Update: The event previewed below was canceled, as were all sectionals statewide, due to the predicted storm this weekend. All wrestlers in the commonwealth advance to the state meets: Feb. 22 in Lawrence for grades 5 and 6 and March 1 in Danvers for grades 7 and 8.

 

In 2010 while attending a high school summer wrestling tournament, the idea of starting a youth feeder program was put in the mind of Derek Powell.

 

Now, five years later, after his program placed first at sectionals and third in the entire state in 2014, the Berkshire Youth Wrestling program  next month will be host the Central and Western Massachusetts Sectional Tournament for grades 5-8 for the first time.

 

“The motivation was to develop a program where we could groom kids to become fundamentally sound wrestlers, build character, and self-esteem,” Powell said. “And to hopefully provide our kids with a group of friends who would raise the level of competition throughout Berkshire County.

 

The program has a total of 35 wrestlers, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade; with the largest age group being the sixth- and seventh-graders. Powell said they have been around the 35 range mark for the past three years.

 

A majority of the wrestlers are from the Pittsfield area, but kids from Dalton, Cheshire, and Lenox are a part of the program as well.

 

“We called ourselves Berkshire Youth Wrestling and not Pittsfield in hopes that kids from other districts could come and not feel out of place,” Powell said. “We practice at Taconic High School, and we have kids who will go on to wrestle for Greylock and that is fine.”

 

“Our objective is to get kids interested in wrestling at a young age in hopes of building the high school rosters in the near future.”

 

Last season, the program traveled to Wayland, Mass. for the sectional tournament, finishing in first place with 76 points.

 

“We were combined with the other Pittsfield team, because points are given to towns and not clubs,” Powell said. “It was a great day for both clubs.”

 

They then went on to place third in the State Tournament behind Chelmsford and Mansfield.

 

“After that success, I began the quest to bring a tournament to Pittsfield,” Powell said. “Teams knew who we were now and knew how good our kids were.”

 

Powell ran for election for the board of directors for the Mass Youth Wrestling Association in the offseason, where he was elected to the nine-person board by the youth coaches. 

 

“I really wanted to bring the State Tournament here to Taconic, but our gym wasn’t large enough to support the crowd and number of mats required,” he explained. “So I put a bid in for sectional and was able to speak to the rest of the board before the vote, which was the difference.”

 

The vote went 5-4 in favor of Taconic over Wayland.

 

The tournament will be held on Feb. 15 at Taconic High School. It is a Western/Central Mass. Sectional Tournament. The top four kids in each weight class will advance to the State Championships which are held in Danvers, Mass. in March.

 

Powell said he expects around 200 kids, 20 of them being from the Berkshire Youth Wrestling Club. Coming in from Western Mass will be Springfield, Agawam, Ludlow, and Westfield. Other towns that will be coming in are, Fitchburg, Leominster, Littleton, Westford, Holden, Boylston, Northborough, Southborough, Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, Framingham, Natick, Ashland, Hopkinton, Holliston, Milford, Norfolk, Franklin, and Wrentham.

 

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. with grades 5 and 6 (novice division) wrestling in the morning with 13 weight classes, grades 7 and 8 (middle school division) will wrestle in the afternoon with 17 weight classes.

 

“I think it will be a great experience for our kids to wrestle in their home gym in front of a home crowd,” Powell said. “Hopefully we can get extended families and friends out to watch and new kids excited about the sport.”