THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 31, 1995 TAG: 9503290167
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JANELLE LA BOUVE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
SOME OF THEM are only 7 years old, but the members of the Great Bridge Pee Wee Wrestling Club grunt and groan, sweat and strain, grasp and grapple like the big boys.
The program, which teaches the fundamentals of wrestling to boys ages 7 through 12, began four years ago with 20 boys. Now, the club has about 50 members who meet for one hour a week at Great Bridge High School from mid-December to mid-March.
``The parents really love it, and the kids do, too,'' said Wayne Martin, athletic director at Great Bridge High School and the club's head coach. ``Most of the kids are here because they want to be.''
Though many of the fathers of the young wrestlers were once wrestlers themselves, Martin said, ``The only wrestling these kids had done before was with a brother or sister or on the school yard.''
Martin said there aren't many programs available for boys who want to get an early start in the sport. The Great Bridge club has some members who travel all the way from Pungo in Virginia Beach to participate.
``We hope to see some of them here in four or five years on the (Great Bridge High School) team,'' Martin acknowledged. ``That's our long-range goal. We hope to hook one or two of them. Start them off young and hope they'll come back and be on the varsity team one year.''
In Martin's absence, Chris Smith, an assistant coach at Great Bridge, or volunteer Martin Corbett take charge of practice sessions.
``Wrestling is all business on the high school level,'' Smith said. ``But we want these kids to have fun. We go through a list of moves and try to get the boys on the mat.''
As they waited for one recent practice to begin, each boy sought out a partner. Once paired off, the floor was covered with boys with their arms and legs entwined. Finally, Smith put his whistle between his teeth. The shrill noise brought the activity to a halt.
Then, when Smith said, ``Put your butt over your head,'' pint-sized rumps popped up all over the mat.
During the hour, Smith and one of the older club members demonstrated various techniques. Then the youngsters practiced what they'd seen.
``Put your chest on his back and spin,'' Smith said, as he went through a spin. ``Don't put your hands on him.
``First we'll go in one direction,'' he said, reversing his spin. ``When I blow the whistle, go the other way. Then take turns.''
Four or five fathers spent much of the hour on the mat assisting the young wrestlers.
``The boys learn a little discipline,'' said David Martin, a former wrestler who was there with his son, Michael, and other boys. ``We teach them how to listen. It's good for them.
``We show them the things they'll actually learn later on,'' he added. ``If you teach them the techniques at this age, they'll never be able to forget.''
``I'm having to learn all these new sports,'' said Don Phillips, who was there with his 11-year-old son, Matthew.
``I think the Pee Wee Wrestling program is excellent,'' Phillips said. ``What I like is that there are a lot of experienced instructors. You have to have consistency starting here and going all the way through high school. That's the key. I think that's why they have such a great varsity program at Great Bridge.
``Another good thing is that a child can try it and see if they like it,'' Phillips said. ``The emphasis is on teaching. That's good. And it's only once a week.''
Steve Stagg climbed onto a bench and perched his video camera on one shoulder.
``High school wrestling was the best thing that ever happened to me,'' Stagg said. ``I'm glad my son feels the way he does about it,'' nodding in the direction of 7-year-old Clayton. ``But I'm going to encourage him to wrestle in his weight category. I'm convinced that all that dieting stunted my growth.''
``Practice is over, but the season's just beginning for tournaments,'' said 10-year-old Michael Martin who has been wrestling since kindergarten. ``I like the competition. You never know what you're going up against.
``When you win, you just feel great,'' he said.
Last year there were two nationally ranked wrestlers in his weight bracket, and he still won third place. This year he'll wrestle in the 70-74 pound bracket.
``Wrestling is awesome,'' said Julie Staylor, whose three sons belong to the club. ``They love it, and I enjoy watching them. They've done well.
``Pee Wee wrestling is a good developmental program,'' she said. ``It starts them off with the Great Bridge technique, and they keep developing it all the way through. They learn quite a bit.
``They were wrestling in tournaments before they joined the club,'' said Staylor, a physical education teacher in Virginia Beach.
Jody Staylor, their older brother, was probably the greatest wrestler ever to come out of Great Bridge High School, where he was a national champion. On the college level, the Old Dominion University student is a two-time All-America wrestler, Wayne Martin said.
``I like wrestling because you have to be fast, tough and aggressive,'' said 11-year-old Christian Staylor, who has been a member of the Great Bridge club since it began four years ago. ``If you win, people look up to you.''
``Off the mat, he is quiet and not at all aggressive,'' his mother said. ``But on the mat, they say he's entirely different.''
Justin Staylor, 9, has been wrestling for about three years.
``Whenever you win a tournament, you get all these medals,'' Justin said. ``We are going to a wrestling tournament this weekend. I wanted to wrestle at 55 pounds, but I weigh 58, so I'll have to wrestle at 60 pounds.''
``We wrestle a lot around the house,'' said Casey Staylor, 7. ``I don't know what I like about it, but I enjoy it. It's fun.'' The second-grader has already been wrestling for three years.
Saturday, the Staylor brothers were among seven boys from the Great Bridge club who competed in the sixth annual Southeastern Wrestling Classic at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach.
Although there were no set weight classes nor dieting for this tournament, competitors weighed in the night before and were matched by weight.
After losing his first match in the tournament, Casey Staylor came away dejected. Justin, too, lost an early match. However, both boys placed second overall in their divisions.
``He shot in, but he didn't get my legs,'' said Christian Staylor, describing his first-place win in a match that lasted a full 61 seconds. ``So I just went behind him. I had control.
``When he tried the head lock, I just popped his hand and went behind him again. Then he tried the head lock one more time,'' young Staylor said. ``That's when I finished with the `Staylor Special' - that thing I pinned him with.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Cover]
[Color Photo]
PEE WEE WRESTLING
Photo by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Coach Wayne Martin helps boys get an early start in wrestling.
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Chris Smith, right, an assistant coach at Great Bridge, helps coach
the young wrestlers who meet on the mats one day a week.
Photos by PETER D. SUNDBERG
Matthew Hassell, 7, demonstrates a hold on Brian Waldron, 8, during
practice.
Coach Wayne Martin, left, shows Ryan Brown, center, and John
Morrisette the proper form for a hold.
Tyler Davis, 7, shows his mother, Cherri, some of his warm-up moves,
including this one where he pops his pint-sized rump over his head.
by CNB