Survival School slams competition 

As the Greater Montreal Athletic Association (GMAA) wrestling championship approaches, the time is now for teams to get themselves in fighting form.

For the first time in years, Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) wrestling coach Brandon Stalk believes that his team has a shot at winning it all.

“It's been a long time since this team has won the GMAA championship. It's something that we really want, and we can see that we're getting closer to that goal,” said Stalk.

KSS has 19 wrestlers on the team, the most they have had in a long time. That means they can cover most of the weight classes. More coverage means more potential points, which means higher chances of doing well in the overall standings.

The proof of that was ever present on Tuesday at KSS, as the gymnasium was host to a meet between Survival School and three other teams they will be competing against at the GMAA championships: Massey Vanier High School, Paul Germain Ostiguy, and, perhaps the strongest team of them all, Howard S. Billings High School.

The results of all three matchups were extremely encouraging for KSS, winning 48-10 versus Massey Vanier, 53-11 against Paul Germain Ostiguy, and 48-10 against Howard S. Billings.

“I think this is the first time our team has even won a meet the last two years, because we had small teams the last two years, and now we have a full team,” said Stalk. “Most of them are rookies, but some of them are good rookies.”

He said that the matchup against Billings was particularly impressive, due to their team’s strength.

“We won our first five matches in a row against Billings. So, the pressure was kind of off my shoulders at that point,” said Stalk. “They had a pretty strong team where, I mean, the matches could have gone either way. If we go against them again, we'd have to wrestle at our best to beat them.”

The KSS gym was packed, with supporters for each school, as well as fans from town who came to cheer on KSS.

“It was loud, and our guys fed off that energy. It really fuels them, and it changes the match. When there were times where we were losing a match and we came from behind, that's from them digging deep and having a lot of heart to push through, to keep wrestling because you're in front of your hometown crowd,” said Stalk. “That day was something the team needed, and it was actually something the school needed right now, too. The school needed a win like that, and they got three big wins from the wrestling team.”

The wrestling meet, which was the first one in two years at KSS, was organized with the help of KSS’s student engagement and activity facilitator, Brandon Bordeau.

“I worked hand in hand with the wrestling coaches and made sure that we had scorekeepers and volunteers, and that we had everything set up, and just made sure that the matches could happen, and the coaches could coach without worrying about the technical aspects,” said Bordeau.

He agreed with Stalk that the atmosphere was excellent for wrestling – which was not a surprise at all for Bordeau.

“It's a great tradition here, it’s something that has been extremely storied throughout the years, and I know that KSS wrestling is, and always will be, a big draw,” said Bordeau.

With the GMAA championships on February 13 at Howard S. Billings, and the All-Star meet the week prior, Stalk said this is a critical time for KSS wrestling’s season.

“It's super important, because the level these kids are at, they're learning a lot all the time. Every practice they get better, every match they get better,” said Stalk. “When we have live-action matches, we can go back to practice and work on what we need to work on. I already know what we're going to be working on for the next few days, because of Tuesday.”

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