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Boise Patriot Wrestling club gets fresh start

Boise Patriot Wrestling club gets fresh start

The Boise-based group had faced uncertain future after a treasurer stole thousands.

   
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Learn more about the Boise-based Patriot Wrestling Club, get involved or make a donation on the Web, www.patriotwrestling.org or e-mail director Andy Johnson, ajjohnson@cableone.net

MOELLER - kmoeller@idahostatesman.com

Edition Date: 02/15/09


If Centennial High School\'s gym had been filled with heart-shaped chocolates, it couldn\'t have raised the energy and excitement levels any higher for more than a hundred pint-sized wrestlers at a Valentine\'s Day tournament Saturday.

"My son absolutely loves it. He can\'t wait for it to start," said Scott Johnson, who clutched his camera to take photos of son Spencer, 6, in his second-ever Patriot Wrestling tournament.

Boise\'s Patriot Wrestling Club, formerly the Idaho Express, sponsored the beginners\' tournament to encourage kids in the sport and in life.

The 30-year-old club got a new name and a fresh start last year when passionate parents rallied to save it after a former treasurer allegedly took as much as $7,000 two years ago, including money for the wrestlers\' trip to a national tournament.

"I can\'t stand to see things go away, especially if they\'re good," said Andy Johnson, a Boise police officer who is now director of the club. "I just couldn\'t stand to see it go up in flames."

The former treasurer was charged with grand theft, but the resolution of the case was unclear in court records. Johnson said he was told the treasurer paid restitution of about $1,900.

Since then, parents and wrestlers have held fundraisers and drummed up sponsors, including Buck\'s Bags, Boise Police Association and Idaho Fraternal Order of Police, to keep the club together. Most donations go toward travel expenses for out-of-town tournaments. It costs about $1,200 to send one wrestler to nationals, and the club aims to send 10 this year.

On Saturday, about 161 boys - and a few girls - ages 4 to 12 converged on Centennial\'s gym for the tournament.

Participants were all new to the sport and allowed to wear what they wanted. Some wore sleek wrestling singlets, others wore baggy shorts and T-shirts. Most had on wrestling shoes, but some went barefoot. A few wore ear guards.

The athletes\' families cheered in the stands or close to the mat, offering urgent advice.

Andy Johnson\'s entire family worked to pull off the fun match, in which scores were kept but no winners declared. His wife, Pam, and their five kids did everything from selling shaved ice to refereeing matches. He proudly pointed to his sons, Trent, 11, and Jace, 15, who were among the young volunteer referees.

Johnson, the 42-year-old son of a Methodist minister, sounded like a preacher when he talked about the life-long values and skills that wrestling instills in kids, including the confidence to tackle big challenges.

He said the club is back in the black, and has top-notch coaches Collin Robertson and Cam Jones, both national stand-outs who wrestled for Boise State University, to lead the club\'s 100-plus wrestlers.

"To me, this is a lot like life," he said. "You teach your kids, and you try to model the behavior, but at some point they\'ve got to go do it themselves."

Katy Moeller: 377-6413

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Fall and Rise of Boise Wrestling Club

Click here for Channel 2 coverage of Fun match

http://www.2news.tv/sports/39720387.html?video=YHI&t=a

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Wrestling Club Survives

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Wrestling Club Survives Embezzlement

Meridian, Idaho-- The Idaho Express Patriot Wrestling Club has been around for 30 years.  For some families it\'s a generational tradition, for others it\'s just their favorite activity.

"You can get stronger.  It\'s really fun," said Ty Bahen, a wrestler.

"It\'s just really a great way to stay in shape and kind of the independence of it all is better than any other sport I\'ve done before," said Jace Johnson, a wrestler.

It\'s a sense of competition a lot of young boy\'s share with their dads -- who cheer them on from the sidelines.

"And then he says half nelson and grab the wrists," said Bahen.

But, even as recently as two months ago, club leaders weren\'t sure it would survive.  They were about to help some to wrestlers pay for a trip to a national competition, when they checked the organization\'s bank account.

"The money wasn\'t there.  Turns out the Treasurer had embezzled a whole bunch of money it basically broke our hearts," said Andy Johnson, the club director.

The kids who were old enough to understand, knew their club was in serious trouble.

"Like how could someone do that to people who just want to give kids something to do," said Jace.

Luckily, the community stepped up to the mat and given the group new life.

"Buck\'s Bags, the Idaho Fraternal Order of Police Officials and the Boise Police Association have all been helping out," said Andy Johnson.

The pint sized athletes say they\'re grateful for the extra financial muscle, that\'s allowed them to keep pinning the competition.

"I think that wrestling gives you the confidence to do anything you really want when you set your mind to it," said Jace.

So far the club has been able to pay of it\'s debts.  But, with 10-top athletes hoping to be sent to represent Idaho in national competitions they say they\'re still falling a little short.  To donate visit patriotwrestling.org or call 703-1383

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