Top-notch wrestlers help instruct at Peninsula wrestling camp

Athletes will drill what they learned during each session

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

Published: 03:16PM July 29th, 2009

Scott Valley is an interested parent of the Peninsula High School wrestling program. His son, Ryan, is going to be a freshman this fall.

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rules don’t allow coaches to conduct organized practices, so Valley decided to coordinate a wrestling camp for the team.

“(Peninsula head coach Ron Powers) asked me to do it, and I put it all together,” said Valley, who wrestled at Washington State University. “I went from a concerned parent, to having to run this thing.”

The camp is geared toward all wrestlers in the Gig Harbor-Key Peninsula areas, and it will feature some highly touted wrestlers from the 1980s. The most notable is Gene Mills, nicknamed “Mean Gene,” who finished with an overall collegiate record of 1,356-46. Eight hundred eighty-six of his victories were by pin.

Mills was a two-time NCAA champion who comes with impressive accomplishments. Touring the country at various clinics, Valley got him interested in the Gig Harbor area to show the high school wrestlers a thing or two.

“I had a little bit of experience, and I saw things I thought might help,” Valley said. “I’m trying to address those needs.”

In the Class 3A regional tournament last year at Bonney Lake, Peninsula was turned 4-1. Valley said the Seahawks weren’t turning enough people over.

“Our kids didn’t pin as many people as you would hope,” Valley said.

He hopes Mills and two other notable clinicians will provide helpful instruction that will improve the quality of high school wrestling.

Brian Higa, 49, won two state championships as head coach at Tahoma High School, and he was a Pac-10 champion himself in 1980 for WSU in the 118-pound weight class.

Higa said he wants the high school wrestlers to know exactly what they are doing on their feet.

“Positioning is everything,” Higa said. “I’m going to talk about how to use your position to get some easy scores.”

Of the four local wrestlers who competed at the Mat Classic state wrestling tournament last year, each one was pinned in the first round.

“The goal was to help the Peninsula team get better,” Valley said. “If we can plant some infrastructure, hopefully it’ll pay off for Gig Harbor and Peninsula.”

Want to participate?

The Peninsula Seahawks wrestling camp is geared for all high school students, but younger ages are invited as well.

Cost: $75

When: Aug. 4-7

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day

Where: Peninsula High School main gym

Camp includes a lunch and T-shirt.

Who’s going to be there?

There will be three notable clinicians, including Gene Mills, also known as Mean Gene.

Gene Mills

Two-time NCAA champion at Syracuse University and four-time NCAA All-American.

Part of 1980 U.S. freestyle wrestling team.

Three-time World Cup champion.

Holds NCAA record for most career pins.

Brad Swartz

NCAA All-American at Oregon State University

Two-time Senior World champion.

Leaving Aug. 8 for world masters championships in Turkey.

Brian Higa

Two-time Pac-10 champion at Washington State University.

Former head coach for two-time state champions Tahoma High School.

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