Wrestling State Tourney

[mspart]

Years ago, WA WIAA began allowing Jr. Varsity wrestlers a chance at immortal glory by making them eligible for the State tourney.  The JV guy would have to wrestle in a district tourney to qualify for the District Tourney.   They would have to place top 4 to make it to the Regional Tourney and make top 4 to go to State.  The first year this was allowed, the Varsity kid and the JV kid made it through the Districts and Regionals.  They were then placed on opposite sides of the state bracket.  Guess who the finalists were?  Yep, the Varsity guy and his JV guy.  Talk about a deep weight at that school.  The varsity guy won the State championship with his JV guy taking 2nd.   This was at the lightest weight. 

Well, as luck would have it, the JV guy quit wrestling and decided to be a jockey.  I remember thinking what a shame that was for him to quit like that.  He was a stellar wrestler and giving that up.  Well it turns out, and should be of no surprise, he became one of the top jockey's in the Seattle area.  Vann Belvoir is his name.   Don't know what happened to the Varsity guy. 

Here is a brief story from Seattle Times.   The Bellevue Athletic Trainer was my HS wrestling coach, Jim Richards.  Vann became a top Jockey and then a top Trainer. 

https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19910621&slug=1290295

I just thought I'd share that with y'all.

mspart

[mspart]

Here's another article. 

https://www.auburn-reporter.com/sports/former-top-jockey-vann-belvoir-returns-to-emerald-downs-as-an-elite-trainer/

Just a fascinating story.  First year wrestling, took 2nd at State. 

mspart

[acguns]

That is a cool story.

My brother wrestled behind a guy for 3 years that was a 3 time finalist and 2 time champ. His loss in the finals was to Tom Brands. When he graduated and my brother got in, he was the runner-up his senior year. We had some great depth.

[RYou]

When I was a freshman we had 3 great guys, 2 at 98 and 1 at106. All frosh. 98 and 196 were undefeated going into the district tournament   The JV at 98 won his JV regional. The week before the the districts 106’s family takes him skiing and he misses practice. The coach sits him and moves the JV 98 up to 106. He entered with a 2-0 varsity record. He won his district and his regional at 106, placed 5th at the state tournament. The 98 he sat behind all season finished 7th. For the next 3 seasons those 3 guys won state titles.

Me, I was the JV 106 that got beat in a wrestle off with 98 to fill that 106 spot. Sophomore  season I had my kneecap smashed and torn ACL on one guys head in practice with that group. It ended my career missing that season and losing incentive to continue being lost in the middle of 3 state champs.

We had 98 lb that went jockey after HS. His first year with the apprentice weight allowance he earned over $1 mil. Once he lost his weight allowance he stopped getting good rides. After 10 years he turned trainer. His total earnings as a jockey was over $5 mil.  Didn’t make money as a trainer so he started working with apprentice jockeys. Last I heard he was a carpenter building houses in the LA area, but that was years back.

[mspart]

Wow, very cool stories. 

mspart

[Bob H.]

It's too bad that Florida didn't have a rule like that a decade or so ago.  Brandon had three returning state finalists who couldn't crack the starting lineup one year.  I felt terrible for those kids, especially the seniors.