Youth wrestlers from across Southeast Alaska will have the chance to sharpen their skills on the mat in Wrangell later this month during a three-day intensive camp focused on the basics of the sport.

Volunteer high school and middle school assistant wrestling coach Sam Carney is coordinating with North Idaho College wrestling coach Cooper Thomas to bring the youth wrestling camp to the community center from July 23–25.

Carney and Thomas will lead the camp.

Carney also is one of the coaches of the Parks and Recreation Wolfpack youth wrestling.

The camp is open to wrestlers ages 8 to 18 and will run daily sessions from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. Registration costs $20 per wrestler, with all proceeds helping to cover cleaning and utility costs for the community center. Participants can register up until the day before the event.

Registration is available at wrangellak.myrec.com. Click on PROGRAMS and then scroll down and click on REGISTRATION.

Carney emphasized that the camp will heavily favor core movements, covering hand-fighting systems, snap-downs, the front headlock, finishing shots and shot defense.

“We will be drilling fundamentals,” he said. “There’s no such thing as practicing too much with the fundamentals. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a Division I champion, you can’t get away from the basics.”

He explained that while the camp will focus on foundational movements, the coaching staff plans to tailor instruction to the unique strengths of each athlete.

“There is no one single technique that will work for everyone,” he said. “Everyone has their own way of learning and doing things.”

The trick, he added, is to find out what works best for each individual. He noted that building physical habits is the key to success when matches get intense.

“Muscle memory is important, as you can’t allow yourself to get stuck thinking about your next move,” Carney said. “Muscle memory only comes from lots of repetition. A wrestler can’t afford to have reaction time impaired. You want to have one or two leg attacks that you can hit from any angle and position. You also want to have at least one escape you can execute in any situation.”

Depending on the final level of participation, wrestlers may also compete in scrambles on the final day of the camp to test their new skills.

Interest in the camp is already reaching well beyond the island. Carney said he has received phone calls from interested families and coaches in Juneau, Hoonah, Ketchikan and Petersburg. To accommodate the out-of-town athletes, organizers are looking into temporary lodging options.

“We’re trying to coordinate with some of the churches to see about providing housing during the camp,” he said.

Organizers are also working to secure meals for the attendees and are hoping to provide lunch for participants each day. Businesses or individuals who want to sponsor lunches or contribute to the event can contact Devyn Johnson at recreation@wrangell.com or call 907-874-2444.

The event relies heavily on cooperation between organizers and community resources to keep registration costs affordable for families.

“We really are thankful for all of the community support and the support from Parks and Recreation,” Carney said.