Cowboys wrestling program competes through summer

The Camp Verde wrestling program takes no breaks.

Young wrestlers from all around the West have been sharpening their skills in Camp Verde this summer through the bi-monthly Weekend Wars, and the Camp Verde High School team has been foreshadowing another successful season at tournaments in Colorado and New Mexico.

Since 2010, the Camp Verde High School wrestling program has hosted a series of matches in Camp Verde called the Weekend Wars. The Wars are open tournaments every other Saturday from April through September. Participation is free for wrestlers between the ages of 5 and 18. Scores aren’t kept, only times, eliminating the pressure of winning so wrestlers can focus on technique.

It has now grown into a big deal as 15,000 wrestlers from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Texas have come to participate. More than 100 coaches and parents volunteer, and wrestlers are able to get in 10 matches, if not more, at the Wars when usually they are only able to get in one or two at most tournaments.

“There are usually anywhere between 150 and 200 wrestlers in one weekend,” said Bob Weir, one of CVHS’s head wrestling coaches. “There are a lot of out-of-state tournaments and young kids, 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds.”

For the full story, please see the Wednesday, July 10 issue of the Camp Verde Journal.