by Beth Cravey
The popular former Ridgeview High School wrestling coach whose March firing led to protests from students and parents will open a new wrestling and fitness training center in Middleburg Florida.
The center will host Christopher McNealy’s Pin-N-Win Wrestling Club Inc., a non-profit amateur wrestling club he established while he was at Ridgeview.
The grand opening will be held from 10-11 a.m. The center is located at 4289 County Road 218., Suite 107, Middleburg.
Club membership is open to ages 5 to 18 year olds, as well as adults. Activities are held at the center on Tuesday and Thursday nights.
For fees and other information, go to pin-n-winwrestlingclub.com.
Ridgeview wrestling team members and parents descended on the March 17 School Board meeting saying that McNealy’s ouster was unfair and that he was made a “scapegoat “for recruiting violations. School officials denied that charge.
After a three-week investigation, Superintendent Ben Wortham upheld the decision made by Ridgeview principal John Westmoreland and Athletic Director Bob Adamson not to review McNealy’s contract. Wortham rarely intervenes in school-level personnel matters, and said at the time that he did so in this case only because of the “extreme “reaction of student wrestlers and parents.
McNealy, who had been at Ridgeview for seven years, retained his full-time job there as an Exceptional Student Education teacher’s aide.
Wrestling Gear
