Wrestlers looking for provincial success
By Woodard, Dale on February 28, 2020.
Dale Woodard
Lethbridge Herald
Camille Bly and Mason Harris are looking for some repeat performances.
The Alberta Schools Athletic Association rural wrestling provincials get underway at LCI today and running until Saturday.
After their rural provincial titles last year – at LCI as well – Bly and Harris look to cap off their high school careers with one more rural crown.
“It started off well,” said Bly, a Grade 12 student at LCI. “I had a little bit of a dip in the metal with some not-so-good tournaments, but I’m hoping to come back with this one and hopefully do as well as last year.”
And do it in front of the home town crowd as well.
“It’s exciting,” said Bly, 17. “We don’t often get two years in a row to get to host here and have all of our friends come watch us. It’s exciting.”
Harris is firmly focused on a repeat title, but also welcomed the chance to do so in front of a hometown contingent that will be ringside this weekend.
“I’m feeling good,” said the 17-year-old student from Chinook High School. “I’m excited cause I have a bunch of my friends coming to watch and a bunch of my family to support me. Hopefully I can do what I did last year. (There’s) a little bit of pressure. I’d like to hold my ground with the guy who won it last year. It’s going to be fun, I feel like it’s going to be a good tournament.”
For Bly, this weekend’s rural provincials represents the chance to get back on track after a few tough outings.
“I had some rough tournaments and I was kind of sick for some of them, so it didn’t really work out great for me,” Bly said. “But I’ve been training a lot and getting back into it mentally, because it’s a big mental game. If you have a few rough spots it’s kind of hard to come back from it, but I’m ready for the tournament.”
Bly anticipates a few familiar faces this weekend, but also figures to see some new ones as well.
“I think there will be quite a few people I do know at the tournament,” she said. “But there have also been some changes in the categories. There are some girls that came up from the lower categories and it’ll be fun to see new people.”
Harris rides a consistent season into this weekend’s defence of his title.
“My season has been pretty good, I’ve only lost once so far to the same guy who beat me at provincials last year,” he said. “I know some of the guys are going to be here. Cardston and Stirling made a club this year so there’s going to be a few guys from there, but a lot of the guys there I am probably going to recognize from past tournaments.”
The opening ceremonies are 4 p.m. this afternoon with the wrestling beginning at 5 p.m.
Matches will go until approximately 9 p.m. and begin again at 9 a.m. Saturday.
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