THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502240208
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 31 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
For the first time, the state high school wrestling tournament is being held in Chesapeake's back yard. It's been a long time coming.
The only other year the tournament was held in South Hampton Roads was 1986, when Norfolk State hosted the event. At the time, even though interest in area wrestling was strong, no local high school could provide adequate facilities for a tournament of that magnitude.
That all changed with the opening of the new Oscar Smith High School and it's state-of-the-art gymnasium.
``The new Churchland also has very good facilities, but the reason we wanted Oscar Smith was it was closer to hotel lodging,'' said Great Bridge athletic director Wayne Martin.
Martin took over as chairman of region wrestling last spring and immediately began lobbying the Virginia High School League to bring the state tournament to Chesapeake.
According to Martin, the VHSL was interested for several reasons. First, although attendance at the Ashe Center in Richmond - the event's location the last few years - had been acceptable, the Colonial Athletic Association basketball tournament at the Richmond Coliseum bumps heads with it, which would have created a nightmare of scheduling and hotel lodging conflicts.
Also, the VHSL expressed an interest in moving the tournament back to a high school. Once Oscar Smith was under construction, a committee from the VHSL came to Chesapeake to tour the site, and Martin's bid was approved.
The tournament runs March 3 and 4.
``We wanted to showcase Oscar Smith, a brand new facility, and showcase Chesapeake as well,'' said Martin, who serves as tournament director for the district, region, and state wrestling tournaments. ``There will be a lot of different people involved - all the area schools are represented - and it's important that things run smoothly.''
To that end, Martin has been a busy man. When not conferring with Oscar Smith athletic director Bill Myers, the site manager for the state tournament, Martin has been gathering a slew of volunteers and making sure the Chamber of Commerce is fully aware of the tournament's impact.
Martin was also responsible for submitting local hotel information to the VHSL, for distribution to the schools with qualifying wrestlers.
One thing Martin won't have to worry about is the event's hospitality room. Parents, students, and teachers from all the local schools have volunteered time and food to the effort, which is being coordinated by Linda Rice and Anna Baker. Various local restaurants, including Scoopers, Mister Jim's, and Subway, as well as the Woodford Square Farm Fresh, have also donated food.
Martin estimates that several thousand parents, fans, and wrestlers will make their way to Chesapeake for the tournament. Attendance at the Ashe Center was typically around 4,000. No one is happier to see the event at Oscar Smith than local wrestlers.
``They get to sleep in their own beds and don't have the stress of having to travel around,'' said Martin. ``It's more of a psychological thing - traveling takes a little bit out of you.''
This past weekend, Martin had the chance to test his planning skills with the kickoff of the Eastern Region tournament, also held at Oscar Smith.
``I really pushed hard to get the regional tournament at Smith,'' he said. ``It'll be kind of like a dry run - it gives us a chance to work out the bugs before the big dance.'' by CNB