WAUPUN — Seven students in the Waupun Youth Wrestling Club will be attending the State Youth Wrestling Tournament at Alliant Energy Center in Madison this weekend.
Youth wrestling is a winter sport that takes place between Thanksgiving and Easter, with some open mat programs that take place in the off-season months. The season is made up of a series of matches between schools with state qualifiers tournaments at the end of the season. Practice takes place twice a week at the Waupun High School Mezzanine, which is above the main gymnasium.
The Waupun youth team is made up of 48 total students from kindergarten to 8th grade, and the team is always looking for more. Groups are separated by age and weight classes. The introductory group for this year was made up of 15-17 students new to the sport, and the coaches hope that they will want to return for next year’s season.
“The main thing is having the kids fall in love with the sport first,” said head coach Nathan Mertz. “It’s key in their retention, having the kids have fun and wanting to come back and not being overwhelmed. With a lot of sports these days, it can be very overwhelming.”
The Waupun Youth Wrestling program is organized by president Travis Shultz, along with vice president Joel Buwalda, secretary Taylor Giese, and treasurer Stephanie Faymoville, and other members Whitney Welk, Andrea Witkoski, Bill Stockwell, and Ryan Shultz. The team is coached by head coach Nathan Mertz, Kyle Giese, Derek Jesko, Chad Loomans, Ryan Schultz, Dustin Perdzock, and Josh Thone.
Of the seven students attending State, two are returning from last year along with five new students. Five students will also be attending nationals, which does not have a qualifier system.
Students or parents of students interested in joining the Waupun Youth Wrestling Club can contact through their Facebook page or email here: WaupunYouthWrestling@gmail.com.
Front row: Nadia Bernal, Grayson Shultz
Missing: Abraham Aniceto Jr.
