Inaugural Virginia Challenge Middle School National Holiday Duals Smash Hit !!!

Over 520 Middle School age wrestlers from grades 5th-8th invaded Old Dominion University Fieldhouse December 20-22 for the Inaugural Virginia Challenge Middle School National Holiday Duals. The tournament tuned out to be another smash hit event by the Virginia Challenge, which has created National, State and Regional events that have raised the level of Virginia wrestling the past 4 years.

20 teams wrestling on 10 mats from 6 States each wrestled 11 matches each in the 3 day tournament. 210 matches where wrestled each round by the 20 teams. 210 matches each round x 11 rounds = 2310 matches which = more fun than a barrell of monkeys !!!

A closer look you may see that the tournament is on course to be as big as the Virginia Duals National Invitation Team Wrestling Championships in many ways. The Virginia Duals is the granddaddy of the all dual meet tournaments. The Virginia Duals took years to attract 6 states the National Holiday Duals did it in the 1st year. The Virginia Duals 1st year had 2 divisions 1 High School division with 8 teams, 1 College Division 8 teams and was wrestled on 4 mats. The goal then and now of the Virginia Duals is to wrestle the best wrestlers from around the country side by side, in a dual meet format, it took years to evolve to 5 divisions, which it has now.

The Holiday Duals had 2 pools of 10 teams each. Each team wrestled 9 matches in their pool. When pool wrestling was over the tournament split into 5, 4 team tournaments. That means that 5 teams regardless of how they did in pool matches won their last 2 matches. 10 teams where 1 and 1 in there last 2 matches and only 5 of the 20 teams lost there last 2. Every team was in a semi-final match, every team was in a final or consolation final. Think about it, the kids not only got to wrestle in dual meets next to some of the best kids in the country they got to wrestle with them. The last 2 matches in every case was with teams of the same level.. More fun for everyone !!!

The trip to the next level is not an easy one...The motto of serious minded wrestlers is "To be the best, wrestle with the Best". The Virginia Challenge Middle School National Holiday Duals is doing just that!!

I would like to thank the VAC for sponsoring the Middle School National Holiday Duals. I think the VAC is a one-of-a-kind organization in the whole country and is doing more for Virginia wrestling than they are given credit. While helping Virginia, you are also helping all of the surrounding states to VA - NJ, PA, WVA, NC, MD, DE - by bringing this kind of premier event to our back yard. Over the last 2-3 years you have put Virginia on the national wrestling map.

Keith Gardner
Voorhees, NJ

The Virginia Challenge has made a big name across the nation for putting on great events that are not like any other tournaments any where in the country...Thank you Virginia and everyone that has made the vision a reality !!!

Results and pictures of the Virginia Challenge Middle School National Holiday Duals go to www.virginiachallenge.org If you are interested in wrestling in 2003 Virginia Challenge Middle School National Holiday Duals contact Frank Lipoli at Flipoli@aol.com or call 757-546-2028.