ITEM PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Little Jalena Perry tries to drag Brady Gleason out of the ring to earn a point in Saturday’s wrestling tournament at Lynn Beach.
By STEVE KRAUSE
LYNN — Even at 10:30 in the morning, it is blazing hot and, for the 60 wrestlers who landed on the beach across from the James J. Ward Bathhouse, there’s no shade.
“We thought about the heat,” said Jared Nicholson, Lynn School Committeeman, as the thermometer reached into the 90s Saturday, “I would have been happier if we’d had a little bit of a breeze. But then again, wrestlers are tough.”
It was the first Lynn Shore Showdown, an exhibition wrestling tournament that is part of Nicholson’s mission to promote the sport in the schools.
Wrestlers of all ages and weight classes tried their hands at grappling in the soft sand of the beach, minus the headgear they wear in more structure competitions while rolling on gymnasium floor mats. Instead, two areas of the beach were roped off to set the parameters, even though wrestlers exceeded the boundaries.
For a first-time effort, Nicholson was happy with how it came out.
“I wasn’t sure how this was going to go,” he said. “Earlier this week, didn’t have many people registered, but it really took off in the last few days.”
The meet attracted wrestlers from as far away as Rhode Island, where Nicholson got the idea for having this tournament.
He was studying for the bar exam at the time, he said, and needed something to distract him. He found out about a Narragansett Beach tournament, and entered and thought it was a great idea for Lynn.
“For one thing, it’s a great way to promote the sport,” Nicholson said. “I’d really love to see it take off in the high schools. And we have these beautiful beaches. What a way to show off our seashore.”
Implementing a beach wrestling tournament involved a considerable amount of work, mostly getting permits, he added.
“For that,” he said, “I have to thank the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach. They were very helpful.”
Nicholson began wrestling at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School as a 165-pound strong safety on the football team.
“My freshman coach was also the wrestling coach,” he said. “He recruited me. He said he thought I’d make a good wrestler.”
Nicholson, who also played football all four years at Lincoln-Sudbury, said the two sports complement each other.
“There’s the physical fitness aspect of it, obviously,” he said. “There’s also the contact aspect of it. You can’t be afraid of physical contact.”
Nicholson continued wrestling at Princeton University, and maintained his love for the sport. Last winter, he introduced it to Marshall Middle School, under the direction of coach and history teacher Frank Vieira.
One of their disciples, eighth grader Victor Morales, was among the participants. He was pitted against two high school students. While he didn’t win either of his matches, he held his own, Vieira said.
“But don’t forget he was up against guys much older and heavier than he was,” Viera said. “He scored some points. He did fine.”
Morales followed a program established by Vieira during the summer.
“It’s mostly going to the gym and jogging,” he said. “It’s important to stay in shape.”
Among those attending Saturday was John Ford, Nicholson’s school committee colleague.
“You’ll see me at anything that involves kids,” said Ford. “Jared is doing this for them, which is the right thing to do.
Ford said wrestling is the perfect sport for inner-city schools.
“It’s inexpensive, for one thing,” he said. “I’d like to see it in all the schools.”
This fall, the three high schools will combine for one program, run out of Lynn Vocational Technical Institute. Athletic director Joe Skeadas said it will be co-educational, part of the Commonwealth Athletic Conference.
Nicholson said one of the tournament’s aims is to get school students involved in something constructive so they won’t get into trouble.
“Summer’s a tough time,” he said. “We want to get the attention of kids in a good way, and one thing you can say about wrestling is that it’s a positive bonding experience. Sixty wrestlers competed hard, showed great sportsmanship, and had a lot of fun.”
