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OKINAWA, Japan - His coach shouts as he slams into the mat. Sweat pours down his cheek as his heart races and he counters to get back on his feet. The crowd is silent, waiting for the next move, but his teammates yell to him reminding him of what moves to execute during his championship match.
This was the scene as Tatsushi Miyagi, an 18-year-old wrestler at Okinawa Urasoe Technical High School, took first place in the 163-pound weight class at the first Marine Corps Community Services wrestling tournament at the Camp Schwab Power Dome Nov. 20.
Thirty-six Okinawans, 24 service members and two family members hit the mats to compete against each other in the tournament, which was put together to allow Status of Forces Agreement personnel to compete against the local Okinawan high school wrestlers. Marines, sailors, airmen, soldiers, Kubasaki High School graduates and students from three Okinawan high schools participated in the tournament to see if they could hold their own on the mats with the best in Japan.
“We have never had a tournament with this many wrestlers,” said Bob Gorsky, athletic coordinator for the Camp Schwab Power Dome. “Events like these build friendships and let the Okinawans know we are here to [support] them. The staff here is very passionate about what we do and it excites us to see an event succeed as this one did.”
If you have an energetic program, the Marines involved will enjoy it more and be excited to participate, said Gorsky.
Some service members who participated were surprised by the skill and technique of the high school wrestlers.
“When warm-ups began, we were all shocked by the amount of training they had,” said Michael Shelton, a Marine wrestling in the tournament. “We were just stretching and warming up our way, when all of a sudden they started doing sprints, back flips and drills that would normally be equal to a full practice for my old high school team.”
Shelton, 19, wrestled at Evanston High School, Evanston, Wyo. This is his first time back on the mat since high school, however, he is training to vie for a spot on the Marine Corps wrestling team.
Although Shelton did circuit workouts, sprints and weight training to prepare for the tournament, he ended the day with 5th place in the 163-pound weight class.
“From what I saw today, the Okinawan wrestlers are very devoted to the sport,” said Shelton. “I am not doing the best today, but you can’t take a loss too hard in a tournament setting. You have to be able to come back. You can lose in the beginning of the day, and you can still come back and take second or third and finish strong.”
“Okinawa is the perfect place for wrestling, because the average person is short and stocky,” said Ariel Morano, a tournament referee. “I am surprised the sport isn’t bigger than it is here.”
The local high schools brought 36 wrestlers out today, said Yabiku Tamotsu, the wrestling coach for Okinawa Urasoe Technical High School. In preparation, they conducted more power training than usual in order to compete against military personnel.
“We may have speed and technique, but we lack on power,” said Tamotsu. “Marines are powerful and bring a lot of strength to their fighting. Coming out to an event like this is a good experience for any wrestler, but especially for those wanting to pursue a career in wrestling and plan on going up against international opponents. It provides a better stage to learn at and to get better at different fighting styles.”
Miyagi has been wrestling for nearly three years and is ranked the number one high school wrestler in all of Japan for the 163-pound weight class.
“Americans have more power and throw their weight around,” said Miyagi, who took first place for his weight class in the tournament. “We focus more on technique and endurance. It is a different type of match against them.”
This was Miyagi’s first time wrestling against American athletes and he claimed he will leave with valuable knowledge for the future. Miyagi aspires to compete in the Olympics one day.
“We appreciate everyone who came out and participated in the tournament today and look forward to hosting more in the future,” said Gorsky.
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2011 20:42 |
| Story ID: | 63326 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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