The Triple Threat wrestling club is beginning their second year of organization, hoping to add even more future wrestlers to their roster and spark an interest in the sport for everyone interested.

Director/coach Eric McKeever said after the success seen by the club last year, he feels more young people and their parents will want to take part, this season. “We ended up with about 25 kids overall last year,” he said. “We concentrated more on education and basics last year, and only did a tournament or two. This year, along with basics, we’ll do a couple more tournaments. The majority of the kids who participated last year will be back this year, and we’re hoping to see several new faces as well.”

An independent youth wrestling club, the Triple Threat Tornadoes will continue to educate and train future wrestlers, putting emphasis on teaching the basics of Folkstyle wrestling, along with wrestling techniques and mental attitude. The club will give individual athletes and their parents an idea of what is expected from the sport. Wrestling is generally misrepresented and misunderstood by just about everyone who is not a wrestler. The purpose of this youth club is to generate new interest and teach athletes and parents alike a better understanding of the sport.

“Kids can pick up a basketball or soccer ball and just go outside and practice, but wrestling is different,” McKeever said. “Somebody needs to first teach the kids what to do, explain the right’s and wrong’s, and then give them an arena to do it in.”

A demanding sport, physically, mentally and emotionally, wrestling helps in overall body health, body strength, body coordination, conditioning balance, mental attitude, and overall athleticism. Wrestlers will be divided by age and weight. All wrestlers will compete with only those within a reasonable weight limit for their particular age and weight.

The club will be accepting athletes that are in the first grade to the sixth grade, no experience necessary.

The cost to participate for the season will be $45 per athlete; $75 for two athletes in the same family; and $100 for three members of the same family. Practices will be held at the James Willison Family Center (old SHS high school gym) in Sistersville, with the first practice scheduled for Nov. 1 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. A parents meeting and sign-ups will be held on the same night from 6:30 – 7 p.m. Future practice dates/schedules will be handed out at this meeting.

The entry fee will include practice gear of T-shirts and shorts. Only wrestling shoes or socks will be worn on the mats, and knee pads and/or other wrestling gear is optional.

The season is expected to last until the end of March.

The staff will include McKeever, Brandon Grimes and Wayne McKeever.

Special guest appearances are scheduled to made throughout the season as well possibly including Tyler Consolidated High School wrestlers and head coach Chad Snider.

“If we just wanted to get a bunch of kids and throw them on the mats at a tournament every week, we could do that,” McKeever said. “Because I know from experience as a youth wrestler myself, there is a wrestling tournament every single weekend. But we want our kids to know what they are doing first before we take them to that level. We want them to learn and develop the basic skills, techniques and conditioning they need to succeed in the sport. And it’s not only for wrestling, this sport can improve an athletes abilities in other sports as well. The physical and mental fitness gained from wrestling alone will aid football, basketball, soccer, baseball and track athletes more than people realize.”

Sign up sheets for the Triple Threat will be available at several business locations in Sistersville, Middlebourne and Paden City, including the Fort, the BP in Sistersville, Lucy’s Restaurant, Barb’s Restaurant, and the Marathon in Paden City, as well as the Sistersville City Building.

Sign up sheets can also be turned in at the first practice on Nov. 1. All athletes in the first to sixth grade are invited to become a part of the only youth wrestling club in the area.

For more information contact McKeever at 771-2936.