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John Russell

John Russell's sports column appears Sundays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 871-4209 or e-mail jrussell@SteamboatToday.com.

All you need to do is enter the high school weight room on the first day of winter practice and you can sense the battle that is being waged in Steamboat Springs.

There you will find a group of young men ready for a season on the mat. They've ignored urges to flock to more glamorous sports like hockey, basketball and skiing to carry on a Steamboat tradition that stretches generations.

Over the years, the number of athletes who have wrestled for Steamboat Springs High School varies from a time when wrestlers lined up to compete under Carl Ramunno to a time more recently when the number of wrestlers dwindled so low that many wondered if the sport would survive in Steamboat.

The sport has managed to hold its own the past couple of seasons, and there are many in our community who are working hard to nourish future teams.

The members of the Yampa Valley Wrestling Club are on the front line of a movement to make sure that the sport is not forgotten among all the sports now offered. They are hoping the club will attract new recruits and help keep the athletes they have interested past the peewee and junior high levels.

Wrestling's "tough-man" image makes the sport a hard sell to today's youth. Athletes are faced with grueling workouts and strict diets.

The sport offers something that can't be duplicated in most sports. It offers athletes the chance to step up and prove that they are the best. Being second best in wrestling normally means you will end up on your back. In wrestling, athletes can see the results of hard work, sacrifice and dedication within the span of a few minutes - the time it takes to hold a match on the mat. But it seems that the experience lasts a lifetime. The athletes who embrace the sport embrace it for life.

In Steamboat former wrestlers support the sport years after graduation.

Many of them love to share their stories and are always happy to tell you how the sport has impacted their lives. Many come back to be coaches.

It was that love of the sport the sparked a group of parents and coaches to start the Yampa Valley Wrestling Club a few years ago.

Since then, they have reached out to young wrestlers in our community with encouragement, coaching and a place to continue their sport.

Sure, the odds are against them, but just like the wrestlers they are supporting, they refuse to go down without a fight. The group's efforts seem to be working.

To learn more about the Yampa Valley Wrestling Club or to get involved in the sport, contact Michelle Caragol at 879-8527.