By TIM KELLY
For a dozen years now, Ocean City has been a center of the youth wrestling scene in the northeast U.S.
Each year, (save 2021 when COVID-19 forced the cancellation), the Ocean City Jr. Wrestling Last Call tourney has grown, and last Saturday was no exception.
“We had 560 kids participating this year, the most ever,” said Greg Young, the “mat master” of the annual event.
In addition to the kid wrestlers who range in age from kindergarten through grade eight, there were also many parents and fans on hand. This brought the visitors’ total to approximately 1,700 people, according to Young.
“We encourage our visitors to stay local, and many of them do just that,” he said. “We pride ourselves on having a positive business impact in town, especially outside of the prime tourism season.”
Young said the event utilized six mats, three each at the high school and middle school gyms.
Wrestling organizations were represented from all over the state and also from Connecticut, New York, Maryland and Delaware.
In many of the “outsiders” communities, COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, leaving the local event as the only option for young wrestlers.
“It’s nice to be back open, wrestling,” said Young, “and many of our families expressed the same feeling.”
Young said youth wrestling is exploding in popularity, including for girls.
“We hope to add some girls’ competitions next year,” he said.
The tournament charges $5 for admission, and in addition to schools and youth associations, Young said this year’s event also attracted some families of military veterans.
“We had one gentleman who traveled quite a distance at almost the last minute, and his son had to borrow a singlet,” Young said. “It was worth it for everyone to take part.”
A native of Cinnaminson, in the wrestling stronghold of Burlington County, Young extolled the virtues of the sport.
“Wrestling is a fantastic experience for young kids,” he said. “It is a sport that challenges and teaches lessons in discipline and self-sacrifice at an early age. We’re happy to help be a part of that for the kids and for the parents.”
