Sand isn't the perfect surface for wrestling.
“It sucks when you get it in your mouth,” said Wesley Short, a 2023 Fort Calhoun High School state qualifier.
It's a little bit slippery, too.
“But that's about it,” Short said. “It's still just as fun.”
Wrestlers convened behind The Fort Bar in Fort Calhoun on June 30 for a Beach Wrestling Fundraiser. FCHS coaches Lilly Gossman and Drew Welchert hatched the idea.
“We just kind of threw it together last minute to bring both of the teams together and make a fun night of it,” Gossman said.
Kids from preschool through 12th grade — and at least one college wrestler — participated in sandy matches, raising money for all ages of the town's wrestlers. Gossman said funds would benefit the Pioneer Wrestling Club youth team, which would, in turn, benefit the high school teams as they all use the same facilities.
“We're all, kind of, one big family,” she said. “I think that's the best way to phrase it.”
Beach wrestling isn't just a one time thing in Fort Calhoun either. There are plans for future events.
“Next year, we'll do it again,” Gossman said. “It will be bigger. It'll keep growing from there — that's our intention.”
