Bryan L. Fuell
The Virginia Gazette
Most of the land is desert or semi-arid. It covers a diverse range of habitats, from koala bears to tropical rainforests.
A stark contrast from Williamsburg, Lafayette High wrestler James Lipford recently traveled to Gold Coast Australia as part of the International Down Under Wrestling Competition July 5-16.
The group spent eight days in Australia and three days in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the way home.
“It was an unbelievable experience, and it was pretty cool to wrestle a lot of guys from other different countries, “said Lipford, who is headed to Virginia Commonwealth University to study computer engineering.
“I saw things that I will probably never get the chance to see again.”
Lipford was nominated by his high school wrestling coach to be part of this great experience, from his past successes on the mat in high school.
He represented Team Northeast, which included wrestlers from Wisconsin (7), Minnesota (2), New Jersey (1), New York (1) , South Carolina (1) and Virginia (1).
The competition consisted of three parts ” Beach Wrestling, Individual International Tournament and the Team Dual Tournament.
In the Individual Tournament, Lipford finished fourth, and Team Northeast took third place overall. Several of the wrestlers from the United States were state qualifiers and/or state place winners from their respective states.
Each wrestler is coached by his individual team coach, but competes as an individual in the tournament.
“James is a great kid and a good competitor on the mat, said Team Northeast wrestling coach Matt Hill. “He wrestled some very tough competition and was able to hang right with them.
“I would give anything to have a team of James Lipfords. He is a great kid with a big heart”¦ a very nice kid on and off the mat, “Hill continued.
The event is sponsored by International Sports Specialists Inc., an organization that has sent athletes to Australia for the past 18 years.
This summer between 1,500 and 2,000 athletes from the United States have traveled to Gold Coast Australia to compete.
Wrestling Gear
