Wee Wrestling

The Athens Youth Wrestling team, founded by Ohio University wrestling coach Joel Greenlee in 2003, is comprised of a dozen kids from the Athens area who all share a love for the sport of wrestling. “It’s fun… Making people cry, getting trophies,” says Andrew Curtis, 8. For many of the kids, it is a way for them to get rid of stress and anger, all the while building friendships that will last a lifetime. “I’ve been doing this since first grade. Once a wrestler, always a wrestler,” says Chip Stanzak, parent of Tucker Simmons and one of the team’s parent coaches. Today, the program has been handed over to Athens High School coaches Will Kaiser and Bill Finnearty.

While students are recruited at the schools, most discovered the sport through a friend who invited them to practice. “One went, then the other, then soon all three were wrestling,” says Ira Kasler, whose three grandsons all wrestle on the team. “I like to wrestle because you can get stronger. You can ger your muscles built up, so if someone’s trying to hit you, you can hit them back and they can be hurt more than you are,” says her grandson Justin.