Barbara Lawlor, Gilpin County. Inviting 400 wrestlers from around the state to compete in the Gilpin School gyms is a daunting concept. Especially when you know the athletes will bring their parents and friends and siblings and grandparents and cousins.

But the Gilpin County Youth Wrestling put it together and hosted the mob at the school on Saturday, Nov. 4 as part of the Metro Junior Wrestling League season. It is the third year in a row that Gilpin has made the event a success. A huge success according to the organizers.

It was the MJWL kickoff for the 2017-2018 season and it was a super energized, fantastically noisy, highly dramatic athletic experience.

The younger wrestlers competed in the old gym and their families packed the bleachers. Every now and then one of the little ones would walk away from a losing match looking for their moms even though they knew it wasn’t cool. When they won, they always remembered to shake their opponents hand before they jumped up and down with joy.

The older athletes competed in the newer gym, where many coaches and dads shouted out moves their child should be making.

Ref’s whistles cut into the voice din to signal the end of the matches.

Being a part of this huge tournament is something these wrestlers will never forget.

The kids wrestled very well against very high level competition.

Bradley Robinson U14 75lbs 1st

Kamron Brewer U14 95lbs 2nd

William Siegrist U14 175lbs 2nd

Mason Sechler U10 90lbs 2nd

Joey Morgan U12 85lbs 3rd

Ben Zeckser U12 130lbs 3rd

Ryan Hanssen U10 90lbs 3rd

Gilpin teacher Su Henry ran the concession stand to raise money for the class of 2020. The stand made over $2000 during the event.

(Originally published in the November 9, 2017 print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)