Chatham Wrestling Club Has Athletes Pinned
A Chatham Wrestling Club member lifts his opponent – Contributed Photo
Operating out of Concept BJJ, the new club has 20 members, and is led by head coach Den Breault, as well as other volunteer coaches.
Many of the competitors also wrestle for the UCC Lancers.
According to head coach Den Breault, there are many reasons a parent might consider putting their child in organized wrestling.
“Wrestling provides a positive outlet for especially energetic boys and girls,” said Breault. “Wrestling is an individual sport, but also has a team component, and still teaches teamwork and the importance of working together. It is one of the few sports where a child’s foot speed, ball-handling skills, hand-eye coordination, and size do not matter. There is room for everyone and wrestlers only compete against others in a similar weight class. The perfect sport for the kid that is too small for football or hockey.”
With that said, Breault believes youth will thrive and learn from the competition.
“Wrestling competitively is tough, but teaches empathy at a young age because sooner or later, everyone loses a match. You get out of wrestling what you put into it. Your work ethic is rewarded with personal progress and self improvement.”
In Chatham-Kent, Breault hopes the Chatham Wrestling Club will see growth in the coming years.
“Ultimately as a club I hope to build the sport of amateur wrestling to a point locally that when I decide it is time to move on from coaching someone else is eager, prepared and willing to take up the role as head coach of the Chatham Wrestling Club and continue offering the community a chance to participate in wrestling.”
I have found that wrestling gives my Rugby players a massive appreciation for balance, technique and body control. That makes there transition to Rugby easy, and they are usually impact players right away.