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 June
26, 2008: The Salt Lake Tribune
Utahns Will Try to Defend Home Turf
by Dan Biddulph
For the first time in USA Wrestling
history, Utah will host the Freestyle and Greco-Roman
National Championships. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for wrestlers like Cameron Hunsaker, a
10-year-old from Highland.
Hunsaker is one of the top wrestlers in
the midget 55-pound class. He's only been wrestling for
two years but already has dreams of representing the
United States at the 2012 or 2016 Olympics.
This year, Hunsaker swept first-place
spots for his weight class at the state competitions for
Greco-Roman, freestyle and folk style. At the regional
tournament in Pocatello, Idaho, he placed third in
freestyle.
Now, he's on to nationals. Fortunately for
Hunsaker, it's not much of a trip from his home to the
MacKay Events Center in Orem.
Defending the home turf will not be easy
for Hunsaker, as well as the other 150 Utahns who
qualified for the national tournament. The event features
the nation's best wrestlers, ages 8-14. The tournament has
three age groups - midget, novice, and schoolboy, and each
age group has 13 to 17 weight classes.
Hunsaker said he knows it will take hard
work to win.
"I practice every day, I work out with my
dad, run a mile every day and walk on my hands to build
strength," he said.
Hunsaker also credits his success to his
coach, Cole Kelly.
Kelly is the coach of Rocky Mountain
Wrestling, Cameron's wrestling club, and also is the
tournament event director.
Kelly was selected for the position of
tournament director because of his experience coordinating
major state and regional tournaments.
To qualify, wrestlers must place in the
top eight in their weight class at the state competition,
then compete in the regional competition. In the past,
many Utahns who qualified for nationals could not make the
trip. Last year, 156 Utah wrestlers qualified for the
national tournament in Wisconsin, but only one went.
"This tournament is a great opportunity to
assess where they are at and to make goals," Kelly said.
USA Wrestling Freestyle and Greco-Roman
Nationals
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