All Star High School Wrestling Tourney Discontinued
GREAT
FALLS - The personal injury law firm of Hoyt and Blewett PLLC in Great
Falls, which has sponsored the “Tournament of Champions” All Star Wrestling
Tournament for the last five years, has been forced to cancel the tournament
due to a lack of participation. The single elimination tournament, whose
purpose was to promote the sport of wrestling and crown a true state champion
at each weight class, took place in Great Falls the last five years one week
after the State Wrestling Tournament. Hoyt and Blewett sponsored the
event and also provided free lodging for coaches and wrestlers as well as
compensation for gas mileage.
The annual event
featured numerous state champions who went on to wrestle at the NCAA Division I
level, including Jade and Val Rauser from Townsend, Ben Stroh from Chinook,
Clay Cathey from Billings Skyview, Michael Carpenter from Bozeman, and Cole
Mendenhall from Great Falls High. Class B/C showcased the depth of its
wrestling talent by winning the most individual titles during 4 of the 5 years
in which the competition was held. “The tournament confirmed what we
already knew, that when it comes to wrestling, the small town kids run the
show,” said Anders Blewett, a tournament organizer and attorney at Hoyt and
Blewett.
However,
due to inconsistent participation from wrestlers at the AA level, the sponsors
felt the TOC was no longer a viable undertaking. “We put this tournament
on for the kids, but almost half of the champions didn’t want to wrestle.
Under the circumstances there isn’t much point in continuing,” said
Blewett.
Despite the tournament’s
conclusion, the sponsors believe it was ultimately a success. “Wrestling is the
toughest sport out there and this event helped promote the sport and gave these
kids the credit they deserve. Thanks to the strong support we received
from Mick Davis, the coaches and the Great Falls wrestling community, the best
of the best got to square off regardless of school classification. I’m
proud of every athlete who had the courage to wrestle in this tournament,
especially the state champs who were willing to put their titles on the line,”
said Blewett.
Blewett
also believes the tournament has created momentum around the state to establish
a true All-Class wrestling tournament. “The TOC showcased some great
match ups and really exciting wrestling – something that is clearly missing
from the State tournament with 45 different champions in 15 weight
classes. Hopefully the MHSA recognizes the merits of this type of
competition and does what it should have done a long time ago - host a true
All-Class state wrestling event.”
The Blewetts intend to
remain active in Montana wrestling and Zander Blewett, an attorney at Hoyt and
Blewett will continue to offer the Blewett wrestling scholarship to high school
athletes, as he has done for the previous seven years. The Blewett
Wrestling Scholarship awards three $1,000 scholarships to the top
student/wrestlers around the state of Montana for Classes “AA”, “A”, and “B/C”
who has displayed the best combined qualities of wrestling and academic
achievement. Information and applications for the scholarship are
available at http://www.hoytblewett.com/wrestling.php
