Brewster to Host Youth Wrestling Tournament

If you want to see some great young grapplers take the mat, look no further than the Brewster Youth Wrestling Tournament.

The tournament will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 26 at Brewster High School. The tourney, which has been going on since 1988, draws kids from the local area, as well as Long Island, Albany, Orange and Ulster counties, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Tournament director and Brewster Wrestling Club President Jack Duncan said the tournament is very important to the development of the wrestlers who take part in it.

“The hours the kids spend in practice now translates onto the arena," Duncan said.

Duncan said that his hope for each kid who participates in the tournament is a positive experience.

“Win or lose, they’ll get life lessons along with the experience of competition," Duncan said.

Duncan said that the feedback from teams coming to Brewster has been almost all positive and he expects the same reaction at this year’s tournament.

“We try to be well organized and break the age groups' wrestling times,” Duncan said. “A parent won’t spend all day at our tournament. From registration to medal awards should be three hours.”

Brewster varsity wrestling coach Tom Looby feels the tournament is a very important factor for the long-range development of youth wrestlers who one day aspire to be varsity grapplers.

“I think it’s key to the success of the program,” Looby said. “It’s another tournament for the young wrestlers in the area to participate in. We’ve been doing it for years now. It’s been successful and we hope to keep it going. Kids come from all different teams and it’s a great day of wrestling for the younger guys.”

Looby called the tournament a stepping stone for the younger wrestlers. He stressed that it’s a place where they can learn the fundamentals of wrestling.

“They learn to enjoy the sport and have fun with it,” Looby said. “That carries over into the next level, all the way up the line to the varsity. The goal is to make sure the younger guys are having fun out there and hope they stick with it throughout their high-school career so they can be successful on the varsity level.”

Registration for the tournament, which is for ages 5-15, ends at midnight, March 23. Advanced, online registration will be accepted only, no walk-ons will be admitted.

To register, visit www.leaguelineup.com/brewster or contact Duncan at (646) 739-2061 or duncanj@coned.com.