Wrestling medals for Survival School
First-year wrestler Teiewentsarihtha Rice won gold in the 64 KG Girls Rookie Open category, bringing home Kahnawake Survival School’s lone gold medal at the Matmen Classic in Brampton, Ontario. Courtesy Kanorarihtha Albany
The Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) wrestling team hit the road last weekend, heading to Brampton, Ontario, for the Matmen Classic Championships.
KSS sent 14 wrestlers to the tournament, and almost half returned with medals, as six wrestlers finished in the top three of their respective categories.
One of those wrestlers is Teiewentsarihtha Rice, who won gold in the 64 KG Girls Rookie Open category.
“When I got on the mat, I knew all I could do was to give what I had,” said Rice, a first year wrestler who joined the team at the beginning of this season.
Her category did not have elimination rounds, as there were only four wrestlers in it. Instead, each athlete wrestled two preliminary matches that would set up a finals match and a bronze medal match.
Rice pinned her opponent in her first match, Kaylie Niuqtuq from Wrestling Nunavut, in under 15 seconds.
Her next match, against Iris Whitthard of the Junior Badgers Wrestling Team, was won on points, 11-6.
The gold medal match was, appropriately, her toughest of the event, she said.
She faced the also undefeated Seerit Bajwa, a wrestler from the Mississauga-based Akhara of Champions Wrestling Club, one of the province’s top wrestling teams.
Rice said she figured out what her opponent’s game plan was pretty quickly in the finals.
“I figured out my competitor was only shooting for throws, so I made sure not to tie up and shot a double leg any time I could,” said Rice, referring to the technique of going for the legs to take down your opponent, rather than going for the upper body.
That proved successful for Rice, who won on points by not allowing her opponent to get in any offense, winning 8-0.
“Winning was a mix of relief and pride, I wasn’t just proud of my win, I was proud of everyone who pushed me to do my best,” she said.
She said she, and the rest of the team, would not have been able to perform as well as they did without KSS’s coaching staff: Brandon Stalk, Kennikahontesha Montour, Kahonwes Stacey, Shakoia’tenhawi:tha Cross-Jacobs, and Kanerahtens Bush, “for all the time, commitment and dedication they give our team.”
She also gave a shoutout to Lia Tekawisokwas Bear (her teammate) for “helping and supporting me when I needed most,” she said.
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The other medalists for KSS were Rayce Leblanc, who won silver in the 62-67 KG Boys Bantam category; Tharahkwisere Stacey, who won silver in the 95 KG Boys Open Rookie category; Wylie Delaronde, who won silver in the 89 KG Boys Open Rookie category; Rowan Diabo, who won bronze in the 57.5 KG Boys Open Rookie category; and Kane Clute, who won bronze in the 83 KG Boys Open Rookie category.
