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City gets state wrestling tourney for fifth year

For what the president of the Huntington County Wrestling Club called an "unprecedented" fifth consecutive year, Huntington will again be the site of the Indiana State Folkstyle Wrestling Tournament.

The deal was contingent upon the wrestling club getting use of Huntington North High School for the weekend of March 12-14, which was approved by the Huntington County Community School Corporation two weeks ago.

That move sealed the deal for the tournament and its 1,200 competitors to return to Huntington and bring a weekend of wrestling as well as the positive economic gains that go along with it - including busy restaurants, booked motel rooms and shopping.

Prior to Huntington getting the tournament four years ago, it had never been held north of Indianapolis, notes wrestling club President Andy Eckert.

"This is unprecedented," he says, pointing out that the state organization president happily drives more than six hours each way to attend the tournament.

The Huntington North facilities, the solid way the tournament is run and the response from the people of Huntington all contribute to bringing the tournament to town, Eckert notes.

"Because we've done a better job not only putting the tournament on, but servicing the people that come here," Eckert says of Huntington's efforts. "They (ISWA representatives) love the community and they love the facility.

"Kudos to the tournament organizers from the state all the way down to the local level."

Eckert says the tournament - featuring the type of wrestling seen in high school and college - brings an average of 1,200 competitors to HNHS. The first year the tourney was held in Huntington, there were about 1,800 competitors, but ISWA organizers felt that number was too unwieldy and split out the younger wrestlers to another site. Still, at 1,200 competitors, Eckert believes that translates into more than 4,000 visitors in town.

"For every wrestler that we have, I figure you have at least two people with them ... and this is conservative, I would say you have between 4,000 and 6,000 people here," he notes.

That adds up to an economic bump of $300,000 for the weekend, Eckert says, using his own figures and estimates from the Huntington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The tourney also helps the local wrestling club give back to the community, Eckert relates, pointing out that the club has contributed more than $70,000 back into the local schools' programs in the last seven years - all without being asked.

"They don't have to ask," Eckert says. "We see a need and we fill it."

The club in the last four years bought five new mats at $45,000 total for the middle and high school programs, Eckert says.

The local club also has hosted summer camps for wrestlers, including last year bringing in former Indiana University coach Jim Humphries and his son, an NCAA national runner-up, and putting up all the necessary funding to do so.

"That's what you do when you care about the sport and the community and you have the funds available. You give the kids a chance to fall in love with the sport," Eckert says.

Another way the club benefits the community is being a resource for quality coaching for the county's schools, and providing the necessary equipment for the kids to participate. At one time there were three different wrestling entities within the county, Eckert says, but now the HCWC is the one entity, which makes for uniformity of coaching and approach.

And since the club has the funds available, Eckert says that any kid who wants to wrestle can, as they can "scholarship" those who cannot afford the club fee.

"Money is not an issue if a kid wants to participate," Eckert says.

"Everything we do benefits the kids. We're 110 percent behind every kid for every reason."