By Dave Dyer

Staff Writer

Got a kid with too much energy?

The Scarborough High School Wrestling Boosters is hosting a summer wrestling camp for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The camp, which began on June 22 and will end July 29, is hosted every Monday and Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Scarborough High School wrestling coach Phil Hamilton said the goal of the camp is to increase interest in wrestling for Scarborough students.

“Hopefully it will spread awareness about wrestling,” Hamilton said. “It’s definitely very helpful to the program.”

Hamilton said younger students will learn how to “shoot” or attack an opponent, as well as shot defense, how to pin an opponent and how to escape from being pinned. 

Kyle Jamison, who will be a senior at Scarborough High School this fall, said he’s participating in the camp to keep his skills sharp.

“It’s a good way to not be rusty,” Jamison said.

Fellow Scarborough senior Glen Googins said the camp allows him to work on the intricacies of some of the wrestling moves.

“I think it will help us out a lot with some of the small things,” Googins said.

Camp Director John Cole has also passed out parent guides during the camp, which helps introduce the sport. The guide explains how points are scored during a wrestling match, as well as some of the illegal holds, such as a headlock, hammerlock, or the full nelson.

The guide also gives advice on the do’s and don’ts in being the parent of an athlete, such as praising kids after a match, as well as making it a point to not compete or argue with the child’s coach. 

Near the end of the camp, an open tournament will be hosted at the high school. The Tranch Memorial Tournament will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 18. The tournament is open to wrestlers from kindergarten up, and Hamilton said anyone can wrestle in the tournament.

“It’s open for everybody, we had people from Skowhegan, Brewer and a person from Colorado last year,” Hamilton said.

The tournament is named after former Scarborough High School mathematics teacher Dan Tranchemontagne, who helped start the wrestling program at Scarborough before his death from cancer in 2002.

Before the start of the tournament, a wrestling clinic will be presented by University of Southern Maine wrestler Mike Morin.

Googins, who started wrestling five years ago, and Jamison, who started four years ago, both said they appreciate the sport for the one-on-one competition.

“I like how competitive it is, how it’s all on you,” Googins said.

“It’s definitely all about the individual aspect of it,” Jamison said. “Baseball and football is all pretty linear.”

Googins said he’s been excited about the growth of the wrestling program in Scarborough since he first started wrestling.

“My first year of high school was the first year we were sanctioned,” Googins said. “Just seeing everything grow is kind of exciting.”

For more information on the Scarborough Wrestling Camp or the Tranch Memorial Tournament, contact John Cole at 831-8174 or 575-9089. 

Staff writer Dave Dyer can be reached at 282-4337 ext. 219