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USA Everett Wrestling Team Press Release Page

Contact Dave Gilbertson for additional info 425 338-0266 or Office 425 745-4430

February 20, 2000

The Washington Mat Classic took place at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, WA on February 18-18, 2000. The Mat Classic is the Washington State Championships for high school wrestlers and is one of the largest in the country with over 38,000 spectators attending over the two days. The USA Everett Wrestling Team had a number of high school age wrestlers competing for various high schools. Five of the wrestlers won state titles and it would have been six except that Graham Morin and Tyson Springer met at the same weight class in what was called the "3A match of the night". Morin won the hard fought battle by a score 10-8, the same score by which he beat Springer the week before in overtime at the District Championships at Jackson High School in Mill Creek, WA. Both of these wrestlers were nationally ranked at the time of the match with Springer 6th at 160 and Morin 3rd at 171. Jon Sharpe of Monroe High School won his first state title after finishing as a runner-up in 1999. Sharpe defeated Hopper Pearson of Ferndale in close fought 4-2 match by taking Pearson down with 10 seconds left in the bout. Sharpe also took first in the prestigious Tri-State tournament early this year for the second year in a row.

Mike Christian from Lynnwood High School, the number one ranked 215 pounder in the nation, took first place for the second year in a row to complete an undefeated senior season. Christian also took first place at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December of 1999, known as one of the toughest tournaments in the nation for high school wrestlers. The last wrestlers with an affiliation to USA Everett were Israel Silva of Marysville and Jared Wright of Mariner High School. Silva completed an undefeated season by winning the 275 lb division 4A division while Wright took first place in the 145 lb 4Adivision.

AAA State Championships at Tacoma, WA

Jon Sharpe, Monroe, age 18, 1st at 140 lbs, Graham Morin, Bellingham, age 18, 1st at 160 lbs, Tyson Springer, Snohomish, age 18, 2nd at 160 lbs, Kip Jones, Burlington , age 18, 4th at 171 lbs, Mike Christian, Seattle, age 18, 1st at 215 lbs.

AAAA State Championships at Tacoma, WA

Andy Aichle, Everett, age 18, 8th at 130 lbs, Jared Wright of Mariner High School, age 18 1st at 145lbls, Israel Silva, Marysville, age 18, 1st at 275 lbs.

USA Everett Wrestling competed at the North West Junior Collegiate Championships in Portland, OR on February 12-13, 2000. They had a total of 12 wrestlers place in the top 5 of the tournament. Leading the way with 1st place finishes were Zack Zweifel, George King, Jonny Gilbertson, Nathan Decker and Tony Kubec. For Zweifel and Gilbertson this completed a "Northwest Triple" in which they both won gold at the Oregon Classic, the Washington State Folkstyle Championships and the Northwest Collegiate Championships, the three biggest junior folkstyle tournaments in the Northwest. At this meet Zweifel and King both lost a match in the preliminary rounds but made it to the finals and beat the wrestler that had defeated them earlier in a rematch . Decker was down 2-1 in the last round of the finals when he made a sudden counter for a takedown to take the lead and then pinned his opponent. Kubec dominated his division and pinned his opponent in the finals.

The next competition will be the 1st annual USA Everett Freestyle Classic at Everett High School on February 26, 2000. This tournament is open to all wrestlers and weigh-ins are at the school gym on Wetmore from7-10 am. Wrestling starts at 10am. Complete results from the North West Junior Collegiate Championships in Portland, OR are as follows:

Midget:, Mount Vernon, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, Derek Garcia, Anacortes, 8, 3rd at 60 lbs, George King, Marysville, age 9, 1st at 65 lbs.

Novice: Kelly Kubec, Everett, age 11, 5th at 65 lbs, Tyler Owens , Everett, age 11, 2nd at 120 lbs.

Schoolboy: Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, Kenny Kubec, Marysville, age 12, 2nd at 70 lbs, Ross Lampers, Snohomish, age 12, 3rd at 75 lbs, Nathan Decker, Anacortes, age 12, 1st at 80 lbs, Michael Lomsdalen, Bow, age 12, 4th at 80 lbs, Tony Kubec, Everett, age 13, 1st at 105 lbs.

Cadet: Chet Slevin, Blaine, age 14, 2nd at 167 lbs.

AAA Region I Championships at Mill Creek, WA

Bryan Howsen-Gilbert, Sedro Woolley, 2nd at 119, Jonathan Decker, Anacortes, 3rd at 125 lbs, Jon Sharpe, Monroe, 1st at 140 lbs, Matt Cooper, Anacortes, 3rd at 140 lbs, Mathew Symons, Everett, 3rd at 145 lbs, Graham Morin, Bellingham,1st at 160 lbs, Tyson Springer, Snohomish, 2nd at 160 lbs, Kip Jones, 1st at 171 lbs, Tyson Peterson, Bellingham, 3rd at 171 lbs, Mike Christian, Seattle, 1st at 215 lbs.

AAAA Region II Championships at Seattle, WA

Taylor Lopez, Seattle, 1st at 189 lbs.

AAAA Region I Championships at Snohomish, WA

Chad Douglas, Everett, 4th at 130 lbs, Andy Aichle, Everett, 1st at 130 lbs, Cecilio Martinez, Everett, 3rd at 171 lbs.

February 6, 2000

No kids action this week for USA Everett but a number of our high school aged wrestlers placed at district level tournaments. For complete results check out the USA Everett Homepage link to wrestler results by date or by wrestler. Next stop is the NW Championships in Portland, Or on February 12-13, 2000. Should be a tough one.

January 30, 2000

USA Everett Wrestling Team competed at the WA State Kids Folkstyle Wrestling Championships in Blaine, WA on January 29, 2000. A total of 19 of the wrestlers placed in the top five of their age-weight division and 6 of them came away with State Championships. Winning State Championships were Zack Zweifel, Mount Vernon, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, Derek Garcia, Anacortes, age 9, 1st at 60 lbs, Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, Nathan Decker, Anacortes, age 12, 1st at 85 lbs, Tony Kubec, Everett, age 13, 1st at 105 lbs, Coby Jones, Everett age 13, 1st at 125 lbs with Garcia receiving the Outstanding Wrestler Award for his division.

Garcia battled teammate Sam Ottow in the finals and won a close fought 4-2 bout. Gilbertson did not allow any points to be scored against him during the competition while winning his fourth state title. His opponent in the finals was teammate Kenny Kubec and this was the third time they have met in a state finals match over the past five years. Tony Kubec was dominant in winning his division and had to defeat a four-time state champ from Spokane on the finals on the way to winning his fifth state title. Next competition for the team will be at the Northwest Collegiate Championships in Portland, OR on February 12-13, 2000 which will conclude the Folkstyle season. The Freestyle season will start with the USA Everett Freestyle Classic tournament to be held at Everett High School on February 26, 2000. This tournament is open to all ages. Check out the USA Everett website at http://www.usaeverett.com or call Dave Gilbertson at 425-338-0266 for additional information on this tournament or the team.

Top five placers are listed by age group.

Bantam: Andrew King, Marysville, age 8, 3rd at 60 lbs.

Midget: Zack Zweifel, Mount Vernon, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, Derek Garcia, Anacortes, age 9, 1st at 60 lbs, Sam Ottow, Snohomish, age 9, 2nd at 60 lbs, Al Collins, Mill Creek, age 8, 5th at 60 lbs, George King, Marysville, age 9, 3rd at 65 lbs.

Novice: Andy Duncan, , age 11, 4th at 60 lbs, Kelly Kubec, Everett, age 11, 3rd at 65 lbs, Kai VanLeuven, Mukilteo, age 11, 5th at 75 lbs, Zach Burnett, Lake Stevens, age 11, 2nd at 85 lbs, David Evans, Anacortes, age 12, 2nd at 105 lbs.

Schoolboy: Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, Kenny Kubec, Marysville, age 12, 2nd at 70 lbs, Ross Lampers, Snohomish, age 12, 3rd at 75 lbs, Michael Lomsdalen, Bow, age 12, 2nd at 80 lbs, Nathan Decker, Anacortes, age 12, 1st at 85 lbs, Blake Tate, Lake Stevens, age 12, 5th at 100 lbs, Tony Kubec, Everett, age 13, 1st at 105 lbs, Coby Jones, Everett age 13, 1st at 125 lbs.

January 23, 2000

USA Everett Wrestling Team sent a 13 man team to competed at the Oregon Classic in Portland, OR on January 22, 2000. Out of the 13 members that qualified, seven made it to the finals with three bringing home the first place gold. Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, and Chet Slevin, Blaine, age 14, 1st at 167 lbs repeated their performance of 1999 by winning their divisions for the second year in a row. Gilbertson also recorded the fastest pin of the day for Everett when he pinned his second opponent in nine seconds. Zack Zweifel, Mount Vernon, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, also took first place which goes along with a fourth place finish last week at the Tulsa Nationals in Oklahoma.

Four wrestlers came away with second place finishes. George King, Marysville, age 9, 2nd at 65 lbs was competing in the Midget division while Kelly Kubec, Everett, age 11, 2nd at 65 lbs was in the Novice division. Kenny Kubec, Marysville, age 12, 2nd at 70 lbs, wrestled in the Schoolboy division and met his teammate Gilbertson in the finals. Nathan Decker, Anacortes, age 12, placed 3rd at 85 lbs in one of the toughest divisions at the tournament. His two losses were to wrestlers that placed 1st and 3rd at Tulsa Nationals the week before. Tony Kubec, Everett, age 13, 2nd at 105 lbs was the final place winner and lost a very close bout in the championship match.

The next tournament for the team will be the Kids Washington State Folkstyle Championships on January 29, 2000 in Blaine.

Medal winners are listed by age group.

Midget: Zack Zweifel, Mount Vernon, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, George King, Marysville, age 9, 2nd at 65 lbs.

Novice: Kelly Kubec, Everett, age 11, 2nd at 65 lbs.

Schoolboy: Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, Kenny Kubec, Marysville, age 12, 2nd at 70 lbs, Nathan Decker, Anacortes, age 12, 3rd at 85 lbs, Tony Kubec, Everett, age 13, 2nd at 105 lbs.

Cadet: Chet Slevin, Blaine, age 14, 1st at 167 lbs.

January 16, 2000

Three members of U.S.A. Everett wrestling team competed at the 45th annual Tulsa Nationals. The team was comprised of Zach Zweifel, Jonny Gilbertson and Ross Lampers. This was the first time that any members of the team have gone back to Tulsa Nationals during the five years that we have been affiliated with the club. We have always heard how tough this tournament was and it lived up to its reputation! Brent Barnes told me a year that although his son Burke had won several USAW National titles, the Tulsa Nationals were so tough that he had never even medaled there. He was right! We have been to a number of national level events over the years but we have never seen the depth of competition that was present at each weight class at this tournament. The Tulsa Nationals is billed as the " Toughest Tournament in the World!" and I believe it is.

At Jonny's group, which was 12 and under 67 pounds, there were two 1999 Trinity Award Winners, two other wrestlers that I believe have won the tournament at least once, 2-3 Reno champions, two 1999 USAW freestyle All-Americans, etc.. I've never been to a tournament where I did not see a dramatic drop off in talent after the top 5-6 kids, until this one. At this tournament most of the 12 and under weight classes had high level kids at least 20 deep, probably more but I was unable to see all the matches. This tournament is well run and is definitely the place to go if you really want to test your kids against the best in Folkstyle.

Besides the U.S.A. Everett team, Washington state was represented by members of the Southwest Washington Wrestling Club (SWWC) which is out of the Battleground area. They competed as part of the Peninsula Wrestling Club of Oregon. The five members were Trevor Hall at 12 and under, 67; Peter Barnes at 12 and under, 73; Jacob Farmer at 12 and under, 84; Brandon Sitch at 12 and under, 88; and Eric Starks at 10 and under, 80.

Placing in the top six was tough for the Washington kids but the state did manage to win three medals at the tournament. Zach Zweifel (USA Everett) placed fourth in the 55, 10 and under group. Brandon Sitch (SWWC) placed fourth and Jacob Farmer (SWWC) also placed although I did not get the final placing for him. Trevor Hall (SWWC) went 1-2 and Jonny Gilbertson (USA Everett) went 2-2. Both failed to place. Both of them went down in identical fashion, giving up two points in 0-0 match's in the last seconds of the third round, Trevor with eight seconds left and Jonny at the buzzer. Ross Lampers (USA Everett) went 2-2 at 76, 12 and under but did take the eventual champion the full length of the match in losing to Jake Swenson by a score of 5-0. I did not see how Peter Barnes (SWWC) or Eric Starks (SWWC) did but I know they went out fairly early.

Besides the Washington kids that I mentioned here there were other NW entries that may be of interest to a number of you reading this. U.S.A. Cobra out of Portland, Oregon, had a large contingent at the tournament and put three of their members into the finals. Taking first place at 67, 10 and under was Alex Poore. His brother Andrew was also in the finals where he lost a very close decision at 88, 12 and under. Barry Johnson at 80, 12 under took first place and Bryson Gutches won his third-place match at 80, 12 under. Bryson may have been able to move up if he was able to have a challenge for second. I did not stick around after the finals so I don't know the final placing.

Ely Hutchinson of Alaska was the third member of the western regional group at 67, 12 and under (with Jonny and Trevor). He ended up taking third-place and in the process defeated a Trinity Award Winner from 1999 (Ben Ashmore) in a quarterfinal match and again in the bout for third-place.

Other 12 and under results are Victor Weideman 1st at 64, Jimmy Kennedy 1st at 67, Patrick McCaffrey 1st at 70 and Jake Swenson 1st at 76. Fifteen and under 75 had Brett Land in 2nd and Sean Conner of Idaho in 4th. The complete listings of all the final standings will most likely be out at the World of Wrestling website within 2-3 weeks.

January 11, 2000

Article in the Everett Herald today about the new allocation method for going to state.

These are the results of the Eastside Club that went to the Newberg Qualifier in Oregon.

Midget 65lb. Micheal McAlister 1st.
Midget 75lb. Taylor Johnson 2nd.
Novice 60lb. Ty Howard 1st.
Novice 80lb. David Howard 1st.
Schoolboy 90lb. Justin Davidson 3rd.
Schoolboy 95lb. Amberle Montgomery 2nd.
Cadet 103.5lb. OJ Hayden 1st.

January 9, 2000

19 members of the USA Everett Wrestling Team competed at the two Oregon Classic Qualifiers on January 8, 2000. The Oregon Classic has college, high school and young kids divisions and is one of the premier "kids" tournaments on the west coast. There are four qualifying tournaments located regionally in the state of Oregon and out of these four tournaments, 10 wrestlers per weight group will qualify to compete in the finals on January 22, 2000 at the Portland Memorial Coliseum.

USA Everett had a successful tournament in the qualifiers with 11 of the 19 wrestlers making the finals and 13 qualifying to go on to the finals. The team was led by Qualifier Champions Zack Zweifel, Thomas Hall Jr, Jonny Gilbertson, Nathan Decker and Chet Slevin. Medal winners are listed by age group.

Midget: Zack Zweifel, Mount Vernon, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, Thomas Hall Jr, Everett, age 9, 1st at 55 lbs, Al Collins, Mill Creek, age 8, 2nd at 60 lbs, George King, Marysville, age 9, 2nd at 65 lbs.

Novice: Kelly Kubec, Everett, age 11, 2nd at 65 lbs, David Evans, Anacortes, age 12, 3rd at 105 lbs.

Schoolboy: Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, Kenny Kubec, Marysville, age 12, 2nd at 70 lbs, Ross Lampers, Snohomish, age 12, 2nd at 75 lbs, Michael Lomsdalen, Bow, age 12, 3rd at 80 lbs, Nathan Decker, Anacortes, age 12, 1st at 85 lbs, Tony Kubec, Everett, age 13, 2nd at 105 lbs.

Cadet: Chet Slevin, Blaine, age 14, 1st at 167 lbs.

In addition to the Oregon Classic coming up in two weeks the team has four members that will be traveling to Tulsa, OK to compete in the 45th Annual Tulsa Nationals, which is billed as "The Largest most prestigious Jr. Wrestling event in the world!". Competing in Tulsa on January 14-15, 2000 will be Zack Zweifel, Mount Vernon, age 9; Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12; Ross Lampers, Snohomish, age 12 and Chet Slevin, Blaine, age 14.

The Eastside club from the Bellevue area also had a very strong presence in Newberg. I think they brought ten kids down and most of them were still in contention for titles at the day.

January 1, 2000

USA Everett Wrestling Team had one of it's members compete at the Banks Folkstyle Tournament in Banks, OR on January 1, 2000. Al Collins of Mill Creek, age 8, placed 3rd at 60 lbs in the 10 and under group. The rest of the team took the holiday weekend off but will be going in force to the Oregon Classic Qualifier in Newberg, OR on January 8, 2000. The team should have between 15-20 kids entered in the Qualifier.

December 26, 1999

It's a light time for the teams wrestling the next two weeks so today I'm taking some "Family Pride" time to note what I read in the paper today. The Seattle Times named "Seattle's top 10 greatest sports moments" and they had a huge photo of a boxing match at the top of the article. One of the boxers in the ring was my uncle and it was for the Heavyweight Championship of the World against Floyd Patterson. He was my hero while growing up and it was nice to see that even 40+ years later the writers remembered what a really big event that was for Seattle. The entire article can be read by clicking here.

From the Seattle Times:

Olympic champ takes on Floyd Patterson

The moment: Olympic heavyweight boxing champion Pete Rademacher of Grandview knocked down the reigning world heavyweight champ, Floyd Patterson, in the second round of one of boxing's strangest matches ever, at Sicks' Stadium.

The date: Aug. 22, 1957.

The story: "Never in the history of prize fights had there been such a ridiculous and successful promotion as this one," according to one wire-service reporter and recalled by Don Duncan in his 1989 publication "Washington, The First 100 Years." Who could argue? Jack Hurley, the promotional master, brought together the amateur and professional heavyweight champions for a title bout that attracted 16,961 fans and international attention. And when Rademacher, 28, knocked Patterson, 22, down for a count of four in the second round, all who were there knew they had gotten their money's worth. That Patterson went on to win with a sixth-round knockout added validity to the event. (Editors note: Hurley arranged the fight but it was uncle Pete's idea and he personally went out and raised the money required to sign Patterson for the fight from affluent people he had met. He didn't make any money on the fight and I remember asking why he did it. He simply said "I arranged it because I thought I could take him!!")

Prologue: Rademacher never again achieved the boxing fame he derived from winning the Olympic gold medal and from his first professional fight. Patterson proved to be an able champion until, years later, he ran into Sonny Liston. (Editors note: Although Pete "never again achieved the boxing fame..." he got out of it what he wanted, notoriety. He used the contacts he made to form a very successful business career in sports equipment manufacturing. He is now retired and spends his time running fund raiser golf tournaments for the American Cancer Society.)

Sports Illustrated picked him #32 in Washington state history, one place ahead of our auction guest who was #33

December 24, 1999

At the Reno Tournament of Champions Mike Christian of Lynnwood, Wash (USA Everett member). dec. Ray Bond of Wayne, Ohio, 9-6 to win the 215-pound title. Freshman Chris Finn of Westmoore, Okla., scored a reversal with two seconds remaining in the match to defeat Broken Arrow, Okla.'s Neil Phillips, 2-1.

December 20, 1999

The Tri-State tournament was held for high school wrestlers this past weekend in northern Idaho. The results were posted by the HardCorp Wrestle Club. Jon Sharp, a Senior at Monroe High School took 1st place at 135 for the 2nd year in a row. Lake Stevens High School was the team champion and also had two individual champions in Burke Barnes and Mitchell. Danny Klevin of Lake Stevens was runnerup.

December 19, 1999

Three members of the USA Everett Wrestling Team competed at the Sweet Home Tournament in Sweet Home, OR on 12/18/1999. Medal winners are listed by age group.

Age 9-10: Al Collins, Mill Creek, age 8, 1st at 60 lbs.

Age 13-14: Jonny Gilbertson, Everett, age 12, 1st at 70 lbs, Ross Lampers, Snohomish, age 12, 3rd at 75 lbs.

Next major action for the team will be on January 8, 2000 when the qualifying tournaments for the Oregon Classic are held. There are four qualifying locations and wrestlers must place in the top three at one of them in order to qualify for the finals at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on January 22, 2000. Last year USA Everett was able to bring home four championships from the Classic finals. My advice to our members, know where you truly stand with your competition when deciding where to attempt to qualify or you may not make the finals. Newberg is historically the toughest qualifier due to it's proximity to Portland and it's population. It will also give you the most matches if you're looking for mat time. The point is, if we have 2-3 kids at one weight class at the same qualifier, and someone from another club is better, some of our kids may be wrestling each other in looser out matches (kind of like what they did in Washington state with the new qualifying rules for the High School State Meet) . We have had kids compete in groups as large as 24 at Newberg where a top three finish is a lot tougher than say a 6 man bracket somewhere else. On the other hand, you may have the 3rd best wrestler in the NW and the top two show up at the same qualifier( The Dalles, etc.) and your kid is out since only the top two qualify at two of the tournaments. Just something to think about, depending on the known level of competition your child has (and where they come from) or what your goals are (lots of potential matches or to have the best shot at attending the Classic Final).

December 14, 1999

USA Everett Wrestling Team competed at the NW Team Championships in The Dalles, OR on 12/11/1999. Because of scheduling difficulties only 6 team members were able to attend the meet. I was unable to attend the meet and I did not hear how USA Everett did in the team scoring but based on the small turnout (we needed a 10 man team) I imagine it was well down in the pack. Among the teammates unable to attend were 6 USA Everett wrestlers that were in the finals at Seaside three weeks ago. The team had 2 members receive 1st place awards in George King and Jonny Gilbertson. I was told that George King wrestled well and won a tough final against Brock Gutches (how many Gutches are there anyway?) by a score of 2-1. Jonny Gilbertson won two exhibition bouts and then lost a third exhibition against Alex Poore 3-2 in overtime. Medal winners are listed by age group.

Age 9-10: Al Collins (Mill Creek, age 8) 5th at 55 lbs, George King (Marysville, age 10) 1st at 65 lbs.

Age 11-12: Zach Burnett (Lakes Stevens, age 11) 2nd at 85 lbs.

Age 13-14: Jonny Gilbertson (Everett, age 12) 1st at 70 lbs, Ross Lampers (Snohomish, age 12) 2nd at 75 lbs.

The next major tournaments in Oregon will be the Classic Qualifiers on January 8, 2000. The closest for Everett will be at Newberg (top 3 qualify) or The Dalles (top 2 qualify).

December 2, 1999

Nice article in the Everett Herald today about Burke Barnes and his father. Click on this Everett Herald link for a pre-season look at WESCO wrestling.

November 28, 1999

In their first out of state venture for the 99-00 season the USA Everett Wrestling Team came out firing on all cylinders. They competed at the Pacific Coast Championships in Seaside, OR on November 27, 1999 and placed 9 out of its 13 man traveling team into the finals. 6 of the finalists took first and 2 of the 2nd place wrestlers lost to USA Everett teammates in the finals. The next competition for the team will be at the Northwest Team Championships in The Dalles, OR on December 11, 1999. Team medal winners from the Seaside tournament are listed by age group.

Age 9-10: Zack Zweifel 1st at 55 lbs, Derek Garcia 2nd at 60 lbs, Sammy Ottow 3rd at 60 lbs, George King 1st at 65 lbs.

Age 11-12: Kelly Kubec 1st at 65 lbs, Kai Bruno 5th at 70 lbs, Zach Burnett 2nd at 85 lbs.

Age 13-14: Jonny Gilbertson 1st at 75 lbs, Kenny Kubec 2nd at 75 lbs, Ross Lampers 5th at 80 lbs, Michael Lomsdalen 6th at 80 lbs, Nathan Decker 1st at 85 lbs, Tony Kubec 1st at 115 lbs.

November 24, 1999

Check out the results from the CLIFF KEEN KICKOFF CLASSIC back in Tulsa, OK. Several kids from Alaska and Oregon did well. Alex Poore from McMinnville, OR took 1^st at 67 10 & Under. In the 12 & Under division Mike Carlson of Wasilla AK (last years USAW National champ at Novice 75) took 1^st at 80, Bryson Gutches of McMinnville, OR was 3^rd at 84 and Andrew Poore of McMinnville, OR was 1^st at 88. Congratulations to Lance Palmer who was part of the Ohio All-Stars that came and wrestled against USA Everett last July. He took the 12 & Under 70 lb group. I see that the 2^nd place kid was a USAW National Folkstyle champ and WOW Trinity winner last year while the 3^rd place wrestler was a USAW double champ in freestyle and Greco!! Tough group!!

October 12, 1999

If you look at the Division I College rankings it is nice to see that 2 out of the 10 number one ranked wrestlers are from the state of Washington (165 1. Kirk White, Boise State , 174 1. Otto Olson, Michigan). It's pretty sad that Washington doesn't have a Division I program anymore that these guys, and others, could compete on.

I just saw this today about Terry Brands retiring.

September 21, 1999

Check out the rankings that Alex Delepena did at the HardCorp Wrestling Club. That was a lot of work to figure out all the scoring to get an overall ranking but it sure is fun looking through it. USA Everett had four wrestlers ranked 1^st with Kenny Kubec and Jonny Gilbertson and Chet Slevin being the only three wrestlers scoring over 20 pts. These are just "rankings" for fun and there are a number of other kids that had they gone to Nationals would have scored over 20 pts (Trevor Hall, Jay Carlile, Kurt Swartz, OJ Hayden, Kelly and Tony Kubec, etc). Keep an eye on the HCWC web page this year, Alex has a lot of good stuff on it!! Even though these rankings are not anything official it was nice to see the that highest ranked wrestler in each of the three groups was a USA Everett wrestler. Chet Slevin (listed as Blaine) practiced with us and listed USA Everett as his club after kids state thru Western Regionals and the AAU Grand Nationals.

Justin Springer is currently second assistant coach at North Idaho College. He also plans to keep wrestling Greco. He is still going to school in Coeur d'Alene, through the University of Idaho, and North Idaho College. Justin plans on attending school until he graduates with a teaching certificate.

September 8, 1999

Congratulations to Bradley Schwartz of Auburn, Wash for placing third at the FILA Freestyle Veterans World Championships in Bucharest, Romania, September 2-5. Bradley competed in the 167.5 lbs./76 kg in Div. A (35-40 years). In Div. C (46-50), Ronald Cole of Auburn, Wash. ( 213.75 lbs./97 kg ) placed fourth.