KOLAWOLE DANIEL, Abuja

TRADITIONAL wrestling which provides a source of entertainment to both the audience and participants has been part and parcel of Nigeria people’s recreational activities in the rural areas.

To add colour to the event, music, song and dance are always used to showcase the Africa culture, the traditional wrestling intends to promote.

Traditional wrestling, unlike the foreign form of wrestling is devoid of gladiatorial combats. Rather, traditional wrestling has been an event of healthy competition among the rural people to enhance festivity and promote friendly ties and peaceful co-existence among the dwellers.

But for the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), such event should also feature in the cities, so that people living in the urban areas can also enjoy the game.

To this end, Federal Capital Territory traditional wrestling championship was organized to create a forum for interaction among the youth, provide entertainment for the residents of FCT and to encourage mutual understanding among the six Area Councils in order to promote unity for national development.

By Chris Matthews
Oklahoma State Sports Information

They barely speak English. All they know is Greco-Roman. Yet, a team from Croatia ventured some 5,425 miles to participate in the Oklahoma State Wrestling Camp.

It has been a learning experience for a team making its first trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Dalibor Vracan, the coach for the Croatian team, says his boys are a little confused.

Four boys from Zagreb, the Croatian capital, aged 13 and 14 made the trip to attend the camp. It has been a positive experience for the group that are getting this opportunity.

Croatia is part of the former Yugoslavia in a part of Europe that has been at war for much of the last two decades. The boys were very young at the time, but are now in a time when Croatia can help kids.

The country is in a position where it can now help kids develop through sports. This opportunity came about from a sports director that had studied at Oklahoma State and told Vracan of this opportunity. It has been something entirely new for the four teens and their coach.

Wrestling transfers sue Virginia Tech

By Iowa City Press-Citizen

Five former members of the Virginia Tech wrestling team who have expressed their intent to transfer to Iowa filed a lawsuit Friday against their former school and its athletic director, Jim Weaver.

The wrestlers announced they would follow former Virginia Tech coach Tom Brands to Iowa when he became the Hawkeyes’ new coach in April, but Virginia Tech denied their immediate release from scholarship and said it would not grant the releases until after the 2007 season.

The wrestlers are claiming a breach of contract, saying before they signed with Virginia Tech, Weaver promised them they could transfer without penalty if Brands were to leave the program.

The wrestlers, who all came to Virginia Tech in the fall of 2004, are blue-chip recruits Brent Metcalf and Georgia native T.H. Leet as well as former Iowa high school standouts Jay Borschel, Dan LeClere and Joey Slaton. Without a release from Virginia Tech, the five will lose a year of eligibility and not be able to receive an athletic scholarship at Iowa for a year.

By Chris Gasiewski, Delaware State News
DOVER - The past few years, Ross Thomas opened the mailbox at his Smyrna home, awaiting a contract from the NCAA.

It never came.

Thomas never gave up hope, however, since the opportunity was still there to be an official at the Division I wrestling championships.

Hope prevailed on June 12 as Thomas finally received the letter. He said he’s the first official from Delaware to officiate in the NCAA championships, which begin in March 2007 at the Palace at Auburn Hills in Detroit.

“It’s kind of neat to be the first guy from Delaware to get the snip at it,” Thomas said. “That was kind of the goal.”

Not too many officials across the nation enjoy the opportunity either.
Division I coaches grade the officials after the qualifiers for the championships each year. The NCAA then selects the officials for the championships.

So how does the feat rank among a wrestling resume filled with accomplishments?

“This is probably the biggest thing I’ve done,” he said. “I was one match away from going as an athlete.”

Officiating gave Thomas a way to continue in wrestling after participating in the sport throughout high school and college.