A Holy Trinity Academy Knight is taking full advantage of his lack of size by hitting the wrestling mat — an advantage he couldn’t use while on the school’s football team.
“I liked football but I didn’t see much action,” Christian Nori said. “I’m only 50kg and I thought I could hold my own, but in some circumstances I thought my weight was a disadvantage.”
Nori’s size wasn’t a disadvantage to Okotoks Wrestling Club coach Doug Watkins. As far as he his concerned good things come in small packages — especially in the form of a smart, athletic and highly competitive athlete.
“Christian is the kind of athlete that when you teach him something in practice he applies it to his wrestling,” Watkins said.
The veteran coach, who likely hasn’t seen the days of weighing 50kg since he was in grade school, said wrestling is ideal for smaller athletes because they are competing against individuals who are their same size.
Nori had a rude awakening in his first tournament when a filing glitch had him wrestling at the elite level rather than as a novice at a meet in Wetaskiwin in late November.
“I went straight to the elite,” Nori said. “I would have liked a little more experience before being thrown into the elite side, but oh well.”
He won one of his three matches in Wetaskiwin. He also found out, unlike football, wrestling doesn’t have mini breaks for a huddle after 12 seconds of action.
“I had no idea how tiring wrestling is,” Nori recalled with a laugh. “I was just dead tired after the first round.”
He improved considerably for his next meet.
Nori was able to reach the podium at the Bowness Ho Ho Ho Wrestling tournament prior to the Christmas break.
“I had only two practices before Wetaskiwin,” Nori said. “Winning the silver brought up my confidence, but it kind of brought me down — I don’t like losing.”
He finished 1-1 in Bowness. He outscored his opponent in his one victory, but in his loss, he injured his back and went into a defensive shell.
“I blew it in the first round, I was up 6-4 and I left an opening and I lost with four seconds left,” Nori said. “I kind of injured my back and neck and in the second round I wrestled too defensively.”
He has taken a real liking to the sport and he spent part of his Christmas holiday training at a wrestling camp at the University of Calgary.
“A year ago I never would have thought I would be doing that,” he said.
It took him a while to take up the sport after years of gentle coaxing from a well-known coach and a champion wrestler — his rugby coach Joe Buck and wrestler Reid Watkins.
Nori’s goal this season is to practice hard and hopefully finish in the top five at the rural provincials in February and qualify for the provincials later in March.
Coach Doug Watkins said he is optimistic about Nori’s chances.
“Christian is turning into a darn good wrestler,” he said. “At the Christmas camp, Christian was really developing quickly. He was absorbing things like a dry sponge.”
