Youth wrestlers work on their technique during their Monday evening practice at Grant Union. Their coach Mike Strong and several assistant coaches were on hand to help.

JOHN DAY – The Grant County Wrestling Club is in full swing, and their practice is paying off.

At the Pendleton Meet last weekend, which included 400 participants, 12 Grant County wrestlers competed for 27 wins, nine losses and 16 pins.

Last Monday, about two dozen of the local wrestlers started practice at Grant Union with warm-up stretches, push-ups and sit-ups.

After a demonstration of wrestling moves by coach Mike Strong, the athletes paired up and went to work.

Strong has coached the wrestling club for three years, and has help from several assistant coaches, including Ty Parsons, Drew Knowles, Mike Gast, Terry Harper, Zane Rookstool and Mitch Wilson.

Other volunteers include Tobe Zweygardt, Trevor Knowles, Steve Parsons, Rick Jensen, Cindy Dougharity-Spencer and brother Jake and Caleb Batease.

This season, 30 athletes are in the club, ranging in age from 5 to12 years old.

“We have a great group of coaches, and with that many young kids, we need a lot of coaches,” Strong said.

He said his team, which is an Oregon Wrestling Association for Youth Wrestling club, will attend five or six tournaments in Eastern Oregon during the season.

Strong said he hopes the success the young wrestlers gain in the program will carry over as they continue on to junior high and high school.

“Our goal for the wrestlers in the club is to learn discipline, respect, and most important hard work,” he said, adding their coaching centers on fundamentals – “learning the basics and doing them right.”