Rivalry Night at Norwell
Hat Tip Katelynn Farley
More than 100 elementary-aged students from several surrounding counties gathered at Norwell High School on Friday, December 20th, for a wrestling “Rivalry Night” during which students are given an opportunity to gain time on the mat and learn the art of the sport. Schools involved include Norwell, Bluffton, Belmont, Jay County, Southern Wells, South Adams, Adams Central, Leo and Crestview.
Both boys and girls from kindergarten through fifth grade were in attendance. With the 2024-2025 school year being the first year for girls’ wrestling to be a fully sanctioned Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) sport, more and more girls are joining the sport. One such athlete, fourth grader Aubrielle Dillon, has been wrestling for two years. She enjoys that she “gets to throw people” and plans to continue wrestling for years to come. When asked what she would say to her older self, Aubrielle said, ”Keep pushing hard, stay low, and just make sure to never get in your head.”
Head coach of the Norwell wrestling club Jeramey Hicks praised the program for its outreach in the wrestling community and for how it helps develop young wrestlers.
“The tournaments through the state are much more expensive, much more unreachable - so for us to have a local setting for our kids to get matches, even if it’s just informal, it’s a huge benefit,” Hicks said. “And it’s huge to get all of these kids together so they can develop a passion and also to know where their readiness is.”
Wrestler Ivan Hicks, fresh off a win from one of his matches, said his favorite part of wrestling was “all the takedowns and the good sportsmanship.” His message to his future self was “just do your best and have fun.”
Jeramey noted that one of the key components to a night like this being successful is the involvement of the community. Parents and students alike volunteered their time to serve as referees and to keep track of points and times. Norwell High School senior Cody Cox was present to run one of the score-keeping tables, and had this advice for the young wrestlers in attendance:
“Use this time to improve because as an elementary schooler, the wrestling you’re doing isn’t as serious, but it’s slowly going to progress into more important things. And just use this to get more mat time and value the technique and hard work you’re putting in.”
According to volunteers at the event, Rivalry Night has been going on for nearly 10 years.
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