Wrestlers size up the competition
Tournament at Shirk draws 400 athletes
By Douglas Hamm
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BLOOMINGTON — Gianni Ontiveros could have spent his Saturday chilling out at the pool while awaiting the start of his freshman year at Heartland Community College.
Instead, the recent Bloomington High School graduate followed his heart and hit the mats for the second annual State Farm Midwest Nationals wrestling tournament.
“Competitively, I’m done, “Ontiveros said. “I’m just doing it for fun and to see how far I can go.”
Ontiveros was among more than 400 wrestlers — nearly double last year’s total — from 10 states who turned Illinois Wesleyan’s Shirk Center into a grappling extravaganza.
After a rousing opening by 1972 Olympic gold medalist and former University of Iowa coach Dan Gable, matches began on six mats in the main gym and several more on the adjacent indoor track. The action was fast and furious, which was just the way the wrestlers wanted it.
“It’s a lot bigger than last year, “said Ontiveros, a Class AA state qualifier at 140 pounds. “There’s a lot more people from a lot more different places coming here and giving us tough competition.
“It’s really, really tough. I know in my bracket alone there’s about three or four state placers. Everybody is just trying to get some mat time. If you want to get better, you’ve got to get mat time, and the closest place other than this is suburban Chicago.”
Eureka High School senior Jeff Pruitt won a rugged first-round match and reflected on a sport that may not draw headlines but always attracts a rabid following.
“There’s a whole lot of training that goes into wrestling, “Pruitt said. “I’ve had a full summer so far. I’ve already been to a couple of camps, and I’ve got two more camps coming up in the next two weeks.
“This is just one way to show what I’ve learned and find out what I need to do to get better. It’s fun. If you’re a wrestler you know what it’s like to be out there and hear everybody cheering for you. It’s sort of a pride thing. It’s a team sport, but you’re the one out there. You’re the one everyone is counting on to win your match.”
There was much more than personal pride at stake for Ontiveros and the other Pantagraph-area wrestlers who competed in age divisions ranging from third-graders to college.
“A lot of kids around here want to wrestle, and this tournament brings everybody in, “Ontiveros said. “It’s Bloomington-Normal wrestling, and Illinois is one of the best wrestling states. You know you’ve got some tough guys around here, and the out-of-state guys want to get into the competition.
“It feels really good to know people are coming from all around the country to wrestle you.”
Pruitt was competing in his first summer tournament, but he promised it won’t be his last.
“I’m going to get into as many (tournaments) as I can, “Pruitt said. “It’s one of those things where everybody who is anybody is going to be here. I mean, Dan Gable’s here, .and you know he really enjoys it.
“There’s nothing better than to know people that have done it and enjoy it. I’ve tried every sport, literally, and wrestling is the only one I’m sticking to.”
Pat Luther of Mokena, who brought his son Casey to the tournament, plans to make the Midwest Nationals an annual stop.
“More and more in the last few years there have been more tournaments and opportunities for the kids to wrestle, “said Luther, who wrestled at Cornell College in Iowa. “Part of it is like Dan Gable said. A lot of colleges used to have wrestling but it’s dried up. When I was in college we wrestled Illinois State, and they were very good.
“It’s just a matter of giving kids the opportunity, and they’ll show up. My son has been to six or seven tournaments. It keeps him busy. Kids need outlets like this that are positive if they don’t work during the summer. Another part of the deal, too, is finding out what tournaments are all about
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