A provincial wrestling champion is hoping a rest is way better than a change.
Jordan Wallace, a Grade 12 student at Holy Trinity Academy, took the 2010-11 season off despite winning the provincial high school championship at 47kg the year before as a Grade 10 student.
“I just felt like I needed a rest or something,” Wallace said. “I had wrestled Canada (Summer) Games the summer before and it just seemed like I needed a break. But by the end of last season, I was starting to miss it.”
Wallace was fourth at the Canada Summer Games in PEI in August of 2009.
Wallace is back, but he hasn’t reached his golden touch yet this year as he is slowly getting back into form.
“When I came back from the Christmas break I started feeling I was more confident — that I was starting to get back into shape,” Wallace said. “When I won my first match this season, I got pretty excited.”
Wallace has earned points for the Okotoks Wrestling Club at every tournament he has been in this season. However, he is yet to earn a gold.
Part of the issue is high school boys tend to grow from Grade 10 to their Senior year.
Wallace is wrestling at 55kg this year.
“I am quite a bit stronger but the other wrestlers are a lot stronger than they were when I was at 47kg,” Wallace said. “There are also a lot more wrestlers at 55kg.”
The year’s rest helped restore Wallace’s enthusiasm for the sport, however, he admits it also cost him.
“I lost some of my experience,” Wallace said. “I feel I could have been a much better wrestler if I didn’t take it off. Right now, I’m trying to get back into shape.”
When Wallace won his provincial championship in March of 2010 it was in Calgary. It was close to his Okotoks home, but nowhere near as close as it will be this year.
Foothills Composite High School hosts the provincial championships on March 9-10. Wallace has to earn his way there. He must finish in the top five at the rural provincial championships in Bonnyville, Feb. 24-25.
“At rurals I definitely want to get gold and at provincials “I want to win a medal but my goal is to win gold,” Wallace said. “I’m pretty close to the top guys in my weight class. I still have a ways to go. I get into scrambles a lot and I end up losing to the tougher guys.”
Although he is behind after taking a year off, he admitted the alternative could have been hating the sport in which he has had success.
“That’s what it seemed like what was starting to happen,” he said.
Okotoks wrestling coach Doug Watkins said Wallace’s goals are achievable.
Watkins, who literally
produces national champions (sons Spencer and Reid), said Wallace does have some catching up to do after missing last season.
“It’s good to have him back for his senior year,” Watkins said. “I think he ended up missing wrestling last year as much as we missed him.”
Wallace still has work to do before he is back at100 per cent.
“Right now, he is about 85 per cent back, what we have noticed is his fitness,” Watkins said. “If his matches go three rounds, he’s quite tired.”
Watkins said he expects Wallace to do well at rurals and provincials.
“I would be surprised if he didn’t make it to the finals at rurals,” Watkins said. “At provincials anything can happen.”
The top five wrestlers at rural provincials advance to the provincial championships at Foothills Composite March 9-10.
