LYNN — The shoreline was packed with contestants seeking to make their mark at this year’s Lynn Shore Showdown beach wrestling tournament on Sunday afternoon, with wrestlers traveling from Providence, R.I., and Western Massachusetts to compete in the seventh annual event.
The tournament was hosted by Mayor Jared Nicholson and Beat the Streets New England, a non-profit organization designed to help improve the lives of at-risk youth through wrestling. The proceeds from the tournament are given to school wrestling programs in the Lynn area.
Wrestlers from all over New England came to compete in the sand on a hot Sunday afternoon. Despite the sun beating down on the participants, there was energy and excitement around all of the matches.
“It’s a fun day. It’s wrestling but it’s also a beach day, so we think it’s a perfect opportunity for the summer,” Nicholson said. “We’re really grateful, people have come from all over New England and we are thrilled to host.”
The idea to start the tournament began back in 2014 when Nicholson competed in a beach wrestling tournament in Narragansett, R.I.
“I thought it was a wonderful event and it should absolutely come to Lynn,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson, a wrestler during his time at Princeton University, took part in the action this year and won his first match with ease.
The tournament was a round-robin format, with participants divided into two divisions, Youth/High School and the Open division, which included college-aged wrestlers or older. The two divisions were then further separated by 15 different weight classes.
Chris Vega, of Holyoke, was a first-time competitor at the event and came in first place in the Open Division’s 136-160 pound weight class. Vega found out about the event through a friend that he goes to the gym with and wanted to get in on the fun.
“This is my first time doing a beach tournament, it was a great experience. The rules were a little different, I liked that,” Vega said. “The sand was kind of fun, even though I got some sand in my mouth, it was definitely something new.”
The tournament has grown every year since it began in 2016, with over 70 participants in this year’s event. However, the organizers of the wrestling tournament have even bigger plans for the future. With beach wrestling coming to the 2028 Olympics, event coordinators are hoping to make the tournament a regional qualifier for beach wrestlers looking to make the United States Olympic Team.
At the end of the event, Nicholson thanked participants and event organizers for helping to make the wrestling tournament possible and told everyone in attendance to help grow the event even more for next year.
“We hope that you tell your friends and your teams to come join us again next summer and we hope you enjoy your time at the beach here in Lynn,” said Nicholson.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected]
