of Aug. 1) are eligible. Teams will be offered at Auburn High (in Riner), Shawsville High and Belview Elementary. The cost is $15.

For information, call TIM COONEY at the recreation department, 382-6978.

Friday is the last day to register men's and women's softball teams for the Montgomery County leagues. The cost is $220 per team. For information, call the recreation department, 382-6978.

The Blacksburg Sunfish Swim will hold summer registration April 17-21 at Blacksburg Aquatic Center. Sign-ups will be 4-5:30 p.m. each day.

Sunfish has been offering a competitive swim program for youth swimmers in the area for a quarter-century. During the summer, Sunfish team members compete against teams from the Roanoke and New River Valleys on Monday nights.

For information, call 951-0734, 951-9144 or leave a message on the "Catch the Sunfish Spirit" hot line, 953-2987.

Blacksburg youth track sign-ups run April 17-28. The program gets under way in June and is designed for boys and girls ages 9-14. The cost is $7.

For information, call LARRY LAWRENCE, athletic supervisor for the Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Department, 961-1135.

Bill Foster's Hokie Basketball Camp 1995 is just around the corner.

BILL FOSTER, the coach of the NIT champion Virginia Tech men's basketball team, will have three camps during the summer.

Session I is June 15-17. It is the position camp for boys ages 12-18. Session II is June 18-22. It is the boys' overnight camp for ages 8-18. Session III is July 31-Aug. 3. It is the boys' and girls' day camp for ages 7-16.

For information, call the Tech basketball office, 231-6725, or write Virginia Tech Basketball Camp, VT Men's Basketball Office, 274 Jamerson Athletic Center, Blacksburg, Va., 24061-0502.