For the fourth straight year, I was asked by the DAILY PRESS to help with coverage of the Virginia Duals, one of the premier wrestling events on the East Coast, and one which just happens to be held in nearby Hampton Coliseum. There are a couple of reasons why I like this gig. First, it's a big deal locally, and in some regions of the U.S., as high school and college teams come in from all over the country, some from as far away as Nevada and Arizona. The paper devotes a lot of space and resources to the event, and as many as eight reporters, editors and photographers will contribute to the collective cause.
The other reason I've liked the Duals is no secret. The food is awesome. So, when given a choice to present a feature topic, I went with the hometown flavor of the meet, featuring the three schools who have competed in most (or in Poquoson's case, all) of the 35 Duals. It gave me a chance to thank the people who generally cause me to gain a few pounds each Duals weekend.
Original version of story which ran in DAILY PRESS sports, January 11, 2015.
In
many respects, the Virginia Duals is a family affair. There are constants
within the competition that friends, fans and competitors can always rely on.
As the Duals
turn 35 this year, Poquoson can lay a claim as the home team, one that has been
there to celebrate every year. Among the high schools, it is the only one who
can claim to have competed in every event.
After all, it’s
their show.
“The Duals
started with a bunch of Poquoson people,” says Islander coach Eric Decker,
himself a native of Binghamton, NY. “The proceeds from the meet go to fund the
PWA (Peninsula Wrestling Association), and that money is used to fund the
wrestlers when we go to meets in North Dakota and such.
As a unit, the
Poquoson contingent is a large and tight one. Insiders know that one of the
best features with working at the Duals is the quality of the food in the
hospitality room. Feeding the masses requires a large coordinated effort, one
that involves spreading a series of dishes out every two hours to match the
breaks between matches. The Poquoson parents and children, dozens of them,
cook, serve and clean.
It would seem
that such a large and a formal association, such as a Poquoson athletic booster
club, would underwrite such a massive undertaking.
Lynn Dunagan
laughs at the concept. Between rounds of serving the workers lined up on a
stage eight feet above and along the sideline, Dunagan freely admits, “We’re
just a bunch of parents who have been doing this for years.”
And the
continuity of kitchen workers comes from the Bull Island tradition. Names such
as Graham, McCormick and Hennessy denote that a new generation of Islander
grapplers (and their parents) is now leading the team. When Poquoson wrestles
at the Duals, the kitchen empties out.
Although the hospitality
room is a sea of Islander Maroon and Gold, some Tabb parent shirts are visible
as bowls of chowder and deep dishes of spaghetti and potato salad get lined up
and knocked down.
In the end, as
it has been since the Duals inception in 1971, the undertaking of maintaining
such a large meet has been a group effort, and one which has focused on three
schools – the host Poquoson, Tabb, and Gloucester. The Tigers (33) and Dukes
(29) stand among the teams with the most Duals appearances. And it’s for good
reason.
Gloucester coach
Ricky Pierce can attest to that.
“I wrestled for
Ferguson (High) back in the day,” says Pierce, hedging before admitting that
the time period in question is “sometime in the 1990’s.” We had a Virginia
Duals club, and after the season ended, around March, we’d get together and
wrestle as a team. We had people from Tabb and Poquoson… they came from all
over. It was a freestyle Greco-Roman team and a good way for guys to stay
competitive in the offseason.”
The Duals club
would later be given a formal name, and the Poquoson Wrestling Association was
born.
All of the teams
have enjoyed success at the Duals. Since the event started its current format
of three high school divisions in 1996, Tabb has won two Black and Blue championships
(1996, 2000), while Gloucester has earned two berths in the Division finals
(1996, 2004).
Poquoson (career
Duals mark of 58-49) has enjoyed more recent success, winning last year’s Black
and Blue championship, a win that, by rule, forced them to upgrade to the
American High School Division this year.
Tabb and Gloucester
have had a harder time earning wins at the Duals, but both teams enjoy
successful moments each year and have not embarrassed themselves. Given the
high level of competition, Tabb’s 39-54 record and Gloucester’s 28-48 career Duals
records show competitiveness.
Tabb coach Doug
Roper explained the draw of the Duals.
“Our kids walk
in (to Hampton Coliseum) and they’re a little in awe. The colleges are here, and
a lot of our alumni show up. It started as a local thing, but now it’s expanded
and more teams from out of the area are here. But, even if we lose, you hope as
a coach that they will see something that will motivate them to work out harder
– to go to the weight room and put in more effort.”
Twenty years
ago, Jason Bryant skipped school on a Friday to attend the Duals, and he’s been
hooked ever since. Now a print and broadcast journalist, one who has turned his
passion into a media business, he has also recognized subtle changes.
Says Bryant, “Nothing
drastic has changed, but it has grown. Since I started coming here, we’ve gone
from six, to eight and now ten mats. And before, a lot of the high school
matches were planned in advance. The colleges were always bracketed, but high
schools could come and see how they would do against teams they might see later
in the season.”
On Saturday, two
of the Old Guard schools squared off as Poquoson drew Gloucester in a
consolation semifinal. The match was close through the 145-lb. match, but a
21-point run by Poquoson opened up a sizable lead and the Islanders won 50-27.
Afterwards, the teams shook hands and went their separate ways. For now.
Decker explained
why. “Greg Todd (Gloucester assistant) helps me coach with the PWA.” We have a good-natured
competition with Gloucester. Ricky’s a fun guy to compete against. But he is
competitive.”
And who knows?
They might compete against each other again next year.
