The Salmon Arm Wrestling Team made its mark at the British Columbia Wrestling Championships in Abbotsford on the weekend.
Nine wrestlers from Salmon Arm travelled to the provincials, with one of them, in a first for Salmon Arm, bringing home gold.
Grade 9 student Shay-Lyn Steiger finished first in the 40-kilogram division.
“Shay-Lyn is tenacious,” said Richard Sweet. “In her final match, she defeated the girl that beat her in the zones.”
Ray Munsie taught the wrestlers the technical aspects of wrestling, while Sweet taught them conditioning. Sweet notes that Steiger is only 36.6 kg but fights in the 40-kg division.
Travis Colonna claimed fourth in the 110-plus kg. division.
The other Salmon Arm Secondary wrestlers competed hard but were knocked out of their draws in two or three matches. Riley Jackson was forced to withdraw from competition after sustaining an injury.
“The team was awesome. They’re an awesome group of kids, just fantastic,” said Sweet. “They worked hard every day, they represented us well at all meets – the community and the school – and at this one too. They’re fantastic kids, I can’t say enough about them.”