ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602120067
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-21 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
GRUNDY, brace yourselves.
Great Bridge, cover your flanks.
Prominent wrestling powers within state boundaries, consider yourselves forewarned: the Roanoke Valley is gearing up for a reversal.
Youth wrestling programs are springing up in several pockets of the valley this winter. For the first time, Franklin County and the Roanoke County communities of Cave Spring and Glenvar are fielding squads of elementary school wrestlers.
Salem, which pioneered the movement a year ago, has doubled its number of participants to about 30 in its second youth wrestling season.
More than 80 boys and one girl are taking to the mats in 1995-96 as part of these four programs. Most of the participants are fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders, although some are as young as 6 and as light as 40 pounds.
Most of the coaches are the youngsters' parents, and in many cases, former wrestlers.
The teams periodically scrimmage among themselves or with other groups within the region. In competition, emphasis is placed on giving children the opportunity to understand the wrestling experience - even beyond the basics of implementing moves learned in practice.
"This helps kids get ready for high school wrestling," said Franklin County youth coach Charlie Crowley, who retired to Smith Mountain Lake from New Jersey in 1989. "They learn how to handle the crowd and what a team's all about."
During a typical team match, the opposing coaches confer and pair wrestlers by age, weight, experience and other factors. If one team has a larger team, some participants may face members of their own squad. Children with abundant energy and/or savvy might wrestle twice.
Individual score is kept during three one-minute periods, half the length of a high school match.
In Salem, youth wrestling is sanctioned by the Parks and Recreation Department. In Franklin County, it's sponsored by the YMCA. Glenvar and Cave Spring receive some funds from area booster clubs, and ultimately are seeking endorsement from the Roanoke County Parks and Recreation Department.
The consensus among those overseeing the effort is that an across-the-board interest in wrestling at an early age eventually will enable area high school teams to compete with the entrenched programs throughout Virginia.
Some area high schools, most notably Northside and Franklin County, have experienced team success recently on the state level; but overall, this region trails Tidewater, Northern Virginia, and the coalfield wrestling factory, Grundy.
"Without competition, you don't get any better," said Steve Witt, a coach in Salem's program and a Group AA high school state champion at 185 pounds for Andrew Lewis in 1975. "That's why wrestling is so regional."
The consensus among the Roanoke Valley young wrestlers is that they're having fun.
"My favorite part is when you get to pin the guy," said Cave Spring's Jimmy King, 9.
Teammate Gregory DeMarco uses the sport as a constructive outlet for frustration. "I like it a lot," said DeMarco, 9. "You can use up your energy if you're angry."
DeMarco's sister, Andrea, is two years older than Gregory, but weighs 21 pounds less than her 90-pound brother. Already a competitive swimmer and soccer player, Andrea convinced her parents to let her try wrestling. Her strength, quickness and agility have served her well.
"My dad always said I could do everything boys do," Andrea said.
Three matches into the season, Andrea's record - against three boys - is 1-1-1. "At first, the boys were making fun of me," Andrea said. "But I think they were surprised. Now they respect me."
Respect is just one of many benefits inherent in competitive wrestling. Self-discipline, learning how to handle adversity, and developing supreme physical conditioning are three more.
"It's really interesting what kids can pick up at this age level," said Bill Gerrol, coach of the Glenvar youth team and father of three youth wrestlers. Gerrol, also from New Jersey, is an assistant principal at Salem High School.
Gerrol credits Dana Giarla, a Salem police officer, for encouraging him to start a similar venture in Glenvar. Giarla also is the father of several successful wrestlers and founder of Salem's youth wrestling program
Like all of the youth wrestling coaches, Gerrol credits a number of assistants and help from the local high school programs for keeping the effort going. The high schools have been vital in providing practice space, and in some instances, equipment.
The technical aspects of wrestling can be challenging for young people to grasp, the coaches said. "It requires a lot of repetition and a lot of individual instruction," Witt added.
Consequently, most area programs have a high coach-to-student ratio.
"Maybe this program development will set Cave Spring up for being a state champion wrestling school," said Jim King, coach of Cave Spring's youngsters.
King describes himself as "an average wrestler" who graduated from Cave Spring High School in 1977. A friend and teammate of King's, Ray Broughman, also an outstanding wrestler, has returned to coach his alma mater this year.
"Ray called me up in October," King said. "He wanted to see if I was interested in heading up the youth. He wants a high-caliber program; he's real dedicated to this."
Broughman said he sees a strong feeder program as the key to his high school team's success.
Current Cave Spring High athletic director Otis Dowdy coached wrestling for 20 years at the school, and unequivocally considers Broughman the best wrestler to come through his program. "Without question," Dowdy said.
Broughman finished third in the state in Group AAA in 1977 at 105 pounds, and went on to wrestle for the College of William and Mary and later qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984.
Broughman didn't take up wrestling until he was a sophomore in high school, but his two sons, Ryan, 10, and Matt, 6, are already part of King's team.
Broughman holds Cave Spring High wrestling practices immediately after school. On many evenings, he'll return to the wrestling room to work with King and the youth, including his own sons.
"Ray leads a lot of our practices," King said. "He's really good with the kids, and he knows what holds are potentially dangerous and how to prevent them.''
Coaches, parents and wrestlers concur that thus far, at least, the youth wrestling concept is working.
"The ultimate goal is to bring good, experienced wrestlers into junior high and high school," said David DeMarco, an assistant coach with Cave Spring.
"This is the way you build a reputation."
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN/Staff. 1. A parent of a wrestler and aby CNBcoach get caught up in a match in one of the Roanoke Valley's youth
wrestling programs. 2. Two young wrestlers get some experience in
one of the youth programs popping up in the Roanoke Valley.