Years of intensive training have paid off for Flin Flon wrestler Hunter Lee, 16, who recently qualified for the 17 and under Team Canada.
Lee, a Grade 11 student at Hapnot Collegiate, competed in the ASICS Cadet/Juvenile Wrestling Canada Championships in Calgary from April 15 to 17.
On the first day of competition, Lee placed fifth in his weight class in the juvenile category, which includes 16- and 17-year-olds.
That placement qualified him to compete in the Fila Cadet Male Freestyle Trials, the selection event for the Cadet National Teams that includes both cadet (14- and 15-year-old) and juvenile wrestlers.
Lee won the 85 kg weight class in the Fila finals, beating a competitor who had bested him the day before. The win earned Lee a coveted spot as a starter for the 17-and-under Team Canada in freestyle wrestling.
In addition to the freestyle events, Lee placed third in his weight category in Greco-Roman wrestling. It was the first time he had competed in the event.
“It was fun,” said Lee. “Greco isn’t very big in Canada, so a lot of guys hadn’t practised it before. We learned the rules of it the day of the competition.”
Team Canada
As a member of the 17-and-under Team Canada, Lee will have the opportunity to compete at international events including the Pan American Championship in Peru in July, and the 2016 Cadet World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia in September.
Team members also participate in a number of training camps in between competitions.
Lee said he and his coach will decide which events he will attend, depending on his readiness.
Cost will likely be a factor as well; Lee will need to fundraise to participate in the international events as most of his travel expenses will not be covered.
At this stage, Lee said he plans to attend the Pan Am Championship in Peru.
In order to compete nationally, Lee will maintain an intense training schedule. His daily workout sessions include weightlifting, running and wrestling-specific training with either his local coach Derek Abrahamson, training partner Randy Petryck, younger brother Carson, or members of the local mixed martial arts club.
When possible, Lee heads to Saskatoon to train with his team, the Junior Huskies.
For the fun of it
Lee says his dedication to training is fuelled by the enjoyment he gets out of the sport of wrestling.
“It’s more exciting than any other sport for me,” he said. “It’s just you and the other guy...so it feels better when you win.”
Lee started wrestling in Grade 4, and began competing seriously around the end of Grade 8.
“Me and both my brothers, we wrestle all the time,” he said.
Lee’s brother Carson, 14, is a serious competitor in his own right: he competed at the Wrestling Canada Championships for the first time this year, placing fifth in his weight class in the cadets category.
Youngest brother Maguire, 12, is also an active wrestler and is on the École McIsaac School team.
Lee says years of informal experience with his family helped him develop his skills, and gave him a leg up on the competition when he started wrestling competitively.
“I’ve been pretty good at it ever since I started – that kind of helps if you’re better than a lot of the other guys,” he said.
Lee is helping pass on that love of wrestling by volunteering, alongside Carson, as a coach with the McIsaac wrestling program.
“They didn’t have any other coaches, and both my brothers were on the team [when he decided to coach], so it made sense, rather than let the program die, to coach it.”
Looking forward
While Lee hopes to earn a university scholarship for wrestling one day, he says his long-term goal is to transition to mixed martial arts (MMA) and compete professionally in that sport.
“With MMA there are a lot more opportunities once you get older,” said Lee. “With wrestling, once you’re done university, the only thing left is the Olympics.”
In the short term, Lee is focusing on the intense competitions that his role in Team Canada will bring, and working on his skills to take on tough opponents—like his Saskatoon coach, Dan Oliver.
“I haven’t been able to beat him yet,” said Hunter.
Of course, for this ambitious young wrestler, yet is the operative word.
Hunter Lee’s family has started a fundraising page to help him travel to competitions and training sessions. It can be viewed at www.
gofundme.com/2q5844ek.
