Wrestlers aren’t the only ones determined to throw down at the USA Wrestling Cadet and Junior national tournament in the Fargodome.
Families and friends of nearly 3,500 competing grapplers are likely to drop some heavyweight cash on merchandise over the next week.
Joe Miller of All American Wrestling Supply anticipated pulling in close to $200,000 for the weeklong event that kicked off Saturday.
The Madison, Wis.,-based family business arrived Wednesday with eight staffers, three vans and a 26-foot trailer hauling gear, T-shirts, commemorative pins, videos and DVDs.
In the southeast corner of the Fargodome concourse, All American goods range from five pieces of Quench Gum for a dollar to $35 sweatshirts.
The big movers are anything with the USA Wrestling logo, which features two opponents silhouetted by a map of the continental United States.
“You could put that on a lunchbox and we’d sell a couple hundred,” Miller said.
He estimated the 800 T-shirts with the emblem will be sold out by the middle of the week, so he’s already arranged another batch of the $15 shirts.
More of a niche item, the pink “Wrestler’s Mom” T-shirts are big sellers as well. Miller said more than 200 of the maternal Ts sold at a Mother’s Day tournament this year.
Jammie Osterman of Carson City, Mich., wore the pink T-shirt she bought at an earlier tournament. She has five or six similar shirts to wear when her son Daniel competes.
Meanwhile, Darla Blake of Wapello, Iowa, perused the selection.
“I’ve been looking at them, but I haven’t decided,” she said.
Her son Wyatt, fresh from a victory, was more interested in scouting shoes and muscle T-shirts in the Asics store across the way.
“For us, it’s not as much about sales as it is marketing products,” said Neil Duncan of Asics, while rolling up free posters. “It’s the best kids in the country competing here, so we want to get our gear on them.”
The athletic outfitter is showcasing new shoes endorsed by Olympian wrestlers Cael Sanderson and Rulon Gardner as well as biomorphic compression clothing and Quantum ear guards. A muscle T-shirt displaying a cauliflower ear (swelling and deformation caused by too much abuse) stated, “Unless you want one of these…” on one side, with the other reading, “you need a Quantum.”
Trudi Johnson of Oologah, Okla., said she doesn’t need a T-shirt to show pride in her son Corey, who competes today.
“I let his wrestling speak for itself,” she said.
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