Jackson Sargent taking down his opponent. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
WRESTLING
JAKE BELESKI
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The Featherston Amateur Wrestling Club returned with four medals after a successful trip to the New Zealand National Wrestling Championships in Dunedin.
It was a long weekend of wrestling for the Wairarapa Representative Squad, but a great experience for the squad to see some adult wrestlers in action, some of whom were in their 70s.
Wrestling is different from other sports in that the opportunities to compete regionally and nationally are not weekly like many other mainstream sports.
However, the training and commitment paid off with four medals being won.
Jackson Sargent returned with a gold medal for his efforts, while there were bronze medals for Spencer Telford, Nate George and Lucas Sargent.
It was a perfect start in the club’s re-entry into the national circuit after an absence of many years.
Featherston Amateur Wrestling Club has seven nominees in the Wairarapa Maori Sports Awards categories, and have been further rewarded with the club being chosen as a finalist in the Sports Team of the Year category, and Telford and Mali Liumaihetau being chosen as finalists in their respective categories.
The club wanted to acknowledge the passing of Mark Lovett, who was a longstanding member within the club and had many roles over the years.
The standout performance comes on the back of an equally impressive display at the Club Championships competition in September, held in Tauranga.
It was the first time Wairarapa had competed for about 10 years.
As well as winning a host of individual accolades, the team was awarded fourth in New Zealand for the under-10 grade and won the 10-13 grade for New Zealand, and finished fourth overall.
They also brought home Best Presented Club accolade.
Club committee member Danielle Sargent said after that event it was a special occasion for everybody who had worked hard to get the club back on track.
“It’s pretty exciting, taking into account that we were about a week away from shutting down a few years ago.
“It’s been lots of hard work behind the scenes for the adults in the club, and lots of hard work for the kids as well.”
