Wrestlers from North Park Secondary School’s team ended off the 2023-2024 season with a bang as they braved the mats of Fletcher’s Meadow Secondary School on February 22. Both junior and senior wrestlers competed for a chance to head to OFSAA. As always, the wrestling coaches Mr. Gravina, Ms. Davies, and Mr. Budhram guided the wrestlers to success.
Tensions ran high as members of the North Park team arrived at the home of the Arrows to the most important tournament of the year. After a long day of stress, pep talks and matches, five wrestlers from North Park prevailed. In first place came Kijani Wallen and Anfaal Butt, and in third place came Prathampreet Khalon, Kirandeep Kaur, and Kenisha Goyal.
Mr Gravina, the wrestling head coach, shared his thoughts and insights on the club.”Other sports don’t have the competition ratio that wrestling does; a lot of other sports may have one or two practices per game, but with wrestling, we’re close to about a 10 to one, so really, the key to success in this sport is just dedication and putting the time in to succeed.”
With the season starting right after Thanksgiving in October, both new and returning athletes of all grades trained three times a week in an effort to sharpen their technique to fit the grueling demands of the sport.
Though wrestling competitions are done individually, having a group of like-minded people can greatly affect the morale of an athlete. “I think we had a very emerging team. A lot of very young athletes were trying out, and everyone was recovering from the time lost because of the pandemic. So we gained quite a few more junior members which really brings excitement to the growth of the program,” Mr Gravina shared his thoughts about the dynamic of the team. This year’s diverse team consisted of 21 members, around half of the total students who tried out.
After his outstanding performance at both ROPSSAA and OFSAA, Anfaal Butt gave us an insight into his rookie season. “At first, I wasn’t planning on joining the club. But after being motivated by my friend who wanted me to join, I found my passion for the sport. Through the ups and downs of this season, I was happy to place seventh at OFSAA. Next year, I plan on going again with more teammates.” Like Butt, most of this year’s team completed their first year of wrestling and will be back for more next season.
Overall, this year’s wrestlers had an exciting season due to their strength, hard work, and resilience with the guidance of the coaches.
THE NORTH STAR 