Beckman in a good position

by Murray McCormick of the Regina Leader-Post

Monday, December 20, 2004
 

The enthusiasm that Caileigh Beckman has for wrestling is infectious. Beckman, who is in Grade 12 at Miller Comprehensive High School and a member of the Cattown Wrestling Club, lights up when talking about female wrestling. "Any girl can wrestle, you just need the right attitude,'' Beckman said Saturday during a 2005 Canada Games Saskatchewan team ranking tournament at the University of Regina. "There are all of the different body types from the smallest to the biggest person. Wrestling can be a team and individual sport. You can get driven by your team or by yourself. It has all of the components for everyone.''

PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Sawka, Leader-Post Photo   Saskatoon's Ryan Myrfield has       Cattown's Marshall Karn all tied up.

Beckman has many reasons to be excited about wrestling. She won the juvenile women's 60-kilogram division after posting a 3-0 record at the Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport on Saturday. Beckman will be the top-ranked wrestler in her weight class when the Canada Games trials are held April 30-May 1 in Saskatoon.

Beckman has the inside track on representing Saskatchewan at the 2005 Canada Summer Games, which are being held in Regina, Moose Jaw, Lumsden and Saskatchewan Beach, Aug. 6-20.

"I want to win for Saskatchewan and for Regina,'' said Beckman, 17. "It's my home town and my university coach will be here. I really want it.''

Beckman, who plans on attending the University of Regina in the fall, could also be part of an historic group to compete at the Summer Games. The 2005 event will mark the first time that women's wrestling is a full-medal sport at the Summer Games. Women's wrestling debuted as a medal sport at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

"It's nice because it's something for the girls to look forward to,'' said Regina's Kim Bergey, who is in line to coach Saskatchewan's women's team at the Summer Games. "It was big in the Olympics and this will be big for kids who won't get to the Olympics.''

Beckman is a relative newcomer to women's wrestling. She started in Grade 10 as a means to keep in shape for rugby. She finished fifth at the Saskatchewan championships and was a member of Team Saskatchewan at the 2003 Western Canada Summer Games in Selkirk, Man. Beckman finished second in her division in her first major wrestling competition.

"It was a big tournament and it helped me a lot,'' Beckman said. "I also liked it because you could actually make friends with everyone and not just in your sport. You were also able to make friends with your competitors because you're spending time with them outside of the competition.''

Bergey is a veteran of competition in judo and field hockey at the Canada Games level. She competed in 1987 in judo and was a member of Saskatchewan's field hockey team in 1995. She turned to wrestling in Grade 12 and won four senior national titles and two CIS championships with the U of R Cougars.

The Saskatchewan Amateur Wrestling Association hasn't announced its coaches for the Summer Games team. There were interviews scheduled after Saturday's competitions and the coaches are expected to be announced shortly. Bergey should be a lock to coach the women's team because she's the only female coach being interviewed.

"I really wanted to do it because it's the first time that it's part of the Games,'' Bergey said, who teaches home economics and coaches wrestling at Thom Collegiate. "I started when women's wrestling began at the CIS, so I might as well hit all of the landmarks.''

There are 10 weight classes for women at the Summer Games. The top-ranked wrestlers from Saturday's event will advance directly to the best-of-three final in April. Bergey hopes to work with more than just the top-ranked competitors leading up to the Summer Games, though.

"I hope to train as many as I can to get a bigger team," she said. "I know that the No. 2s will be needed."

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2004