By Jason Bryant
[email protected]
When Frank Lipoli calls my cell phone, it’s usually him running 100 miles an hour telling me about the next big thing he’s got planned. I’ve grown accustomed to the “Jason, it’s Frank “¦ call me, it’s important,” messages.
This morning was nothing of the like. It was somber.
Frank, who’s normally completely energetic, didn’t sound himself. Unfortunately for the Virginia wrestling community and those that knew a very respected wrestling fan and his bride, the news was saddening.
Having grown up in Virginia and covered the scene down there for nine years before coming up to Pennsylvania, there was a pair of folks I started to frequently see.
It started at local high school matches. I saw them there. Old Dominion dual meets. I saw them there. Middle School state tournaments “¦ I saw them there. Mat Town USA Invitational, I saw them there. NCAA championships. I saw them there.
The next tournament I attend, I will only see one of them.
Colon and Anna Baker were fixtures at national and state level wrestling tournaments for countless years. This weekend when I go down to the Virginia Challenge North American Beach Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach, Colon Baker will not be there.
We lost Colon on Sunday night after he battled colon cancer for the last four years. An avid supporter of his alma mater, Great Bridge High School, and his local Division I university, Old Dominion, Baker and his wife have traveled the country, filling out brackets and picking up countless friends along the way.
“Colon Baker was every wrestler’s biggest fan, “said Lipoli on Monday night. “He loved wrestling that much. ”
He was the captain of Great Bridge’s very first wrestling team back in 1958 and has attended the last 25 NCAA Championships. You might have seen him in St. Louis in 2005, the beard-clad Baker sat front row. He might have gotten more airtime on ESPN than some of the finalists.
Colon’s love of the sport in his later years earned him the position of President of the Virginia Challenge, a 501c3 non-profit organization aimed at bringing national-level wrestling competition to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The Virginia Challenge created a middle school state tournament to bridge the gap between youth leagues and high school programs, Colon Baker was there from the start.
Personally, Baker was one of the first people outside of my “circle” when it came to wrestling. As a brash 18-year old, Colon and Anna would always say hello to me at tournaments. I nodded, then not knowing much about the pair.
One time, Colon talked to me at an event I wasn’t announcing and offered some constructive criticism. Sometimes, some not-so-constructive criticism.
He cared about tact, respect and honoring the sport. One time announcing a regional wrestling tournament, I’d cracked a subtle joke over the PA. Colon was one of the first to let me know that it wasn’t professional.
That began to be a theme. Whenever I saw the Bakers at a tournament, I knew I had to be on my best behavior and “professional.” Anna’s fickle about her tournament brackets. Rather than get new ones each day or at the end of each round “she fills them out on her own, listening rather intently for the announcer to call out the results.
When I’d announce tournaments, I’d find Anna and Colon in the crowd and use Anna a pace car for announcing how fast I said the results.
This year’s 2006 Virginia AAA state tournament was no different. When coming across that first result, I scanned the crowd at Robinson Secondary School for the Bakers.
There they were.
“Bout number 1, 103 pounds, Shane Gentry, Colonial Forge winner by fall over Chris West of L.C. Bird “¦ 24 seconds,” I said.
I’d look at Anna writing.
“Gentry by fall, 24 seconds,” I repeated.
As she looked up, then I knew I could proceed. “Bout number 2, 103 pounds, George Billy of Robinson “¦.. ”
Next time I go to a tournament, it’s not going to be the same. I saw Colon and Anna briefly at the NCAA’s, but got to sit down with Colon after the CAA championships, have a beer and talk wrestling.
I really wish I could remember the last words I said to the man. Even though I only knew him for a sliver of his life, I’d like to think his words made an impact on me.
The impact they had on others was also great. Long-time volunteers at the state wrestling tournament and supporters, not just of Great Bridge High School, but Virginia wrestling in general, the Bakers lent a hand to many a wrestler trying to raise money to go to Fargo or other events.
Earning his respect was something I was proud of. Although, it might sound cliché, but actually, Colon will be at the next wrestling tournament I attend. He’ll have a spot on a bleacher, middle-way up, in the center.
He will be missed by many.
Message from Bill Pittman, the current president of the Virginia Challenge
I have known Colon Baker since I was a young boy growing up in Great Bridge.
Colon graduated in 1958 where he played football and wrestled for the Wildcats.
He and Anna were childhood sweethearts and married out of high school. Anna was a cheerleader for the Wildcats as well.
They were permanent fixtures at all Great Bridge High School wrestling matches following the boys around the country and supporting the program over the years.
They were also Old Dominion University Boosters as well.
Colon was past president of Virginia Challenge Wrestling and was an avid supporter of youth wrestling in the state of Virginia as well.
Colon will be missed by the entire wrestling community from the kids to the NCAA College Coaches and wrestlers.
A better friend you will never find.
Tony Sansone, Assistant Coach, Kellam H.S.
I have been part of Virginia wrestling for many years and I too have a similar story to yours about the Baker’s. I even asked (Mike) Benzel in the past who are those people because they are so extremely nice to me and are at every big tournament. They always come by to say hello, or give a pat on the back. They had these smiles on their faces at all times knowing and respecting what all the coaches, wrestlers, and parents were going through to put it on the line in front of these crowds. They appreciated the sport for what it is, and I can only hope that Mrs. Baker will be the stands come next season with a smile on her face. You wouldn’t know they were behind GB, they were behind VA. I am truly sadden by this news and I want Mrs. Baker to know she is my prayers.
The Bakers
517 Linkenborough Drive
Chesapeake, Virginia 23322
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